[Photo: FILE]

The future of the Graduate Business Start-Up Grant Scheme remains uncertain as officials confirm the programme is currently being phased out.

This was highlighted during the grant award ceremony, where TSLS Head of Student Services Avinay Kumar says stakeholders are now assessing the long-term success of businesses established through the initiative.

The scheme has completed its current funding allocation and is being phased out while authorities assess the performance of businesses supported under the initiative.

Kumar says TSLS has invested in a significant number of graduate entrepreneurs and now needs to monitor their outcomes before deciding whether the programme should be reintroduced.

“We have just wrapped up with the allocation that we have done.”

He says the focus has now shifted towards reviewing the sustainability and economic impact of businesses established through the scheme.

“We need to monitor and see the actual output of the student.”

The programme has provided significant support to graduate entrepreneurs over the years, with funding aimed at helping young business owners establish and grow their ventures.

Attention is now shifting towards measuring the sustainability of businesses supported under the scheme.

Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation Chief Executive Officer Edward Bernard says the review will assess whether recipients have been able to maintain their operations, generate income, and contribute to economic growth.

Bernard says recipients continue to receive support after receiving their grants, with progress measured against the business plans developed during the incubation programme.

“You also get monitored and evaluated in the next few months so that we can see whether what you’ve learned and what you’ve put in your business plan actually comes to flourishment.”

He adds that the review process will help determine whether participants are ready to grow their businesses and demonstrate the long-term impact of the initiative.

“That is after we’ve done the evaluation and seen them on the ground, and that they’re ready to actually scale up the business.”

The findings are expected to guide discussions on whether the initiative should be reintroduced in the future and its contribution to entrepreneurship development in Fiji.