The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers’ Confederation (BCCEC), the Bahamas Ministry of Finance, along with the International Labour Organisation (ILO), held an Entrepreneurial and Enterprise Skills Training Workshop for 40 participants on September 8 at the Comfort Suites Hotel on Paradise Island to launch their government- funded, Small Business Help Desk.

The Small Business Help Desk provides Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with professional business development services that assist in building and managing their businesses.

The government has provided funding to the Chamber’s SME Mentorship Programme to support the country’s small businesses.

Minister of State for Finance Michael Halkitis addressed the launch of the Small Business Help Desk at the beginning of the sessions.

He said the government will continue to support the Chamber of Commerce, as well as eventually increase the amount of funding for sustaining the mentorship facilities for the Small and Medium Enterprise Programme at the chamber.

After his address, the Entrepreneurial and Enterprise Skills Workshop got underway, which is scheduled for a three-day span.

Edison Sumner of the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce pointed to insufficient job opportunity, low skill levels and also reluctance to fill certain jobs as major reasons for the nation’s unemployment.

Kelvin Sergeant, specialist for Enterprise Development, said that the International Labour Organisation is conducting entrepreneurial training in 22 countries.