The Centre for Enterprise Development Inc. (CED) is inviting Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in St. Vincent and the Grenadines to participate in its Business Continuity Planning (BCP) for MSMEs Workshop scheduled for September.

The training aims to help thirty (30) MSMEs develop their own Business Continuity Plans (BCP), ensuring that they are well-prepared to respond effectively to unforeseen disruptions – whether it be natural disasters, economic challenges, or other crises. It is scheduled to take place 9-11 September, at the UWI Global Campus, Kingstown, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The workshop will provide participants with the tools, knowledge, and practical steps needed to safeguard their operations and ensure business resilience in times of uncertainty. It is designed to help participants to equip their businesses with a robust plan to minimize disruptions and safeguard operations, strengthen their businesses’ ability to quickly recover and adapt to unforeseen challenges, and help them gain practical knowledge on risk management and business resilience that can be applied directly to your operations.

According to the CED, this BCP training is timely and necessary, especially after the experiences and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the La Soufriere volcanic eruptions in 2021, and Hurricane Beryl last year.

“If there is anything that we have learned over the past five years, and now that we are into yet another active hurricane season, it is that it is critical for MSMEs to have a plan in place to manage their continuity in the event of any disruption,” says CED Training and Education Coordinator, Keisha Phillips. “However, Business Continuity Management or Planning is more than just “disaster recovery”; it is about preventing loss, and preparing for disruptive incidents that may cripple your operations for a period of time, or ruin your ability to function.”

“A Business Continuity Plan can help businesses when faced with such kind of disruptions, and the CED is offering this opportunity to empower MSME owners and their staff in getting in-depth understanding of the importance of Business Continuity Planning and the need to develop a plan for their businesses. We wish to urge businesses to take this training opportunity.”

Registration for this workshop closes on 20 August. Interested persons can register at: http://bit.ly/4m7v0vg .