Marketing Workshop Held for 243 Students

From the Suyana Foundation, we are very pleased with the results achieved after 3 consecutive weekends, where 243 high school seniors and 35 teachers received training in marketing and entrepreneurial skills.

In mid-November 2023, a framework partnership was signed with this university, which includes the design and development of training programs, capacity building for producers, and support from technical, teaching and student staff at the university.

As a result, a marketing and entrepreneurial skills development workshop was planned in coordination between the Suyana Foundation and UMSA, to strengthen the technical skills of future high school graduates from 31 educational units in the 9 rural municipalities where we work directly, which are: Humanata, Cajuata, Mocomoco, Inquisivi, Chulumani, Carabuco, Yaco, Sica Sica and Irupana.

In mid-August 2024, the workshop was inaugurated in the auditorium of the University’s Business Administration career, where the Suyana Foundation was represented by Juan José Ángulo – Secretary of the Board of Directors, and Gary Torrez – Deputy Programme Director. On the part of the higher house of studies, were Carlos Valenti – Suyana Project Coordinator, and Marisol Pérez – Director of the Business Administration career.

With the presence of students from the rural educational units, their teachers, and the student support team of the Business Administration career, 6 training days began in 3 weekends. At the inauguration ceremony, the enthusiasm of the young high school students was evident, since they were going to learn the basics of modern marketing, as well as its practical implementation in nascent businesses, i.e., entrepreneurships.

After the inauguration, classroom classes were held at the University’s facilities, followed by presentations of economic entrepreneurship initiatives. In the following days there were tours of markets in the city of La Paz, and finally certificates were awarded for participation in the workshop. Classroom classes, cable car tours, visits to formal and informal markets, and the presentation of certificates were replicated during the three weekends.

The knowledge obtained by the future high school graduates will contribute to the development of the commercial management of their enterprises, and at the same time, will strengthen the Humanistic Technical Baccalaureate within the framework of the Socio-Community Productive Educational Model in force in Bolivia.

The Business Administration career was a vital part of the success of this workshop. Its management, as well as the project coordination team, and the student collective of senior undergraduates, were key actors for the realization of the different activities during the three weekends. Some of the activities carried out by UMSA were: picking up the students from their lodgings, teaching the classes in the classroom, logistics of the cable car rides, tours inside formal and informal markets of the city where the opportunities of commerce in urban environments were explained, and finally, certifying the future high school graduates and teachers for their participation in the workshop.