Enewsletter published by Dinah Hippolyte

1. I SSU E 2 VOL 2 2012
Focus on
Inside this issue:
SLCSI Pushes for a Comprehensive 1
Services Policy
Events Diary 1
Opportunities for Developing Saint 2
Services
Lucia s Cultural Industry
SLCSI Leads the way on Services 3
Sector Survey
Caribbean Marketplace Opportunities 3
Business Opportunities 3
Networking Tips: Part Three 4
SLCSI Takes First Steps in Pushing for a Comprehensive Services Policy
The targeted sectors were the Profession- economy and the benefits of a Services
als services sector (including Accounting, Policy based on country examples across
Information Communication Technology, the world. Mr. Chaitoo highlighted that
Engineering, Architecture and Management based on the sector contributions to Gross
consulting. These sectors were selected Domestic product, Saint Lucia was no
based on the 2004 Draft National Export longer and agricultural based but rather a
Development Strategy which identifies the Service based economy. Mr. Chaitoo fur-
key export priorities for Saint Lucia. ther pointed out that the youth
(ages 15 35) which accounted for forty
The consultations were facilitated by Ser- one percent (41%) of the population was
vices Trade Specialist, Mr. Ramesh Chai- the hardest hit by tough economic times,
too, former head of the Services Unit of the with unemployment standing at just over
Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery twenty percent (20%). Contin-
ued on page 2
(now known as the Office of Trade Negotia-
tions and Lead Services Negotiator for the
Mr. Ramesh Chaitoo(standing) makes a presenta-
tion to a meeting of Public Officials on The Impor- CARIFORUM EU Economic Partnership
tance of Developing a National Services Policy Agreement.
Since its launch in 2009, the SLCSI has
advocated for the establish of a framework
to support the development of a National
Services Policy for Saint Lucia. 7-9 March: 2nd International Conference on
Governance for Sustainable Development of
Caribbean Small Islands, Curacao
During the month of February, the SLCSI
took concrete steps to move forward on this 7-11 March: CaFa 2012: Second Annual
Caribbean Fine Art Fair, Barbados
advocacy agenda. The SLCSI in collabora-
tion with the Ministry of Commerce, Busi- 8-9 March: Intersessional Meeting of CARICOM
ness Development, Investment and Con- Heads of Government, Suriname
sumer Affairs hosted a series of consulta- 19-20 March: Meeting of Caribbean Network of
tions with Public officials and private sector Mr. Chaitoo meets with member of the Hair, Beauty Services Coalitions, Dominican Republic
representatives to discuss their views on and Spa Association 15 March 15th April: SLCSI Sector Survey,
the challenges facing the services sector Saint Lucia
and what is most needed to address those During the consultations, Mr. Chaitoo pre- 26-30 March : Meeting of the Council on Trade
challenges. sented a detailed analysis of Saint Lucia s and Economic Development (COTED)
FOCUS ON SERVICES IS THE OFFICIAL ENEWSLETTER OF THE SAINT LUCIA COALITION OF SERVICES INDUSTRIES

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I SSU E
VOL 2 2011
SLCSI Takes First Steps in Pushing for a Comprehensive Services Policy1Cont d from Page 1
As the very nature of the services sector increased the potential for self employment, both public and private sector representatives
agreed that the development of the sector was crucial for creating jobs particularly amongst the youth.
Focus on
The following issues common to all sectors were identified:
· the need to achieve greater synergies between the public and private sector.;
· the urgency of reviewing the national training priority to reflect the skills gap in the Services Sector;
· improvement of the business climate for trade in services through domestic regulations;
· provision of incentives to stimulate interest in services particularly amongst the youth;
· enactment of necessary legislation where required to regulate the sector.
The consultations underscored that a significant commitment by the Government would be necessary to allocate the necessary human
and financial resources to develop a comprehensive National Services Policy and implement a cohesive strategy to synchronize the work
across government agencies and ministries to remove existing impediments to trade in services. Presentations made at the meetings are
available on the SLCSI website www.slcsi.org.lc .
