Between September 24 and 25, Medellín will host SAHIC South America , the most important investment promotion event for the tourism and hotel industry. Entrepreneurs, executives and investors from more than 20 countries will meet at the InterContinental Hotel to explore new business opportunities and generate links which contribute to the development and growth of the sector.
The event has a high-quality content agenda for the attendees which is focused on specializing and deepening in trend issues for the tourism industry. Discussions, talks, round tables, conferences and work sessions on topics such as sustainability, renewable energy and innovation, are some activities that will be carried out.
Precisely, one of the panels that will take place at SAHIC South America 2018, will feature the participation of renowned hotel industry leaders such as Laurent de Housemaker, executive vice president of development at Marriott International for Latin America and the Caribbean; Patrick Mendes, CEO of Accor hotels South America and Ted Middleton, senior vice president of development for Latin America at Hilton Worldwide. The activity will be moderated by Peter Greenberg, travel editor for CBS News.
Laurent de Kousemaeker
He is executive vice president of development for Marriott International Inc. for Latin America and the Caribbean region. He has 20 years of experience in the hotel industry in the areas such as marketing, finance, valuation, transactions and development. Kousemaeker is responsible for leading the company’s growth in the region, encompassing 12 hotel brands: Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, The Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott, Edition, Autograph Collection Hotels, Renaissance Hotels, AC Hotels, Marriot Hotels & Resorts, Courtyard, Fairfield Inn, Residence Inn and Marriott Executive Apartments.
In the past Kousemaeker, has been senior vice president of Marriott International for the same region, with offices in Bethesda, Maryland and vice president of development for Spain and Portugal, based in Madrid. Also, he was general manager of HVS International in Madrid and director of the HVS International office in London.
Patrick Mendes
Mendes has an extensive experience in tourism and hotel business. He began in Bordeaux, at the Ecole Hotelier de Bordeaux-Talence. He holds an MBA in Management and Marketing from IAE Aix-en-Provence
He worked as a consultant for the development of tourism in France and southern Europe and in 1994 he began to provide services at Edenred based in Paris. There, Mendes used managed the sales and marketing team worked on the development of new products. In the same company, he spent two years in charge of operations for the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean.
In 2000, Mendes moved to Lisbon to collaborate with the management of Edenred and in 2004 he joined the Global Accor hotels organization as senior vice president of global sales and distribution. In addition, he has led an international team in charge of global accounts, the definition of marketing strategy, sales and distribution.
Mendes has overseen Global Accor hotels operations in several countries of Europe, North America, Nordic markets and the development of Asia, the Middle East and South America.
In 2011 he assumed the management of the more than 80 four and five-star hotels of the organization in Latin America. In 2013, Medes was appointed director of operations for all luxury, exclusive and standard brands in South America, based in Sao Paulo. In July 2015, he assumed the position of CEO of Accor hotels South America, leading 327 hotels in operation and 200 in project; totaling the management of 15,000 employees.
Ted Middleton
He was appointed senior vice president of Hilton Worldwide in 1996. He oversees overseeing the development of Hilton’s group of managed and franchised brands in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Before joining Hilton, he served as senior vice president of acquisitions and finance for Host Marriott Corporation, where he successfully conducted numerous hotel financing, acquisitions and sales operations. He also leaded the construction and completion of three hotels.
Middleton began working for Marriott Corporation in 1986 as director of feasibility studies and market planning. Then, he served as regional vice president of development for Residence Inns, where he oversaw regional offices in charge of the development of Residence Inn in the western United States.
Middleton holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from LeMoyne College and a master’s degree in hotel management from Cornell University.
Peter Greenberg
On multiple occasions, he has been an Emmy Award winner for his work as a producer and investigative reporter. Greenberg is one of the most prominent and respected journalists in the travel and tourism sector. He is known in the industry as “The travel detective.” He is a travel editor for CBS News and participates in programs such as CBS This Morning, CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley and Sunday Morning. He has been a presenter on several T.V. shows, including the acclaimed series of travel specials Royal Tour. He has extensive experience as a journalist in the travel and tourism industry.
Check here the speakers list for SAHIC South America 2018 agenda and their biographies.
A large representation of national and international journalists arrived in Medellín to cover Colombiamoda 2018. On their first day, they had the opportunity to know the work of INDER Medellín, the characteristics of the sports program of the city, the scope of the recreation and sports projects and the progress of the “Football in Peace” program.
The tour began in the Sports Unit La Floresta. There, they learned about the facilities and sports practices of this sports complex. Later, they arrived at the Marco Fidel Suarez School and together with its students, attended the interventions of the FIFA referee from Antioquia, Wilmar Roldán, and the former presidents of Atlético Nacional, Juan Carlos de la Cuesta, and Deportivo Independiente Medellín, Eduardo Silva Meluk, about the process of implementing the “Football in Peace” program. A very exciting moment given the past and meaning of both football fan groups.
Finally, the group was taken to the Atanasio Girardot Sports Unit, where they walked around the facilities of basketball, high performance gym complex, exercises for the disabled, and the Atanasio Girardot football stadium where practices such as parkour, disc dog and CrossFit were given recognition. The tour ended with a press conference with INDER Manager, Daniel Palacios; the Secretary of Economic Development, María Fernanda Galliano and the Director of Inexmoda, Carlos Eduardo Botero.
It was a day to see Medellín from the angle of recreation and sports and its impact on the social development.
“For us, it is essential to show Medellín from different angles, since the transformation of the city has been a comprehensive strategy. The urban, mobility, security, education, recreation and sports interventions have impacted decisively the life of the citizens and therefore our development and projection towards the world,” said Catalina Restrepo Carvajal, ACI Medellín Executive Director.
“Showing INDER’s work to international journalists is extremely important. Multiple activities related to recreation, sports and healthy lifestyles are carried out every day in the city. We have 886 recreational – sporting scenarios and 7 sports units with multidisciplinary equipment which impact their lives and health” said Daniel Palacios, Director of INDER Medellín.
