21 Oct EXCELP
Over fifty (50) Saint Lucian entrepreneurs have registered to participate in the Exporter Capacity Enhancement Learning Program (EXCELP) session scheduled to take place on Monday, October 24th, 2022.
Jointly developed by Export Saint Lucia and the International Trade Centre, EXCELP is a comprehensive capacity-building programme covering the conceptual foundations, analytical frameworks, planning processes and operational techniques of the exporting process. EXCELP aims to address managers and owners of small businesses in Saint Lucia who possess little or no experience in exporting but wish to enter foreign markets with their products and services. The programme will provide introductory knowledge and practical skills to understand marketing as a critical discipline to build international competitiveness and long-term export success.
The programme was piloted in December 2021, when members of Helen’s Daughters were provided with an Introduction to Exporting. In May 2022, EXCELP was advertised to members of the business community. Roughly twenty (20) entrepreneurs were taught the fundamentals and importance of Market Research. This was Export Saint Lucia’s first in-person training session in
The upcoming October 24th session will focus on finance fundamentals, including basic bookkeeping, record keeping, and selecting appropriate accounting software.
Export Saint Lucia is aware that many business owners lack skills in finance and accounting that are necessary for many aspects of doing business. For example, business owners who are unable to calculate their production costs will be unaware of whether their company makes a profit at the end of the year. Unfamiliarity with bookkeeping makes it difficult to create forecasts for business and creates undue issues when filing taxes. Entrepreneurs who do not keep track of their financial records also have a harder time when costing their products or services for both the local and international markets.
EXCELP: The Basics of Finance will remediate these issues, and equip dozens of MSMEs with the theoretical and practical tools of finance and accounting. The Agency’s team is thrilled with the public’s response to this workshop and views it as an opportunity to positively impact the local business community and enable added exports.