Conducted by resource persons from the Industrial Development Board (IDB) which also issued certificates to the participants, the programmes were on ‘Bakery Item Production at Household Level’ and ‘Beauty Culture Training.’
Commenting on the two-day programme, Commercial Bank’s Deputy General Manager – Personal Banking Mr Delakshan Hettiarachchi said small and medium enterprises play a crucial role in the country's economy, and stressed the importance of school entrepreneurship for future development.
Supporting young entrepreneurs is pivotal to fostering innovation and creating a strong economic foundation for the nation, he said.
Commercial Bank’s Diribala Next Gen School Entrepreneurship Grooming Programme is designed to empower school entrepreneurship and foster a transformative mindset among school entrepreneurship circles.
The programme is structured to give an opportunity to students to showcase their products during the events organised by the Bank, to improve financial literacy, and to provide technical support to further enhance the skills and knowledge of students in selected industries, with collaboration from both government and private institutions.
This initiative also includes business mentoring for school children.
Yasodara Devi Balika Vidyalaya Gampaha, a school renowned for its active entrepreneur circle, was chosen for the inauguration of the programme earlier this year, and Commercial Bank provided a valuable opportunity for school children to showcase their products at the Bank’s SME Trade Fair held at the Sri Lanka Exhibition and Convention Center.
The largest lender to Sri Lanka’s SME sector, Commercial Bank has conducted 180 awareness programmes and skills development programmes for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in different sectors of business in many areas of the country since 2011.
These programmes have benefitted over 15,000 entrepreneurs and youth to date.