The Spanish industrial laundry company, Ilunion, recently opened its new facility in La Estrella, south of the Aburrá Valley. It is the first establishment of the organization in Latin America and the first step in an expansion process towards other regions in Colombia and the continent.
The company washes 200 million kilos of clothes per year. About 40% of Ilunion’s global workforce of employees are people with some type of disability.
Ilunion is known around the world for its inclusive social and economic model, which professional integration to the population in a situation of disability. For many of their employees, this is their first job opportunity, despite being in advanced ages.
The new 2,800 square meters facility can process 1,500 kilos per hour, including bedding, tablecloths, towels, etc.
The Medellín Mayor’s Office and its School for Inclusion have been one of Ilunion’s main allies. The people with disabilities or with different skills have received training from this governmental entity to successfully integrate them in the professional market.
This model has allowed the organization to earn various recognitions throughout its history. In 2016, the Government of Spain granted them the Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Social Solidarity and; the Medellín Mayor’s Office has named it a “company which transforms lives of people in vulnerable condition through labor inclusion.”
Accenture opened its new center located in the Ruta N complex in Medellín. The company will work with different costumers from different sectors such as finance, telecommunications, consumer goods, natural resources and energy. Also, they will use cutting edge technologies and smart tools to help customers seize opportunities, enter new markets and increase the speed of commercialization.
As part of a global network, the Advanced Technology Center will be made up by expert professionals and new university talents in: software development, consulting, technical specialists, data scientists and experts in artificial intelligence. Accenture plans to generate, this year, about 500 jobs for the Center and for its other operations in Colombia.
ACI Medellín supported its installation process by articulating it with universities, allies and local authorities; and provided them with legal, tax and sectoral guidance. “We are very pleased for Accenture’s arriving in Medellín. Being part of the installation process of this new Advanced Technology Center is a great achievement since it generates quality employment opportunities,” said Catalina Restrepo Carvajal, Executive Director of ACI Medellín.
“There is a lot of technological talent in Medellín, and we are pleased to offer IT professionalsthe opportunity to develop their careers in Accenture. Those who join our team will have access to the latest technology and will receive training for personal and professional development opportunities. They will also expand their commercial, industrial, technical and leadership skills, “ said Marco Ribas, president of Accenture in Colombia during the opening on July 18 in Ruta N.
In Medellín’s City-Region strategy, avocado has become a key element for productive development and increased competitiveness of the agricultural sector. Likewise, it has been established as an opportunity to get closer to the quality standards demanded by international markets.
Consistent with this, the Agency for Cooperation and Investment of Medellin and the Metropolitan Area, ACI Medellín, has continuously worked in the attraction of foreign investors, articulating them with local and regional partners to benefit from the immense potential the City- Region has. It is about 210,000 hectares suitable for growing and harvesting this fruit.
While other countries have zero-year production periods, Colombia and particularly Antioquia offer fertile soils which allow all year-round avocado production.
To benefit from this opportunity and as part of the growth strategy, ACI Medellín has invited, received and accompanied exploratory agendas from Peru, Mexico and Chile. They visited the city looking to expanding their operations and keeping the cultivation, harvest and export process active, thus satisfying avocado’s current demand.
ACI Medellín’s Executive Director, Catalina Restrepo Carvajal, talked about this topic in the current edition of the Corpohass AvoNoticias Colombia magazine of the Colombian Corporation of Producers and Exporters of Hass Avocado. To read the full article in Spanish, click here.
Foreign investment in Medellín is increasingly growing, mostly, due to tourism, events and conventions boom. This has led to the arrival of international hotel chains such as Marriot and Hilton.
According to Cotelco, Medellín went from 176 hotels and 7,370 rooms in 2016, to 197 hotels and 8,628 rooms in 2018. By 2019, there will be 34 new projects in Antioquia.
“Antioquia has the highest rates of investments for the construction of hotels in Colombia with 674 billion pesos. This also shows an excellent rate of employment, since the figures show that 56,640 workers were employed by hotels, thus generating social and economic development for the city and the region, “ says Johana Martínez, Executive Director of Cotelco Antioquia-Chocó Chapter.
The following hotel chains are in Medellín with projects both, under construction and newly opened: Decameron, Hilton, Travelers, Wyndham, Atton, Viaggio, Quinta Inn, Marriott, Metro Hotel, City Express, Click Clack and Blue Doors.
This Hospitality sector accelerated growth rate is due to the continuous increase of travelers’ arrival in the city, around 735,570 visitors in 2017, out of which 274,693 were foreigners. This is a 4.8% increase over 2016 figures, according to SITUR.
Undoubtedly, tourism growth and Medellín’s appealing to foreign investment for its City-Region strategy, are key elements for the realization of SAHIC South America 2018, one of the most important international events in the sector.
“Medellín is a city we can always learn from. Today we are a global reference in terms of social and urban innovation, and this transformation has been possible thanks to the commitment of all sectors of our society. We believe in a Medellín which is responsible for the region and is connected to the world,” said María Fernanda Galeano, Secretary of Economic Development of Medellín.
On the other hand, as pointed out by Federico Guerra Hoyos, Secretary of Productivity and Competitiveness of the Government of Antioquia, the region has valuable advantages and attractive aspects which make it an ideal destination for investment in tourism: “the departmenthas the greatest rates of bird species in the world. This natural beauty is very close to villages with hotel infrastructure, which, added to the host talent of its inhabitants, make our territory an unforgettable place.
The Medellín Mayor’s Office through the Ministry of Economic Development; the Government of Antioquia through the Productivity Secretariat; the Medellín conventions and visitors Bureau, Plaza Mayor and ACI Medellín, work together to make SAHIC South America 2018 a success.
Mayor Federico Gutiérrez traveled to Seoul, Korea, to sign the Letter of Intent with MOLIT and implement the Traffic Function Improvement Project in the city and to officially start cooperating between both entities.
