BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, (CMC) – Barbados ambassador to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Robert ‘Bobby’ Morris Monday called for the implementation of a CARICOM Certificate Plan to help young people become entrepreneurs or form cooperatives.
Morris told students from Antigua and Barbuda participating in a CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) mission to Barbados that Regional integration is not an easy process and a certificate would make it easier for young people to get involved in business.
The CSME project is part of a CARICOM Secretariat public education programme which exposes tertiary students to the CSME through field missions.
The project is being funded by the European Union and the students during the week-long state here are expected to investigate the operations of the CSME that allows for the free movement of goods, skills, labour and services across the 15-member Regional grouping.
Morris told the students with an increase in free movement, the integration process needs to become much easier.
“As we seek to implement the CARICOM Strategic Plan 2015-2019, the matrix will be applied to examine the extent to which free movement is being practiced.
“At the end of the period it is just not an exercise that we are doing, we have to measure, we have to look back and see what have we actually done,” he said.
“In my view or legislatures will ensure that the legal requirements are put in place,” he said, adding “there must be ongoing education activities to ensure that the would be movers are encouraged to follow their dreams and the receivers are sensitized to extend welcoming arms to our brothers and sisters.”
Head of the European Delegation to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Mikael Barford, said under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF)-Caribbean Indicative programme, estimated at Euro346 million (One Euro=US$1.29 cents) strengthening of universities networks “appear amongst the actions to be contemplated”.
The Guyana-based CARICOM Secretariat said that the objective of the project involving the students “is to engage the next generation in identifying career opportunities in the field with regard to wage employment, self employment and starting a business in the CSME”.
It said that the students along with an Antigua and Barbuda CARICOM Youth Ambassador (CYA) will meet with the Barbados government ministries and departments responsible for labour, commerce, immigration and for issuing local CARICOM Skills Certificates.
The mission will also meet senior personnel from the local Central Bank and regional service companies.
The Secretariat said that since April this year, 57 tertiary students and three CYAs from Dominica, Belize and Grenada have been exposed to similar missions within the CSME.
It said the project titled ‘Students engaging the CSME through Field Promotion’, was first initiated in 2008 to 2009 and saw 283 tertiary students exposed to the CSME. It is expected that this current project will last until the end of 2015 and another 240 students will benefit from the missions.