The above statement echoed from the lips of the chairman of Taro community based training centre (CBTC) during his speech at the certificate presentation to the graduates of the business courses held at Taro Town last week.
The graduates did learn about their own mind gold mines; our brains if used in business and commercial enterprises, are indeed gold minds.
The courses; Start Your Own Business for Micro Enterprises, Costing and Pricing and Financial Management, were run by Solomon Island Small Business Enterprise Centre (SISBEC) and hosted by the Taro CBTC.
The coordinator; Cleophas Rooney, an experienced business man, a retired public officer was pleased to see the enthusiastic participants happy with their new knowledge, making a success of the first courses at the centre.
Mr Rooney has been the driving force in establishing this community based training centre, his determination made this milestone happen.
The community was grateful for his generosity to allow the building of the CBTC to be made on his own land at Taro Town this year.
The centre now can start to implement the centre’s mission; to provide a variety of useful training to address the training needs of the people at North West Choiseul.
Most training options, (usually on Guadalcanal) are not assessable to the remote villagers of this province. The CBTC will reduce the extra financial burden for parents who have in the past sent their children far; to attain practical and business knowledge and skills.
Mr.Rooney, decided to kick off courses at the centre with a set of very popular courses from SISBEC; a training provider based in Honiara.
These business courses needed almost no equipment to deliver, just open minds, effort and will power. The Taro CBTC has good plans to obtain tools and equipment to invest in practical training courses, in furniture and joinery, agriculture, fisheries, electrical, small engine repair and overhauling, life skills, cake and catering services etc.
The centre is seeking assistance to help equip the centre to enable practical training courses to take place in N.W Choiseul.
During Mr Rooney’s speech, he appealed for any donations of the required tools and equipment to facilitate the vital skills training the local people need.
Participant speakers thanked SISBEC for delivering the courses, they were particularly grateful for bringing the courses to them in this remote area far from the capital.
They thanked Mr Cleophas Rooney for well organising both the training and the venue. A female speaker pointed out to participants who are yet to start businesses; to start now, because they now have gained the required knowledge.
She said during the course we learned to think about, “who is your target market?” She figured out her target market to be the students of Taro primary school, so she tested her business idea by producing her product and sold them during break time one day, her product was sold out in five minutes.
So her story, the small beginning of a potential good business, confirms that the Guest of honour of the certificate presentation statement is true, “do not think failure because you are sitting on a gold mine.”