This Project seeks to implement three fundamental components for the development and improvement of smart mobility in the city:
Construction and improvement of an integrated traffic information center between the Metro System, the Enterprise for Urban Safety, ESU in Spanish, and the Mobility Secretariat.
Implementation of a regulated and systematized pilot project to manage vehicular parking.
Development of a training program for mobility officials in smart transport systems
From left to right: Delegation of Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of Korea, MOLIT headed by Paek Seung Gun; the delegation of Medellín headed by Mayor Federico Gutiérrez Zuluaga accompanied by ACI Medellín Executive Director, Catalina Restrepo Carvajal.
“We take a major step towards the management of resources to improve the quality of life in Medellín. There is no doubt, Medellín’s mobility will be among the most modern in Latin America thanks to the implementation of this Project. One of my major governmentgoals is to improve mobility, with this cooperation project with Korea, we resolutely move forward to achieve this goal,” said Mayor Federico Gutiérrez.
“The Agency for Cooperation and Investment of Medellín and the Metropolitan Area, ACI Medellín, carried out an important support mission for the collection of information, accompaniment to field visits and the development of the components of the Agreement. Thus, becoming an important reference in the region for the management of technical and financial cooperation resources” added Catalina Restrepo Carvajal, ACI Medellín Executive Director.
Once the Agreement is signed, MOLIT and the Mobility Secretariat will begin joint work in the implementation of the project.
During the World Cities Summit 2018 in Singapore and as part of the commitments acquired for winning the Lee Kuan Yew Award 2016 , Medellín has been presented as the host city of this event’s next year version. It is the first time WCS will be held in Latin America. About 300 high-level officials, including mayors, businessmen and experts in urban areas are expected to attend.
“We were invited to the World Cities and Mayors Summit during a work agenda in Singapore. There, I proudly presented our city, and held meetings with several world leaders who recognize its great progress. Today, Medellín is a benchmark all around the world. It is important to celebrate the ´progress made, but above all to understand and recognize that we still have many challenges to be faced and many things to improve. Medellín will host this event on July 10 and 12, 2019.” said the mayor of Medellín, Federico Gutiérrez Zuluaga after finishing his participation in the event.
In recent years, Medellín has hosted meetings with similar global impact such as the IDB Assembly (2009), the Ibero-American Culture Biennial (2010), the World Urban Forum – WUF (2014), the UNWTO Assembly (2015) ), Cities for Life (2015), the Global Entrepreneurship Congress – GEC (2016) and the World Economic Forum – WEF (2016); renowned events that generate international trust on the city and a make it a benchmark of social-urban transformation, innovation, governance, resilience, sustainability and citizen culture.
Context
In 2016, Medellín was awarded with the Lee Kuan Yew Award from the Government of Singapore. This distinction, which is considered to be the Nobel of cities, was awarded to the capital of Antioquia for its contributions to the creation of vibrant, livable and sustainable urban communities. Other cities that have been awarded are: Bilbao, Spain (2010); New York, United States (2012); Suzhou, China (2014); and recently Seoul, South Korea (2018).
The official presentation of the new offices of the international health network Securitas Healthcare. A Chilean company specializing in providing health benefits programs. The event will take place in the Golden Mile building, tower 1, floor 3, room 2 on July 3 at 11:00 a.m.
“We have high expectations with this opening in Colombia. Today, we can be sure that there is a high quality of care, knowledge and human talent in Medellin. We are very positive about everything we are going to achieve in terms of health centers in the region, ” said Fernando Magnan, general manager of Securitas Healthcare.
The organization promotes the development of complementary health services through a global network of services providers, which is based on a rigorous selection process that ensures health centers and affiliated professionals are qualified and can guarantee high quality coverage to the users’ special needs.
The Agency for Cooperation and Investment of Medellín and Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley – ACI Medellín, supported the company’s installation process through the articulation with local partners.
Every three years, the international network ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability, carries out its World Congress to gather cities and territories and work towards the construction of a sustainable future. This year, the attending cities met in Montreal (Canada) between June 18 to 22, to “globalize the cities’ sustainability.”
Medellín participated in the ICLEI South America meeting, presenting successful experiences related to waste management; sustainable mobility and low carbon impact; as well as sustainable and participatory urban design. The representation of the city was headed by the Secretary of the Environment, Sergio Andrés Orozco.
Medellín joined ICLEI in August 2013. Since then, ACI Medellín has been responsible for the relationship of the city with this International Network, facilitating the attraction of cooperation opportunities and positioning Antioquia’s capital as a leader in best practices of sustainable development
Although it seems like a science-fiction scene, the most advanced artificial intelligence android in the world, Sophia, arrives in Medellín. She will participate as the key speaker in the Summer School of the Pontifical Bolivarian University to be held in the Great Hall of Plaza Mayor on Monday, July 30 at 10:00 a.m.
Sophia, who was activated on April 19, 2015 in Hong Kong, is the first robot in the world to be granted a citizenship. She is Saudi. According to its manufacturers, it has visual data processing and facial recognition; imitates human gestures and facial expressions; and can answer certain questions and have conversations. Evidence of this are the interviews she has had with highly prestigious international media, and even her presentation to the United Nations when she spoke with the Vice-Secretary General, Amina J. Mohammed .
The Summer School: Hyperrealities 2018 is supported by the Medellín Mayor’s Office in coherence with the program “Science, innovation and technology for society” of the Development Plan 2016-2019: “Medellín counts on you” .In addition, this scenario will allow the city to continue positioning itself as an epicenter of Artificial Intelligence in coherence with the recent announcement of the creation of the country’s first Center of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence , managed by Ruta N in agreement with the Institute for Robotics Automation. Processes and Artificial Intelligence (IRPA AI) of the United States
We are excited to announce that Sana Commerce’s global expansion steadfastly continues. Just two months ago, we shared that Sana would be operating locally in the Australia/New Zealand region, out of our brand-new office in Perth. Today, we officially opened the doors of our first Latin American office in the presence of the Dutch Ambassador, his excellency Sr. J.J. Roodenburg. The new office is located in the Ruta-N building in Medellín, Colombia.
