With the ever-pressing need for organisations to rethink and reconfigure their businesses amid changes in the business landscape brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Scotiabank Jamaica renewed for the 10th consecutive year its commitment to the development of the nation’s small and medium-sized enterprise (SMEs) sector.

Through the 2021 Scotiabank Vision Achiever Programme, 24 SMEs were able to embark on a transformational business journey guided by the expertise of Action Coach Marcia Woon Choy.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 14-week programme recently, Perrin Gayle, senior vice-president, retail banking at Scotiabank, relayed the company’s continued commitment to the development of SMEs having provided requisite business training to more than 225 businesses since its inception in 2011.

Referring to the 2021 vision achievers as the “most resilient” to have participated in the programme yet, Gayle commended the achievers for rising to the occasion despite the current challenges facing the sector and still finding ways to facilitate the growth of their businesses.

Highlighting that “according to the United Nations Development Programme SMEs possibly comprise 99.5 per cent of all businesses and for the Caribbean and Latin America region SMEs employ over 60 per cent of the population,” Gayle underscored the importance of small and medium-sized enterprises and the critical role they play.

Recognising that small businesses have been among those hardest hit by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, ScotiaBank through its 2021 Vision Achiever programme, reaffirmed a pledge made 10 years to aid SMEs in building capacity for future continuity.

Through the seven-module programme, participants learned the core competencies required for running a profitable business, including training in sales, systemising business processes, marketing and understanding business financials and growing as team leaders.

The 2021 participants benefitted from an investment of over $20 million through the training imparted during the programme, and the top three finalists enjoyed an additional share of $4 million in cash and prizes.

The Scotiabank Vision Achiever programme has been a long-standing part of Scotiabank’s offerings to SMEs and is open to any eligible business, including companies not aligned with the bank.

To be eligible, applicants must be either a sole proprietor, partnership, corporation or limited liability company in operation for a minimum of two years, with an annual turnover/sales of US$100,000 in the last fiscal year. Business owners should be above the age of 21 and Jamaican nationals in good credit standing.

SMEs interested in being part of the upcoming Scotiabank Vision Achiever programme are invited to register online at www.scotiabankvisionachiever.com and include a paragraph (no more than 350 words) describing why they should be selected, and how participating in this programme will benefit them.