DDEC, Echar Pa’ Lante join to promote entrepreneurship training for college professors
The Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC, in Spanish), jointly with the Echar Pa’Lante Multisectoral Alliance, are sponsoring a series of trainings for college professors on entrepreneurial mindset, the Youth Startup Experience and a symposium led by Babson College.
“For the past four years, our agency has been collaborating with Babson College, through the Echar Pa’Lante Multisectoral Alliance,” said Economic Development Secretary Manuel A. Laboy. “This year, despite the challenges we face, we managed to continue with the set agenda and some 100 teachers have already been trained through the online workshops.”
“This project has the goal of benefitting some 800 education professionals through the Alliance’s ‘Modelo Boricuas.’ Through these workshops, educators acquire knowledge and tools to promote entrepreneurship among their students and promote a culture of innovation in schools,” he said.
The “Modelo Boricuas” methodology seeks to achieve educational transformations that allow developing competitive citizens worldwide. This will allow forging a critical mass of educators who promote this from schools and universities, Laboy said.
This initiative, led by the DDEC’s Youth Development Program, received $107,000 in backing through the agency’s Special Economic Development Fund.
Gloria Viscasillas, integrating leader of Echar Pa’lante, said, “we’ve been able to further accelerate training of a critical mass of college professors and schoolteachers who are spearheading the transformation of our university campuses and schools into entrepreneurial communities.”
“The government sector’s continued support in the re-skilling effort of our educators is very important, particularly in these times when we have to ensure that our students develop self-management skills starting at school and reinforce them in their college studies,” she said.
“Through the Multisectoral collaboration, we’re betting on the development of our people as a priority investment for economic development,” Viscasillas said.
Babson College will train college students from the following institutions: The University of Puerto Rico; the InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico; Ana G. Méndez University System; Pontifical Catholic University; Sacred heart University; and, EDP University.