Our Medellín office joins the ranks of our other branches in the Netherlands, the U.S., the U.K., Sri Lanka, Ukraine, Germany, Austria and Australia. For ten years, Sana has been committed to providing high-quality support for our clients’ ERP-driven e-commerce strategies. To do so even more successfully, Sana has begun establishing a local presence in major markets worldwide. The Medellín office represents another leap toward that goal, and an opportunity to impact the Latin American market in a substantial way. A Strategic Decision
Earlier this year, Sana had the honor of welcoming Juan José Quintana, the Ambassador of Colombia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, to our Rotterdam headquarters to celebrate the soft launch of the Medellín office. “Colombia is a fast-growing market… [and] a great place to do business right now,” said Mr. Quintana of Sana’s decision to start its Latin American expansion in Colombia.
“The city of Medellín was chosen as the location for our newest office for its emphasis on IT and engineering education, startup environments and entrepreneurship, as well as for its supportive government and favorable business environment,” says Cas Nieskens (Manager). On a practical level, the location and time-zone allows Sana Commerce to efficiently deliver technical solutions to a rapidly growing number of customers across the Americas. We intend to thrive on the enthusiasm and passion of the Colombian people that will join the team as employees, partners and customers.
“We would like to extend our gratitude to the Colombian government, and in particular to the ACI, Pro Colombia, Dutch Embassy and the Holland House for their support in our research and start-up phase,” says Tim Beyer (COO) on behalf of all of us at Sana.
Looking Ahead
As Sana Commerce grows and develops on an international level, our dedication to our customers will remain at the forefront of our business. We will continue to expand in order to reach, support and maximize the business potential of our customers everywhere — and the launch of our office in Colombia is no exception. We look forward to a bright future in Colombia, and are setting our sights on the next step in our growth. .
SAHIC South America 2018 will take place from September 24 to 25 at the Intercontinental Hotel. This internationally renowned meeting seeks to promote the most important hotel, tourism and real estate business in the region. This will be the perfect stage for executives and investors from more than 20 countries to explore new businesses, build relationships and increase the development of the sector.
“A paradise found” is the motto of the leading event in hotel and tourism infrastructure which will be hosted by Medellín.
“Latin America is in a very good moment and while it consolidates as a tourist destination, it becomes a site of interest for international investors. For those who want to do business here, it is important to understand with whom and how, to approach to the existing opportunities in this growing market,” says Arturo García Rosa, president and founder of SAHIC.
More than 400 executives and presidents of the most renowned hotel chains of the world are expected to attend SAAHIC 2018.
“Tourism is an engine that favors Medellín and Antioquia’s economic growth. It is directly related to the cluster strategy of the city which seeks to make Medellín a successful destination focused on business tourism, meetings, conventions and events, complemented by the beauty of nature and the towns of Antioquia” said Catalina Restrepo, Executive Director of ACI Medellín.
In the last decade, the hotel infrastructure in Medellín has an increased 76% by the hand of local and foreign investment. Also, Antioquia has achieved a 500% growth in corporate events and a 63% in average annual hotel occupancy, seven points above the national average. Likewise, in 2017 the department received more than 700 thousand travelers, including foreigners and Colombians.
Business opportunities, direct contact with investors, funding sources, first-hand information and access to unique and differentiated projects will be the scenarios that will boost this Latin American tourism event.
Starting on May 30, the Sos Paisa Network renews its website. This new website includes profiles of Paisas who stand out abroad, information about meetings with Paisas all around the world, news about Medellín and the region. This will be a virtual community which will allow Paisas to interact and find others who are working outside the country. In addition, the website contains information on how to cooperate with the development proposals of Medellín. .
With a new image and updated information about the network, we invite you to join Sos paisa: www.sospaisa.com
This website has an attractive and modern design, more dynamic and user-friendly, but above all, it intends to connect, link and inform Paisas who are far from Medellín about everything that happens in their city and how they can cooperate and contribute to the transformation and development of the city and region.
The Sos Paisa Network is coordinated by ACI Medellín
“We want this new website to strengthen the Sos Paisa Network, to make people from Antioquia living abroad feel closer to their city, their region, and link them up with our proposals for development and transformation,” explained Catalina Restrepo Carvajal, executive director of ACI Medellín.
Knowledge management has become one of the pillars of the Agency for Cooperation and Investment of Medellin and the Metropolitan Area in the attraction of cooperation and foreign investment into the city.
Knowledge transfer initiatives have been designed and implemented to position Medellín as a benchmark for best practices. They help us to capitalize the opportunities offered by the relationship with international partners.
Such is the case of the Medellín Lab program. It operates as a knowledge exchange platform and as a tool which generates cooperation alliances supported by the World Bank.
During its first edition in 2017, this project brought together several delegations from all around the world interested in learning about best practices in Medellín and other cities in terms of security, coexistence and peace building. This year, the Medellín Lab2018 will address issues of urban planning, mobility and project funding.
If you want to learn more about the experience of Medellín in knowledge exchange and learning initiatives, we invite you to see this interview in Spanish with Camilo Villa, World Bank’s knowledge management consultant.
The capital of Antioquia, headed by mayor Federico Gutiérrez, is now one of the cities that make up the C40 Steering Committee. C40 connects about 100 cities, totaling a population of about 700 million people in the world. The network, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CFF) and Realdania, takes actions related to climate and leads the way for a healthier and more sustainable future.
On Wednesday, May 23, Medellín has been announced among the five new cities that will have a seat on the C40 Network Steering Committee.
The other four are: Accra (Ghana), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Nanjing (China) and Quito (Ecuador). They will be joining Boston, Copenhagen, Dubai, Durban, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Milan, Paris, Seoul and Tokyo in this executive board.
“Accra, Dhaka, Medellin, Nanjing and Quito have shown incredible leadership in the implementation of climate actions. They have inspired mayors and neighboring cities around the world. I hope I can work with my fellow mayors, as we think locally and act globally in the implementation of the Paris Agreement,” said Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris and President of C40.
