UTSA completes certificate trainings for SBDC advisors and directors in Colombia
Colombian business development professionals visit the UTSA Institute for Economic Development
Colombian business development professionals visit the UTSA Institute for Economic Development
Share this Story(Oct. 27, 2014) -- The International Trade Center, a small business development center (SBDC) at the UTSA Institute for Economic Development, will complete its four-module SBDC Advisor and Director Certificate trainings in Medellin and Barranquilla, Colombia, Oct. 28-29. The program will help establish SBDCs throughout the country to support business owners and entrepreneurs.
The economy of Colombia is the third largest in Central and South America and is poised to be a leading trade partner with the United States since the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement went into effect in May 2012. The agreement eliminated tariffs and other barriers to bilateral trade. Both Medellin and Barranquilla are top Colombian industrial cities and have strong entrepreneurship cultures, which will benefit their ability to adopt the U.S. SBDC model.
SBDCs, established throughout the United States by the federal government in partnership with state governments and universities and colleges, assist entrepreneurs and business owners in establishing and growing their businesses through a free and confidential suite of advising services. Services include, but are not limited to, feasibility studies, business strategy, financial planning, marketing, production and professional networking. The centers support new and existing businesses.
The goal of the SBDC Counselor and Director Certificate training is to transfer the SBDC model methodology and train professionals on how to manage and operate an economic impact-producing SBDC. This training is part of the International Trade Center and Institute for Economic Development International SBDC Expansion Initiative that, with the support of the Department of State, has helped countries develop U.S.-modeled SBDC networks in the Americas since 2003.
UTSA International Trade Center Director Cliff Paredes and International Business Advisor Barbara Mooney will conduct UTSA's Advisor and Director Certificate training in Medellin. Senior International Business Advisor Julio Garcia de las Mestas and Mooney will conduct the training in Barranquilla.
"Once we complete the SBDC training in Medellin and Barranquilla, we will have performed this training in four Colombian cities," said Paredes, who leads UTSA's program that has developed and administered the training. "Helping Colombia build the small and medium-sized business sector will have enormous benefits for U.S. companies who do business internationally and are looking for new markets. The economy of Colombia is growing, and their capacity for importing and exporting is growing too."
At the conclusion of the trainings, more than 200 attendees will be awarded certificates by UTSA representatives. Most will go on to be SBDC directors or advisors in Colombia.
The project is part of the South America Partnership Program, a collaborative partnership of the Higher Education for Development (HED) and UTSA, which was developed to create SBDC networks in South America and connect them with the United States, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. The project is funded by the Department of State Pathways for Prosperity initiative.
The International Trade Center at UTSA is one of the largest and most successful trade assistance organizations in Texas. It helps companies become globally competitive through technical trade advising, customized market research and innovative training programs. The center is a specialty SBDC program in the South-West Texas Border SBDC Network.
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For more information on the project, visit the SBDCGlobal website.
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