International Knowledge Exchange Program provides more than 20 interns to local businesses!
Great Bay:--- From May 17 – 24, 2017, seven (7) local entrepreneurs will work with international students and faculty of Fort Hays State University (FHSU) in Kansas, as part of the International Knowledge Exchange Program (IKEP). Due to the success of last year’s program, FHSU has returned to St. Maarten a second year, which has never been done in the history of this program as this program provides support to different countries throughout the region.
This year more than twenty (20) interns and three faculty will be supporting locally based entrepreneurs for a week. These interns have a variety of skill sets including accounting, finance, tourism& hospitality management, agriculture business, marketing, and management. The interns are divided to groups of three and each group is assigned to an entrepreneur to assist with a business need. One of the key changes in this year’s program is that entrepreneurs benefit from two (2) groups which can help them address two (2) different needs in their business.
Started by the Caribbean Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Livelihoods (COESL) in 2013, IKEP helps to develop students into global citizens while supporting sustainability of the entrepreneurs throughout the region. Headed by Dr. Marcia Brandon, a premier expert on entrepreneurship development and sustainability in the Caribbean, COESL has a variety of programs throughout the region to stimulate entrepreneurship and transform communities in a dynamic way. The IKEP is in partnership with the leading entrepreneurial university of the Midwest, Fort Hays State University (FHSU), where FHSU students and faculty travel to an island in the Caribbean and use their knowledge and skill set to meet a business need of a local entrepreneur.
INFOBIZZ is a preferred local of IKEP program and lead coordinator for this program on St. Maarten. With the aim to develop successful entrepreneurs, INFOBIZZ has hosted a variety of events and programs to help empower entrepreneurs locally, reaching over 1000 entrepreneurs since its launch in 2013.
The University of St. Martin has partnered with INFOBIZZ, to better assist the international interns and provide a program of quality for the entrepreneurs. USM students are able to provide the interns with an intercultural experience and facilitate with obtaining information and doing research. The interns will work with the entrepreneur, adding value to the business while experiencing firsthand the challenges that many entrepreneurs face.
Registered entrepreneurs will meet the interns and faculty on May 17 at the opening of this program at the University of St. Martin. Registration is required to ensure that the entrepreneurs are matched with the groups that can add most value and is done via a simple email registration. Registration for entrepreneurs is $40, which covers administrative costs. There is no registration free for members of The PWR Network.
Upon completion of the program, the entrepreneurs will receive a Certificate of Completion for this program from Fort Hays State University. For more information on INFOBIZZ and support programs for entrepreneurs, please call +1-721-523-1842 or email coordinators at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
