The Ministry’s Financial Services, Commerce and Environment has partnered with the University College of the Cayman Islands (UCCI) for the 2017 Student Consulting Programme, which is scheduled to begin in February 2017.

The Student Consulting Programme is a 10-week programme which matches small business owners with a team of students who are enrolled in UCCI’s upper-level Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management course. The small businesses benefit from free and confidential advice, while the students get the opportunity to assist business owners and get hands-on experience with any issues they may face. The teams are guided in their consultancy by UCCI professors.

They require 3 to 4 small businesses for the programme, that fit the below criteria:

• the owner’s business must be established, i.e. not a start-up;

• the business must have a problem area that, when resolved, will result in an improvement to the business;

• the business owner must have a sincere interest in solving problems and improving business operations; and

• the owner / manager must express a willingness to spend the necessary time and effort with the student team.

Business owners must demonstrate a core need in a specific area (e.g. marketing, accounts, business management) in order to participate. The programme coordinators will then match the businesses with students in particular fields of study. Students and business owners can meet as often as necessary during the semester.

They would be grateful if you could circulate to your members and have them confirm their interest to them by Friday, 20th January 2017.

Should you have any questions, please let Thais Ducent know by email at [email protected].