The Commercial Bank of Ceylon recently extended its entrepreneurship development programme to a group of final year students at the Vocational Training Authority at Rockhill in Badulla, widening the reach of an initiative that has to date benefitted more than 8,000 small, medium and micro entrepreneurs.
The 110 students that attended the programme are engaged in various vocational courses such as carpentry, motor mechanics, plumbing, masonry, beauty culture and draughtsmanship. They were provided essential knowledge on financial literacy and business development.
Mr Chathura Ratnayake, a Management Assistant at the Central Bank’s Regional Office in Matale conducted the programme. He is an experienced and well-versed speaker on the topics covered.
The programme was attended by the Director of the Badulla Technical College, Mr H. P. H. Wickramaratna, the Officer in Charge of the Vocational Training Authority Mr R. M. Bandara, the Manager of Commercial Bank’s Development Credit Department Mr Malika De Silva, the Manager of the Bank’s Badulla Branch Mr Chaminda Wijedasa, and several other bank officials.
Commercial Bank has been conducting similar awareness programmes for micro-entrepreneurs in different sectors of business in many areas of the country for the past seven years.
These programmes are supported by the Bank’s 16 Agriculture & Micro Finance Units which play a key role in helping the Bank to identify specific needs of entrepreneurs who require assistance to develop either their agriculture activities or micro businesses. These units are dedicated to promote agriculture lending and micro finance.
Commercial Bank’s Agriculture & Micro Finance Units (AMFU) are located in Ratnapura, Narammala, Kandy, Anuradhapura, Kilinochchi, Bandarawela, Wellawaya, Hingurakgoda, Galewela, Achchuveli, Vavuniya, Kattankudy, Tissamaharama, Neluwa, Pottuvil and Akkaraipattu.