For his part, mayor Federico Gutiérrez Zuluaga said: “It is an honor and a great challenge for Medellín to be one of the representatives of Latin America in the Steering Committee of the C40.We have demonstrated real leadership with actions against climate change, and through the position we assume, we will open a wide range of possibilities for the advancement of our region. We believe we are able to connect with territories that face similar obstacles to create sustainable changes in cities.”
Medellín joined C40 in 2016 and its participation has been managed from the Ministry of Environment and the Agency for Cooperation and Investment of Medellín and the Metropolitan Area -ACI Medellín. Both entities oversaw the application of the city for this new challenge.
On Tuesday, May 22, the first Centre for Excellence in Artificial Intelligence of Colombia will be officially opened thanks to the agreement signed between Ruta N and the Institute for Automation of Processes and Artificial Intelligence (IRPA AI), of the United States.
It seeks to involve Medellín into a new global knowledge economy and to promote the development of new human talent capabilities.
In the upcoming years, the centre will develop new skills in local talent to achieve global quality standards and generate innovative and advanced services of process automation, artificial intelligence, Machine Learning, RPA, cognitive technologies and deep learning.
“This initiative will positively impact the future of the city since, the experience and the network of associated companies of IRPA AI and the Institute of Outsourcing will allow Medellín to position itself as an artificial intelligence hub,” said Alejandro Franco, Executive Director of Ruta N.
The Centre for Excellence will be the anchor for the creation of a new Business Development Center (CDN), which seeks to promote artificial intelligence startups, integrate specialized communities of young people and R & D groups that have been carrying out important work in the universities.
“This is great news for Medellín and the country. This Center will bring important advantages in the development of research, technology and job creation; and it will allow us to boost the attraction of foreign investment in the city, ” said Catalina Restrepo Carvajal, Executive Director of ACI Medellín..
The Agency for Cooperation and Investment of Medellín and the Metropolitan Area – ACI Medellín, supported this agreement by providing industrial context legal and operational advice, and facilitating the local relationship of the North American companies in Medellín.
On May 2nd, the mayor of Medellín, Federico Gutiérrez Zuluaga, met with the Paisa community in New York. The event was held at the Consulate of Colombia and was attended by the consul María Isabel Nieto Jaramillo.
The Sos Paisa Network of the Medellín Mayor’s Office gathered more than 80 Paisas in New York.
Federico Gutiérrez started the meeting by talking to the attendees about the transformation of Medellín. How the city moved on from a past that marked it and how today it reflects another reality, a story that we, Paisas, must tell others which shows us a new path.
The Mayor highlighted spaces such as the House of Memory Museum and the Memorial for Victims that will be built on the ground of the Monaco building. Also, he shared information on Medellín’s progress in education, sustainable mobility, integral security, culture, citizen trust and economic development. “The true heroes and the stories that must be highlighted are those of the victims,” explained the Mayor.
In his speech, he talked about the power of education as a transforming axis of Medellín: “Education is the hardest blow we can deal to criminal structures, this is how we get our children back. To do this, we have programs like: We count on you at school, Good Start, the Saberes strategy, the 21 alliances for you in the educational quality, among others,” remarked Gutierrez.
Mayor Gutierrez also talked about the 30 green corridors, the 100 parks for you plan, and the transformation of the city center.
These Paisas had the opportunity to talk with the mayor and learn first-hand about the changes the city has undergone. The event was attended by designers, businessmen, architects, community leaders, journalists, all talented and successful Paisas whom have lived for many years in the United States.
“I think the mission of the SOS Paisa program is beautiful. Coming here and contacting us, the Paisas, in New York where there is such a strong community… and where many people, for migratory reasons, have not been able to return to their homeland. The idea of telling the community of Paisas living outside Colombia what is happening in Medellín, seems to me very important,” said Diana Franco, entrepreneur and co-founder of www.corewoman.org
Monterrey, Mexico City and Puebla are the three cities Colombia’s main Investment Promotion Agencies will visit to promote the country as investment destination. ACI Medellín, Invest Pacific, Invest in Bogota, ProBarranquilla, Invest in Armenia and Invest in Cartagena participated in this tour coordinated by Procolombia.
During the meetings with businessmen and potential investors in Mexico City and Monterrey, a seminar will be held in each city. The business opportunities and the fastest growing sectors of Bogota, Medellín, Cali, Barranquilla, Armenia and Cartagena will be shown on these seminars.
The seminars will be held in Monterrey, on May 8, in the Live Aqua Urban Resort from 8:30 am to 11:00 am; and in Mexico City, on May 9 in the Hyatt Regency Hotel, from 8:30 am to 11:00 a.m. Additionally, a business conference will be held in Mexico City until 2:00 p.m. after the seminar.
On the other hand, the commission will visit Puebla to hold one-on-one meetings with businessmen interested in exploring investment opportunities in Colombia.
“This visit is a valuable opportunity for Medellín to promote sectors in which it has a vast experience, such as IT services, software development, advanced manufacturing, agribusiness, infrastructure, real estate and tourism,” says Catalina Restrepo, executive director of the Agency for Cooperation and Investment of Medellín and the Metropolitan Area, ACI Medellín.
Medellín is globally renowned for its vocation and its innovative initiatives with high social impact. For its part, Antioquia is considered one of the departments with greater diversity and agro-industrial growth of the country. Also, in terms of infrastructure, the region has a high hotel, tourism, air and land connectivity development which directly benefits business development.
“As an agency which promotes investment and international cooperation, and is responsible for the internationalization of Medellín, this tour allows us to approach to the needs of Mexican investors and to think of a way our city can become the best option for their business,” said Restrepo.
Founded by Alejandro Posada, Colombian orchestra conductor and his wife María Helena Tamayo, the Ibero-American Philharmonic Academy – Iberacademy – is committed to support the talent of young people from Medellín and Colombia and to a comprehensive development of musicians, especially those from vulnerable social situations who are extremely talented.
