The Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI) is investing in the building of business capacity for creative entrepreneurs in Trinidad and Tobago.
The six-month initiative was launched this weekend.
The new mentorship programme is being conducted in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Ministry of Culture and Community Development.
It focuses on businesses in the music, fashion, film, TV, and carnival sectors.
Lead mentor and founder of creative industry consulting firm DianJen, Farley Joseph, told TTT News the series is crafted to be dynamic and wide-ranging.
“These workshops cover various business topics such as intellectual property, strategic planning and marketing, as well as the financial aspects of the creative industries. And these five workshops target 50 creative firms which would have been selected by CARIRI, and the second phase of this programme focuses on 30 of those firms for deeper consulting initiatives.”
Businesses will benefit from mentorship and consulting support services during the programme period.
Director of Culture at the Ministry of Culture and Community Development, Damian Richardson, told participants it is never too late to get a refresher, especially when it relates to subjects such as Intellectual Property.
“You can know all the IP in the world, if you don’t know how to utilise it to grow your business, and there are fascinating ways to do that. IP is about business strategy. Take full advantage of whatever you would have learned. So make sure and don’t miss any opportunity.”
Competitiveness, Technology and Innovation Senior Specialist at the Inter-American Development Bank, Alison Cathles, noted that the organisation fully supports SME transformation, especially in technology.
“As creatives, and as creatives who use and can use digital technology to reach broader audiences in the international community, there’s a big opportunity there. And what we know from analyses that were done, for example, during COVID, is that the creative firms that had digitalised or were innovative were more likely to survive in a moment of crisis.”
The series of training workshops continues into February 2026, and all participants’ progress will be tracked for follow-up and success.