YEP, backed by Infiniti Credit Union and SDC, yields over $850,000 in revenue for Hanover students
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Dianne Wallace (left),
marketing and communications manager at Infiniti Co-operative Credit Union, and Tova Trench-Anderson (right), SDC parish manager, with a few of the winners at the closing and awards ceremony.
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Rhamona Mohan-Samuels, chief operating officer at Infiniti Co-operative Credit Union, presents a first-prize envelope to Rusea’s High School’s Racene Small and Kathaleya Dixon, the operators of RK Sweet Treats, who came out as first-place winners.
Thirty student entrepreneurs from four Hanover high schools have turned a $230,000 seed investment into more than $850,000 in revenue, thanks to the Youth Entrepreneur Programme (YEP), a 12-week pilot initiative delivered through a partnership between Infiniti Co-operative Credit Union and Social Development Commission (SDC) that gave the students hands-on experience in launching and running real businesses.
Students in grades nine to 13 from Rusea’s High, Green Island High, Merlene Ottey High and Knockalva Technical High School were engaged in the programme, launched in April under the theme ‘Ignite Your Idea – Build, Earn, Inspire!’.
Over 12 weeks, the participants established and operated a combined 23 businesses, demonstrating the power of practical financial education. They were guided through every phase of entrepreneurship, from developing business concepts to launching ventures and showcasing their work at four business expos.
Infiniti Co-operative Credit Union, as the programme’s financial partner, played a central role in the students’ success. The credit union provided participants with real-world exposure to banking systems while reinforcing essential financial habits, such as saving, budgeting, investing and responsible money management. This hands-on financial training formed a critical pillar of the programme, equipping students with the discipline needed to manage their business finances effectively.
Students also received mentorship from business professionals and training in marketing, customer service and business development. They were challenged to create innovative and sustainable businesses that addressed needs within their schools and communities.
The results were striking because, by the end of the programme, the businesses had generated more than triple their start-up funding in revenue, proof that the participants had successfully applied the entrepreneurial and financial skills they had acquired.
The initiative closed with an awards ceremony on Friday, July 3 at the S Hotel in Montego Bay, where top-performing students received business grants, trophies and certificates, in recognition of their achievements.
Given the success of the Hanover pilot, discussions are now under way for an islandwide expansion, which would extend similar opportunities to more young Jamaicans seeking practical business experience and stronger financial literacy.
Infiniti Co-operative Credit Union’s partnership with the SDC underscores its continued investment in empowering youth with the knowledge, skills and financial discipline necessary to build sustainable businesses and contribute to Jamaica’s economic development.
The credit union remains committed to promoting financial inclusion among young people, recognising that today’s student entrepreneurs are tomorrow’s business leaders.