Within the next couple months, BELTRAIDE,  through partnership with the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), the Organization of American States (OAS), Caribbean Export Development Agency (CEDA) and the Development Finance Corporation (DFC) will be establishing a  Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in Belize.  The SBDC model was developed in the U.S. in which the centers act as a main source of  providing managerial and technical support to small businesses through partnership from private sector, public sector and academia.

 Some of the services that will be offered include: incubation for start-up, one on one technical  assistance for start-ups and existing businesses, market researche, trainings ( Group and specialized), business plan development etc.

 The successful establishment of a center requires the successful completion of a series of modular training programs known as “Diplomado” which will be delivered over a 5 month period.  The first Diplomado training was held in 7^th-9^th May, 2012   and was well represented by business support organinzations, financial institutions, credit unions and academia.

 Upcoming training dates are as follows:

          2^nd Module -4^th – 5^th July, 2012

          3^rd Module- 31^st July- 2^nd August, 2012

          4^th Module -5^th -6^th September, 2012

 Business Support Organizations that are interested in participating can contact BELTRAIDE for further information.