EARTH hosts sustainable business ideation meeting
– EARTH is one of 18 partners of the project Regional Integration, University and Sustainable Development in Central America (IRUDESCA, for its initials in Spanish).
– Regional Entrepreneurship Promotion Program will train Central American students in this subject.
Integración Regional, Universidad y Desarrollo Sostenible en Centroamérica (IRUDESCA) was formed to promote innovative and environmentally sustainable business through entrepreneurship. EARTH University is one of the project’s partner institutions – universities building training curriculum and workshops for students in Central America. On this occasion of the second partners meeting, EARTH Guácimo is serving as the host site.
The consortium project is coordinated through IPVC (Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo) of Portugal, and has three European partners (Portugal, Spain and France) and 14 Central American partners (Consejo Superior Universitario Centroamericano, CEMPROMYPE and several universities in Honduras, Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Guatemala).
As part of the European Union-funded IRUDESCA project, the partners designed three modules of academic formation: 1) “Business innovation and development of value chains: management tools”, 2) “Creation of environmentally sustainable small businesses”, and 3) “Innovative management abilities”. The modules will be taught to students from the participating Central American universities.
“During these three meeting days at EARTH University, we are evaluating and conducting pre-testing of the modules and material that the partners have already developed. Later, we’ll conduct an online training for 28 professors, two from each partner university, between July 1 and September 15. The trained professors will then make a study visit to Madrid to see entrepreneurship success stories. Between September and January, the professors will hold trainings for groups of students from their respective institutions. In total, 240 Central American students will be trained,” IRUDESCA Coordinator Helena Santos said.
“The aims of this project coincide with the mission of EARTH University,” EARTH Provost Daniel Sherrard said. “We really hope to contribute experiences and knowledge, and, at the same time, we’re eager to learn. We support the desire to strengthen employment possibilities and opportunities for young people in emerging sectors via entrepreneurship.”