Opportunities for Developing the Cultural Industry of Saint Lucia
For Saint Lucia, like the rest of the world, ensure the priority of cultural co operation Notwithstanding the above, perhaps the
the drive to support and sustain the Cultural between the EU and CARIFORUM States strongest signal yet of the importance and
Industries goes beyond the technicalities of under the CARIFORUM EU Economic Part- commitment of the EU to mutual develop-
trade. It is a tool to present to the world a nership Agreement (the EPA). ment of the Cultural industries, is the push
strong vision and identity of Saint Lucia and for the creation of a cultural visa for third-
gives form and voice to the values that de- Movements in Europe towards a European country (non EU) nationals who are ar-
fine Saint Lucians as a people. Union Parliamentary Resolution which tistes and other professionals in the cultural
defines and supports the Cultural dimen- fields.
In that regard, in the words of Canada In- sions of the EU s external actions through
ternational Business strategy whereas it is cultural diplomacy is a promising sign for It is foreseeable that local artistes and pro-
preferable to be primarily a producer and our cultural industry. fessionals in the cultural field will benefit
exporter, rather than net importer in other from training and skills enhancement pro-
sectors of the economy, it is absolutely grammes in areas such as cultural event
indispensable in the cultural industries. To
be simply a consumer of someone else s Whereas it is preferable to be primarily promotion and management. It also pro-
culture, rather than a producer of one s own a producer and exporter, rather than net vides an avenue for local artistes to further
is unacceptable . importer in other sectors of the master their craft and raise the profile of the
economy, it is absolutely indispensable local Cultural industry in oversees markets.
In our Saint Lucian context, the growth of in the cultural industries. To be simply
the Cultural industries requires support in The challenge will be for the members of
a consumer of someone else s culture,
two main areas: skills development and the Cultural Industries to commit to sup-
training and investment in the sector. Whilst rather than a producer of one s own, is
porting their Sector Association PACE; ac-
government intervention is certainly needed unacceptable.
tively engage their regional counterparts
for moving the sector forward, bold, com-
plementary actions by the service providers The Resolution calls for a strategy for im- and think up bold, innovative ways to seize
within the Creative sector to seize existing plementing the Protocols for Cultural Co these opportunities when they finally
opportunities are also critical. operation in its bilateral agreements that emerge.
include promoting cultural events and ex-
One such opportunity is the Protocol on changes to improve mutual understanding For more information on the Protocol on Cultural CO
Cultural Co operation which forsees inter and cultural educational and skill develop- operation in the EPA , visit www.slcsi.org lc
alia technical assistance and cross- ment including media and new information
references to development instruments to technologies.
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2011
National Services Sector Profile Survey On the Way
The SLCSI will be undertaking a national Survey of service providers and services firms in key sectors in the coming weeks. The
exercise is expected to run for four weeks, from 15th March to 15th April and forms part of the Project Developing Saint Lucia s Ser-
vices sectors . The following four sectors will be targeted: Professional services, Creative Industries, Health and Wellness and
Information Communication Technology.
The initiative is based on the recognition that in order to met the needs of the sector, policy makers and advocates of the sector must
be well informed on the size of the respective sectors, the services offered, the constraints which persons in these sectors face in
their daily operations and the areas where assistance would be most effective. To date, the dearth of information regarding this sec-
tors has limited evidence data based policy making. It is anticipated that the Survey will provide much needed data to inform and
guide future policymaking on the Services sector.
The initiative is being undertaken with support from the Ministry of Commerce, Business Development and Consumer
Affairs and the National Statistics Department..
