By:
Patricia Thangaraj
The National Secondary Schools Quiz Tournament that is being hosted by the Barbados International Business Association (BIBA) is more than just a competition. It also serves as a mechanism for potential growth in the international business sector.
This is according to the Minister of Industry, International Business, Commerce and Small Business Development, Donville Inniss who delivered the address at the Launch of BIBA National Secondary Schools Quiz Tournament on Monday at the Barbados Public Workers Co-Operative Credit Union (BPWCCU).
“We don’t want this to be taken lightly. What we are really doing and what BIBA is doing here really is starting a process of full engagement with our young people in our academic institutions in a manner that I believe would lean towards international businesses and financial services being seen as a natural part of our school programme going forward.”
Furthermore, while there is no subject in this area or any course with such as title, the competition itself and the work that the young people would need in order to prepare for it, would show them that the subjects that they do study can still help them prepare for future studies and later on, a career in this sector, revealed Inniss.
“Whilst we may not have a particular C.X.C. exam in this area or a particular course so titled, we certainly want Barbadians to appreciate that those who study accounting, economics, philosophy, foreign languages, law, a whole range of issues and topics that are in many respects helping to prepare Barbados to be the wealth management centre of choice as we go forward into this century, which is really the goal of the Government of Barbados.”
This would by extension help to drive the economy towards further economic development, said the Minister of International Business. “And therefore sublimely and not so sublimely in many respects, helping to enlighten these young minds as to what this sector is about, the kind of skills we need to sustain and diversify, the we would make a profound positive difference in the economy for future generations and providing wonderful opportunities for young people to go forward.”
He added that it is not only the youth that would have an opportunity to learn more about the international business sector as they prepare for it as the teachers would also learn more about it when they assist these young people in preparing for the competition. “The teachers would of course be challenged to learn more about the sector themselves and I want to say as a note to BIBA to go back to the point mentioned earlier – What is the international business sector? Why is it so critical? You are going to be hearing a lot more about it in the next coming weeks.”
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