Kingston, Jamaica — Approximately 700 young entrepreneurs learned from top level executives about managing and operating a business.

The Jamaica Conference Centre was the venue to hundreds of Grade Nine students from across the island. These young leaders are currently studying Entrepreneurship in their respective high schools. The JACE SEED program is funded by the USAID in partnership with the Ministry of Education Youth & Information. The program focuses on experiential learning where students sharpen their inductive thinking skills and learn through their experiences Students have established their business ideas Today they will learn first hand from business executives about the world of business operations. Students will hear from speakers such as Mr. Paul Lalor –President ICWI; Dr. Grace McLean OD Ministry of Education Youth & Information.

The summit opened with a plenary moderated by JAMPRO’s Ms. Keneshia Nooks- a leading marketing and public relations expert. Stephan Smith, Co-Founder of NextGen Creators, Randy McLaren, Co-Founder & Managing Director of Bresheh Enterprises, Kristofferson Nunes, CEO & Co-Founder of UCA Youth Marketing and Dr. Michael Goffe, Deputy Director & Legal Counsel of Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO) made up the panel. The topic was focused on B-I-G (Build, Innovate, Grow) and provided practical tools and insights on how they have advanced their businesses and how they have had to shift their thinking in exciting new ways.

The afternoon session featured break out sessions by function areas. These sessions were facilitated by top executives (Mr. Emanuel DaRosa; CEO JPS; Mr. Michael Johnson Senior Marketing Officer Jamaica Stock Exchange; Ms. Alysia Moulton White- Assistant Vice President Marketing Sagicor & Mr. Ockino Petrie, Marketing Manager of JN Small Business Loans) who shared their knowledge on start-up ventures and how to also develop more innovative mindsets.