Caribbean Idea Marketplace Supports Local Services Firms
The Caribbean Idea Marketplace (CIM) is a competition platform which
aims to foster collaboration between local
and global Caribbean diaspora entrepre-
neurs to develop and expand innovative
projects that will generate employment and Client:: SLCSI
economic growth. CIM is being imple-
mented in the context of the International Contract:: Marketing Consultant
diaspora Engagement Alliance (IdEA) Deadline: : 4.00pm on 16th March 2012
launched by secretary of State Hillary
For more information visit
Rodham Clinton in Washington, DC at the
Secretary s Global Diaspora Forum. In partnership with the US Depart- Website: www.slcsi.org.lc/opportunities
ment of State, Digicel and Scotiabank, Compete Caribbean has taken the Or clink on link below:
lead in the design and management of the Caribbean Idea Marketplace.
CIM is open to entrepreneurs and firms with business opportunities by sub- http://goo.gl/nDulR
mitting a Project concept note.
To be eligible, the project must compose of a Caribbean partner with a Client:: EUROPE Ltd.
legally registered business or with intention to establish a business in a Contract: Senior Procurement Expert:
CARIFORUM country a Caribbean diaspora partner from the UK, US or
For Assignment TA for Evaluation of
Canada. The diaspora partner must be a citizen/permanent resident of
one of the three countries mentioned above with Caribbean heritage/origin Saint Lucia New National Hospital
or strong ties to the Caribbean . The project note must demonstrate how it Equipment International Supplies Tender
will develop either a new product/service or a new export market for an
existing product/service. Services firms are encouraged to participate! Commencement date: 15th March
For more information: contact:
Further information on the eligibility criteria and application process is
available at www.competecaribbean.org/program. Ms. Regina Bodonovits
Email: FrameworkAdviser@europeltd.com
Website: www.europeltd.com
FOCUS ON SERVICES IS THE OFFICIAL ENEWSLETTER OF THE SAINT LUCIA COALITION OF SERVICES INDUSTRIES
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4. 4
SLCSI Series on Networking Tips for Services Professionals : Part Three
This series discusses the surprising mistakes that even very smart pro-
fessionals make, and how to avoid them based on the Tangled WEB . The TANGLED
WEB is a philosophy about connecting and reconnecting with people and about develop-
ing interconnecting networks that help your business grow. In our last edition we looked
at Mistake # 2 -You Network to Find Clients Not Strategic Partners .
In this edition, we discuss MISTAKE #3: Giving Good Time to Bad Pros-
pects. You don t have to spend the same amount of time with everyone. Not all potential
connections are a good fit for your business. Inefficient networking often includes accept-
ing invitations to meet with people for no other reason than that they asked. Spending
time with bad candidates means you have less time to spend with good ones. Worse,
trying to keep up with all the people you meet can leave you so overwhelmed by the num-
ber of people you re supposed to keep in touch with that you don t connect or keep in
touch with anyone.
Tangled Web Strategy: Invest Time Strategically not Evenly.
Don t accept every coffee invitation. It s alright to say no if someone isn t a good fit based
on their profession or their personality. Spend time with good people who are good candi-
dates and politely refuse the rest. Don t give out, or try to collect a million business cards. Don t worry about talking to everyone. One
good connection is worth 50 business cards from people you ll never call.
Be sure to look out for our fourth networking tip in our next issue of Focus on Services!
Adapted from the article Death by Coffee: The Seven most common, most surprising networking mistakes and how to do it better. by Author: Alecia Huck
SAINT LUCIA COALITION OF SERVICES
INDUSTRIES
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Bois d O range
in this article and let us know what you would like featured in our upcoming Issue.
Castries, Saint Lucia. W.I.
Tel: 1 758 452 7865
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Fax: 1 758 452 8695
Email: slcsi@candw.lc
Website: www.slcsi.org.lc
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With the kind Support of CARTFUND
FOCUS ON SERVICES IS THE OFFICIAL ENEWSLETTER OF THE SAINT LUCIA COALITION OF SERVICES INDUSTRIES
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