San Antonio, May 28, 2014 – The International Trade Center, an SBDC at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Institute of Economic Development, announced today that it will begin a three-module Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Counselor and Director Certificate Training in Mexico City. This is the 14th SBDC training for the International Trade Center in Mexico, and will bring the total trainees to more than 1,368 people to date.
SBDCs, established throughout the US 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 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’s International SBDC Expansion Initiative that, with the support of the US Department of State, has been helping countries develop US modeled SBDC networks in the Americas since 2003.
Mexico was the first country that the International Trade Center assisted with creating and developing a national SBDC network. Today, there are more than 118 associated centers throughout the country — the most of any country outside the US. More centers are in development. In Mexico, SBDCs are part of the Asociación Mexicana de Centros para el Desarrollo de la Pequeña Empresa (AMCDPE) which oversees the country-wide network of centers.
UTSA International Trade Center Sr. International Business Consultants Julio Garcia de las Mestas and Berenice Carmona will conduct UTSA’s Counselor and Director Certificate Training. The first module begins June 2-6, 2014.
“In early 2013 Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto’s Instituto Nacional del Emprendedor (INADEM), which is roughly analogous to the US Small Business Administration, was created to support micro, small and medium businesses in Mexico,” said Cliff Paredes, Director of the International Trade Center. “The formation of this national organization will help increase the number of SBDCs in the country, and marks a major milestone in Mexico’s investment in SMEs. This is the perfect time to be in the national capital working with stakeholders to continue to transfer the tried-and-true US SBDC model.”
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 http://www.sbdcglobal.com/index.php/us/international-sbdc.html
