UTSA begins certificate training for future SBDC counselors, directors in Peru

Peru trainees

Small Business Development Center counselor and director training participants in Peru

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(Feb. 14, 2014) -- The International Trade Center at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Institute of Economic Development began its four-module Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Counselor and Director Certificate Training in Lima, Peru.

This week's training session had 120 participants representing the public, private and higher education sectors. Peru is the second country in South America to receive Counselor and Director Certificate training.

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 been helping countries develop U.S.-modeled SBDC networks in the Americas since 2003.

UTSA International Trade Center Director Cliff Paredes and Senior International Business Consultant Mónica Alcoz are conducting the UTSA counselor and director certificate trainings, which are offered in four parts.

"Peru represents the second country for us to provide training to in South America, after Colombia," said Paredes. "Building SBDC networks in South America is a critical step to bringing President Obama's plan for a 'Small Business Network of the Americas' to fruition. We are pleased to be this involved in the process."

For this certificate training, UTSA partnered with the Peru Ministerio de la Producción. The event will be conducted in Lima at the Universidad del Pacífico.

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 consulting, customized market research and innovative training programs. The center is a specialty SBDC program in the South-West Texas Border SBDC Network. Follow them on Twitter (@TexasTrade) and like them on Facebook (Facebook.com/texastrade).

For more information on the project, visit the SBDC Global website.

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About UTSA

The University of Texas at San Antonio is an emerging Tier One research institution specializing in health, energy, security, sustainability, and human and social development. With nearly 29,000 students, it is the largest university in the San Antonio metropolitan region. UTSA advances knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service.

The university embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property -- for Texas, the nation and the world.

 

 

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