July 10, 2026

From Student to Business Owner: How the Harrison Centre is Creating Entrepreneurs in Antigua

Creating opportunity has always been at the heart of the Harrison Foundation’s mission and our founder, Sir David Harrison’s belief.

For decades, he has invested in education, skills and employment, most recently through Harrison Centres across the UK, believing that the greatest route to social mobility is giving people the confidence and practical skills to build successful careers. The Harrison Centre in Antigua continues that vision, providing young people with vocational education that equips them not simply to find work, but to create opportunities for themselves and others.

One former student demonstrating exactly what that vision can achieve is Liss George.

When Liss enrolled at the Harrison Centre, she knew she wanted to build an independent future. Like many young people, she had ambition and determination but needed the skills, guidance and confidence to turn those ambitions into reality.

She joined the Centre’s Cosmetology programme, where she developed practical skills in hairstyling, make-up artistry, skincare and nail technology. But the experience extended well beyond learning technical techniques.

Students at the Harrison Centre are encouraged to think like professionals from the very beginning. Alongside vocational training, Liss developed skills in communication, customer service, entrepreneurship and business management, helping her understand not only how to deliver high-quality services but also how to build a successful business around them.

As her studies progressed, her confidence grew. She became a respected leader among her fellow students, demonstrating the independence, commitment and professionalism that employers and customers alike value. Those qualities would soon give her the confidence to take an even bigger step.

Just two years after beginning her studies, Liss launched her own business, Ez Class Spa. It proved to be the beginning of an exciting entrepreneurial journey.

Within a year, she had expanded her business by launching her own lash and cosmetics collection, creating a growing brand that continues to establish itself within Antigua’s beauty industry. Today she is not simply earning a living through her profession; she is building a business, creating opportunities for herself and demonstrating what can be achieved through hard work, determination and the right support.

For Sir David Harrison, stories like Liss’s represent exactly why the Harrison Centres were established.

His long-standing belief is that education should do more than provide qualifications. It should equip people with the confidence, practical skills and entrepreneurial mindset needed to become financially independent and contribute to their communities.

That philosophy underpins every Harrison Centre, whether in the UK or Antigua. Rather than measuring success solely through examination results, the Foundation looks at the lives being changed. Businesses launched. Careers created. Confidence restored. Futures transformed.

Liss’s journey reflects all of those ambitions. She arrived at the Harrison Centre looking for an opportunity. She left with the skills, confidence and determination to create one for herself.

Today, as her business continues to grow, she is one of many examples of how investment in vocational education can unlock talent, improve social mobility and strengthen communities. It is exactly the kind of lasting impact Sir David Harrison hoped to achieve when he brought the Harrison Centre model to Antigua.