The HILTI Foundation, committed to efficient and sustainable training in Latin America, allowed the creation of the academy. Iberacademy has granted scholarships in musical training programs to young people and teachers from various regions of Colombia and the continent.
Iberacademy seeks to strengthen musical education in the continent through the execution of pedagogical models which allow the transmission of knowledge through Latin America.
Likewise, this Philharmonic Academy together with the EAFIT University and the New World Symphony Orchestra of Miami, the Mozarteum Foundation of Salzburg, the Verbier Festival in Switzerland, among other actors, offers scholarships in various parts of the world for their training program in orchestral and chamber internships. This has allowed young musicians and teachers to learn and at the same time show the world their talent.
A milestone in Colombian culture
Last March, a group of 50 young people between 14 and 25 years old, from different parts of the country and part of the Network of Music Schools of the Ministry of Culture of Medellín, toured on Europe performing at the festivals of Lucerne and Salzburg as the first Colombian symphonic group invited to these meetings.
Besides their presentation at the festivals, other concerts were held in Vienna, Austria; Winterthur, Switzerland and Vaduz, capital of the Principality of Liechtenstein.
The networks of cities are a means of strengthening the international insertion of local governments, increasing opportunities for decentralized international cooperation and exchanging knowledge.
These networks act as bridges on the international discussion and the dissemination of the challenges faced by cities; they also allow them to work with strategic partners from different places around the world who share the same interests and challenges.
The networks became stronger during the 1980s with the creation of Metropolis, a global association that brings together cities with more than one million inhabitants. Later, in the nineties, other initiatives such as the Eurocities Network , in Europe, and Mercociudades, in South America were born.
In fact, the internationalization processes have been strengthened by networks of cities, as they open opportunities for participation in international events and awards designed to maximize the dissemination of the best practices of each territory in terms of social and economic development. In the case of Medellín, these networks have been the best scenario to exchange best practices and to strengthen international relations which have enabled cooperation and human development processes.
A team made up by ACI Medellín, Procolombia, Invest in Armenia, ProBarranquilla, Invest in Bogota and Invest in Pacific have started the Alianza Pacífico tour in Lima and Santiago, which has left important relations for future projects between these countries and Colombia.
ACI Medellín presented them with the city’s greater projection investment opportunities such as hotel infrastructure, manufacturing, agro-industry and the Innovation District. In this sense, the challenge is to foster the best conditions for the development and expansion of these businesses, considering the expectations of the investors.
ACI Medellín Executive Director, Catalina Restrepo Carvajal presented the advantages and opportunities of Medellín and the metropolitan region for the arrival of Foreign Direct Investment.
“We had the opportunity to talk before more than 80 Peruvian and Chilean investors, and I would say they were pleased with the possibilities offered by Medellín and Antioquia .I would like to highlight the fact that we show a wide range of investment possibilities different from those that have traditionally been pointed out by the executives of these countries in Colombia .This is very positive because we have opened the way to the exploration of opportunities which were under their radar,” said Catalina Restrepo Carvajal, Executive Director of ACI Medellín.
The Alianza Pacífico tour will culminate this May in Mexico, where investors from Monterrey, Mexico City and Querétaro will be presented the opportunities offered by Medellín and Antioquia.
ACI Medellín’s Executive Director participated in the Round Table called “Social challenges on the implementation of the 2030 agenda,” in the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, ECLAC. There, she presented the progress made by the Medellín Mayor’s Office in the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals 2030.
Chilean Sofofa and Procolombia held the meeting to promote Colombia as a destination for foreign direct investment which was attended by almost 40 Chilean companies.
In compliance with the Development Plan 2016-2019 Medellín Cuenta Con Vos and its 7th dimension: “To collectively protect the environment,” the Medellín Mayor’s Office and the Secretariat of Environment have developed a new process that seeks to protect the hydrographic basins which supply the aqueducts of the city..
It’s the Payment for Environmental Services, which seeks to protect 29 watersheds of Medellín through the payment of a monthly economic incentive for the conservation, restoration and protection of the city’s water resource to owners of 449 properties located in the rural area of the city.
In May of this year, the Mayor’s Office will select the participants according to their score in a public call. The chosen ones will receive an economic benefit according to the area of natural forest within their land (1.14 current legal minimum monthly wages per hectare) or the area of the property where the forest will be recovered (2.78 current legal minimum monthly wages).
The resources to be granted amount to 4 billion pesos. To access the grant, a person must: be owner or holder of one or more properties, be up to date in the property tax payment and declare that the property is not in discussion of ownership.
According to Sergio Andrés Orozco Escobar, Secretary of Environment of Medellín, the Payment for Environmental Services: “it’s a way to teach our people to value our environmental heritage by taking care of the water sources and environmental resources which are so important for the city and the region. In this case, the Mayor’s Office does not buy lands or expropriate them, instead invites people to stay on theirs, to take care of them, value them and take ownership of its space. This guarantees the continuity of this natural and diverse asset of Medellin.”
For more information and to continue with the application process, please write topsa@medellin.gov.co or dial (054) 589 8929.
Map of Medellin marking the areas to be intervened by the Environmental Services Program.
On April 15, Sos Paisa will gather the Paisa* community in Lima, Peru, and on Friday, April 20, the meeting will be with those living in Santiago, Chile. The appointment in Lima is at 4:00 pm in the restaurant Mi Colombia Café Resto Bar, Miraflores neighborhood and in Santiago de Chile will be at 7:00 pm in the restaurant La Casa en el Aire, Bellavista neighborhood..
These meetings aim to create a community with those from Antioquia who live abroad and link them to Medellín, to tell them about the city’s transformation and invite them to contribute to it.
The Sos Paisa Network is a program of Medellín Mayor’s Office coordinated by the Agency for Cooperation and Investment of Medellín and the Metropolitan Area, to connect Paisas abroad with the different initiatives that the government currently drives.
