Babson College and SENA to Develop New Programs to Strengthen Colombia's Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

WELLESLEY, Mass., Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Babson College and Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje (SENA) have announced a new collaboration to further advance innovative business training and entrepreneurship education programs in Colombia.

Babson Executive and Enterprise Education (BEEE) and SENA will design, develop, and deliver entrepreneurship programs to SENA trainees, students, educators, and facilitators, with a mission to foster the progression of entrepreneurship and sustainable economic development in Colombia.

"We are excited to work with SENA in expanding entrepreneurship education in Colombia, and to further support local entrepreneurs in new venture creation and the growth of their businesses," said David Abdow, Dean of Babson Executive and Enterprise Education. "This new initiative builds on our existing, related efforts in the region and supports SENA and Babson's common mission to achieve sustainable social and economic development through entrepreneurship and small-business growth and development."

The programs will feature both face-to-face and online sessions. To support these initiatives, Babson also will deliver a workshop for executive staff, regional directors, and stakeholders, with the aim of creating awareness, enthusiasm, and commitment to the project, and to create the right environment that will support and further strengthen Colombia's entrepreneurial ecosystem.

"The implementation of a cross-technical competence to 1.3 million apprentices will be, with no doubt, a huge revolution. This is another big step in the entrepreneurship nation that President Juan Manuel Santos' government wants to have. We are conducting SENA's technical formation to become stronger with entrepreneurial leadership and empowerment, such as strategies that change lives and will transform Colombia in the future," said María Andrea Nieto, SENA General Director.

According to the 2016/17 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, Colombia reports that more than a quarter of all adults are engaged in early-stage entrepreneurial activity. Regionally, individuals in Latin America report having the highest self-perceptions of entrepreneurial capability (62 percent), and the second-highest rate of entrepreneurial intention (32 percent). Latin America also demonstrates the best gender parity, with eight women engaged in early-stage entrepreneurship for every ten male entrepreneurs.

On Tuesday, September 26, 2017, Babson College President Kerry Healey and María Andrea Nieto met at a special ceremony in Bogotá to sign the official collaboration agreement. Babson and SENA were joined by dignitaries of the Colombian government and members of the United States diplomatic service in Colombia.

Programs are anticipated to begin in early 2018.

About Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje (SENA)

Founded 60 years ago, Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje (SENA) is a Colombian public institution responsible for designing and providing vocational training programs to improve the skills of the national work force. Nowadays, more than 1.3 million students are attending free technical and technological programs at "Colombia's most beloved institution." More than a decade ago, SENA created a grant fund with seed capital for any entrepreneur and for any type of business ideas: Fondo Emprender. This fund has created close to 6,000 companies that have generated more than 23,000 jobs. Approximately US$155 million have been invested. That is why Fondo Emprender is Latin America's largest grant seed capital fund.

About Babson Executive and Enterprise Education

Babson Executive and Enterprise Education (BEEE) offers a dynamic learning laboratory where faculty and staff work together with corporations, business professionals, educational institutions, governments and NGOs, small-business owners, and entrepreneurs from around the world to address real-world objectives and challenges. Featuring Entrepreneurial Thought & Action^® (ET&A™), Babson's one-of-a-kind methodology for turning ideas into opportunities, our targeted programs are designed to empower individuals and organizations to be entrepreneurial leaders that create economic and social value globally.

About Babson College

Babson College is the educator, convener, and thought leader for Entrepreneurship of All Kinds^®. The top-ranked college for entrepreneurship education, Babson is a dynamic living and learning laboratory where students, faculty, and staff work together to address the real-world problems of business and society. We prepare the entrepreneurial leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge and the skills and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, motivate teams in a common purpose to make a difference in the world, and have an impact on organizations of all sizes and types. As we have for nearly a half-century, Babson continues to advance Entrepreneurial Thought & Action^® as the most positive force on the planet for generating sustainable economic and social value.

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