San Antonio, February 6, 2014 – The International Trade Center at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Institute of Economic Development announced today that it will conclude its four-module Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Counselor and Director Certificate Training in Costa Rica. This is the second Certificate Training program that UTSA has lead in Costa Rica. Over 70 participants are expected to graduate from this round of training; attendees have come from the public, private and higher education sectors.
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.
UTSA South-West Texas Border SBDC Network Director Al Salgado and UTSA International Trade Center International Business Consultant Julio Garcia de las Mestas will conduct the final module of the Counselor and Director Certificate Training and will preside over the graduation ceremony at the end of the 2 day event. The final module will run February 13–14, 2014.
“Costa Rica’s vision to create a network of sustainable and successful small business assistance centers will soon be reality and will join the many SME Networks throughout the Western Hemisphere based on the proven US Small Business Development Center Model,” said Al Salgado, director of the South-West Texas Border SBDC Network. “Costa Rica will become part of President Obama’s Small Business Networks of the Americas initiative to increase available resources for small businesses, expand SME assistance and provide the framework to link all entrepreneurs in the Western Hemisphere. We are very proud of their efforts and look forward to link US small business clients with Costa Rica’s small businesses.”
The Costa Rican National Institute Learning (INA) and the Costa Rican Ministry of Economy Industry and Commerce (MEIC) will fund this training. Both organizations will have representatives present in support of the training including Luis Alverez Soto, Vice Minister of the Economy Industry and Commerce.
The first round of SBDC Counselor and Director Certificate Training was held in early 2012 with over 56 program graduates. As a result, 6 of the more than 25 Costa Rican business assistance centers (CREAPYME) are using the US SBDC model that UTSA presented, and the others are expected to begin once this round of training is completed.
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/overview.html.