Each meeting is an open space to share experiences with these Paisas, to know their projects abroad and to connect them with Medellín.
“We are pleased to invite all Paisas in Lima and Santiago to be part of SOS Paisa. It fills us with joy to attend these meetings and see so many Paisas making their lives abroad. This is a fantastic opportunity to get closer to them, tell them about Medellín, connect them with their city and show them everything they have at disposition to contribute to the different programs of the city,” said Catalina Restrepo Carvajal, Executive Director of ACI Medellín.
The tour will be accompanied by Procolombia, ACI Medellín, Invest in Pacific, Invest in Bogota, Probarranquilla and Proarmenia.
Medellín’s advantages in terms of innovation, agroindustry and infrastructure and those from Antioquia, as one of the departments with the greatest diversity and agro-industrial growth, will be presented. In addition, the region has a high tourism and hotel development and both, air and land connectivity which directly benefits business growth in Colombia.
“It is essential for ACI Medellín to participate in these meetings. We will have there the opportunity to understand the needs of Peruvian, Chilean and other investors from all around the world who are interested in investing in Colombia. At the same time, it is an ideal place to raise awareness on the enormous advantages the city offers to foreign direct investment. In this sense, the support of Procolombia which benefits all regions of the country is very important,” said Catalina Restrepo Carvajal, Executive Director of ACI Medellín.
ACI Medellín will show the advantages of the Aburrá Valley and Antioquia in terms of innovation, agroindustry and infrastructure.
The Mexican embassy to Colombia will offer a serenade to the country in the framework of the Mexico – Colombia Year. The Symphony Orchestra and Mariachi of the Ministry of Defense of Mexico will lead the show at Metropolitan Theater of Medellín on Thursday April 5 – 20:00 hr.
Since 2011, both countries together with Chile and Peru, formed the regional integration block Alianza Pacífico (Alliance of the Pacific).
The event will be attended by representatives from both countries. Also, a recognition will be presented to the best Colombian mariachi groups, seeking to increasingly strengthen the cultural relations between both nations.
For almost two centuries, Colombia and Mexico have maintained a strong diplomatic relationship which translates into cooperation on technical, scientific, educational, cultural, economic and security issues.
It is this close relationship which has allowed 10 Mexican companies to settled in Medellín between 2008 and 2017. They were supported by ACI Medellín, thus, boosting local economy and contributing to the social development of Medellín’s inhabitants.
Konecta is a Spanish multinational provider of comprehensive BPO and Contact Center services for several sectors wich consolidates is offices in Medellín. It has 100 engineers in Ruta N facilities co-working in an environment that favors the generation of new technological services.
Konecta exports digital technology services to Spain, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Morocco, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Peru and Brazil, generating more than 15,300 jobs.
Konecta’s challenge for 2018 is to constantly update its technological capacity to adapt to the new reality of markets and provide them with effective mechanisms to connect customers with a solution that fit their needs.
“The necessity to centralize software development in on country was defined in the company’s strategy. Different alternatives were analyzed and, finally, Medellín – Colombia was chosen for its qualified professional human talent; the local government’s commitment to innovation and to the development of technological projects,” said. José Roberto Sierra, president of Konecta Colombia.
In October 2017, Konecta settled its multidisciplinary innovation center supported by Procolombia, the Ruta N Corporation and the Agency for Cooperation and Investment of Medellín and the Metropolitan Area, ACI Medellín. It is dedicated to the construction of software solutions and processes of digital transformation from Medellín to the world.
The United Nations has launched Global Marketplace, a digital platform to make public the bids of its organizations for vendors from all around the world..
More than 40 UN organizations publish their bid announcements on this platform and vendors can register for free.
This platform is called United Nations Global Marketplace, UNGM. It brings together companies and individual consultants so they can participate in calls and present the services and products they offer to different countries, territories and in various languages.
In the same way, interested parties can access the Knowledge Center, a useful tool provided by the UN to post information about business seminars, procurement rules and regulations, as well as valuable information about each organization.
This is an excellent opportunity for companies in the city to become vendors for the United Nations and to access the necessary information to do business with this international organization.
Those interested in learning more about Global Marketplace can access: www.ungm.org
With three comprehensive intervention projects, in urban renewal, mobility and attention to early childhood, Medellín has become an international model of overcoming low levels of human development and caring for the most vulnerable populations. From ACI Medellín, these are the stories, told the world, about the transformation of the city in order to attract new resources, position public policy in the country and abroad, and exchange experiences.
Despite being separated by a mere 23 minutes, and being very close to the river that runs through the city from south to north, for many of the inhabitants of the northeastern area, going to work or making a purchase in downtown Medellín meant “going down” to the city. That was the description of the trip and the disconnection they felt with their own city, and as it was called by scholars, a historical exclusion. This exclusion could finally be solved with the Metrocable and the PUI (Comprehensive Urban Project in Spanish).
“those living in the sector were part of the forgotten geography. We had no spaces to walk in. There were only small houses on top of more small houses along the creek, so people said this was like ‘El Pesebre’ (a manger).” Luz Marina Gómez, community leader of “La Francia” neighborhood
Comprehensive Urban Projects have changed the lives of more than 170.000 inhabintants in Medellín.
She does not remember a different neighborhood, because she has lived here all her life. She inherited land from her father, as well as the spirit of always looking for the welfare of people. She did not leave when violence stole tranquility. She hesitated when the government promised change, and today, she assures with certainty, she will only leave La Francia when she dies. The PUI has changed her life and that of more than 170,000 inhabitants, with 28 projects in 13 neighborhoods.
However, she also says with insistence that no one believed in what the State had promised to do. She spoke with social managers and engineers at the “Empresa de Desarrollo Urbano” (Urban Development Corporation, EDU, in Spanish) and asked them what was going to happen. She was informed and then she retold the information during meetings in improvised places such as sports facilities and a billiard club, a few blocks away from her house.
“It was permanent and hard work to gain trust, but finally works began, and I was overwhelmed with all I had to do.” She was in charge of welcoming the workers, recording the time shifts and even had to verify the stock of construction tools available. Together with her neighbors, she worked for the territory they had imagined and planned during the workshops.
With this PUI, they moved from fear to hope, and from hope to life, thanks to the execution of works such as the “Paseo Urbano” (urban boulevard) at Calle 106, which increased the shops from 35 to about 250; the “Centro de Desarrollo Empresarial Zonal, Cedezo, in Santo Domingo Savio (Zonal Business Development Center) to support business ideas; the “Unidad Deportiva y Recreativa Granizal” (Sports and Recreational Facilities) to benefit 500,000 inhabitants; and the construction of the “Parque Biblioteca España,” the “Parque Lineal Quebrada La Herrera,” 126 homes and the “Mirador Andalucía – La Francia Bridge,” linking two sectors separated over the years, among other works totaling 25,000 square meters of urban facilities and 125,000 square meters of new public space.
“Medellín has achieved becoming an innovative city, not because of technology production, but because of its capacity for social and holistic intervention. We have communities who love their areas of residence, who feel part of the State and see the retribution of the contributions made via taxes. Therefore, the city went from being one of the most violent in the world, exclusionary and divided, to becoming the most innovative.” Margarita María Rivera, director of Social Management at EDU.
Social planning in Medellín, the Latin American school
Having national and international benchmarks such as the favelas -shacks, slums shantytowns- in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; slums in Barcelona, Spain, and Bogotá’s urban transformation in the nineties, Medellín configured its Social Urbanization with a series of planning and intervention actions to promote comprehensive human development with citizen participation.
With the PUI for the North-Eastern area of the city, the first in the capital of Antioquia and completed in 2004, a replicable model that combines three components was created. It included physical reformation with the construction of cultural, sporting and educational facilities, housing, mobility and environmental improvement; social reformation, with the strengthening of citizen participation and mobilization; and institutional reform, which brings together government action across a range of programs and the promotion of appropriation of spaces and the quality of life of its people.
This model not only provided strength for Medellín to obtain recognition by the “Nobel of cities award” the Lee Kuan Yew World City 2016, delivered by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and the Center for Liveable Cities, but was also the gateway for the world coming through Medellín, together with the management of the Agency for Cooperation and Investment of Medellín and the Metropolitan Area –ACI Medellín. And it will open the path for other PUI to be developed in the Comuna 13 San Javier, the basin of the La Iguaná and the Northwest areas in El Picacho and at Central Eastern, by the green corridor of the Ayacucho Tram.
The modern tram, the face of the future
At the road corridor connecting the east of the region with downtown, through which one of the lines of the first electric tram in the 1940s ran, and the path through which farmers with colorful Silletas arrived in the marketplace, now runs the only modern tram in the country and the first in operation in Latin America in the twenty-first century.
As in the past, this passageway, of meeting and rest, residents, pedestrians and domestic and foreign travelers go up and down the 4.3 km route. They marvel at the 30 or more works of popular urban art painted on murals and facades of houses, and enjoy the more than 113,000 square meters of new public spaces and green areas.
One of the families who lived and made part of this change is the owner of Pizzas & Lasagna, a street vendor who began 22 years ago in Ayacucho and who then moved on to a commercial shop, led by the perseverance and discipline of food engineer William Lince and business manager Gloria Ledesma.
Para Pizzas & Lasagna, the construction of Ayacucho’s Tram was a grow opportunity.
“On the weekends we are completely dedicated to the business. Selling on the streets was the way to begin but not a sustainable idea over time. We generated sales, but not capital,” explains William. So, they opened their first restaurant in Quinta Linda within the Buenos Aires neighborhood, where they soon won the recognition and appreciation of neighbors. With the desire to grow, they opened a second point of sale on Ayacucho Avenue and no more than thirty days went by when the tram works began.
“We did not expect the project to start off so fast; it was a big surprise. However, we believed and we stayed. We implemented sales strategies to sustain the business and were sure there would come a time of recovery and profits,” says Gloria.
Parallel to their flavor recognition of pizzas and lasagnas
and service excellence, another family dream was on the verge, in the production of artisanal ice cream. Daniela, their daughter, inherited the entrepreneurial spirit and while attending high school, took a course on ice cream preparation that marked her for life. While her father worked on the formulas, ingredients and chemical compositions to achieve the best flavor, she was attending school to become a food engineer and was getting ready for her next step, traveling for study at Carpigiani University in Italy. After that, only good news arose: participation and victory in the Gellato World Tour in Chicago in 2016 and third prize in the world in 2017 for the flavor “Amor-Acuyá,” a combination of chocolate,
passion fruit and the love the Lince Ledesma family has put in everything they do.
Today, from the headquarters of Pizzas & Lasagna, they appreciate not having left Ayacucho and are surprised to see the improvement in mobility, the sense of belonging of the people and of course, the increase in customers who visit their restaurant daily, thanks to its main course menu or for the dessert that has already achieved global recognition by chefs and ice cream makers alike.
Buen Comienzo to grow-up
Another one of the neighborhoods of the capital of Antioquia which was developed primarily with displaced population during the mid-sixties and seventies was Carpinelo, in the Comuna 1 Popular, near the edge of the mountains in the northeast.
Inhabitants began building houses made of wood and zinc roofs. Violent dynamics converged over the years, which brought government attention.
In 2013, with policy for attention to early childhood in the city and the country, the fourteenth Jardín Infantil Buen Comienzo (Good Start Kindergarten) opened. It was a place for children to plant their first dreams, opportunities,
and memories.
Under the design and implementation of the EDU, 1,556 square meters of facilities were built, 598 m2 of public space, and 2,050 m2 of free and recreational area. It included equipment and elements for ten child classrooms, nurseries, rooms for lactating moms, two rooms for crawlers, a dining area, a kitchen, an administrative area and other required spaces.
Also, with the operation of Las Golondrinas Foundation and the support of the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare, ICBF, service is supported by 23 community mothers, eight licensed preschool education personnel and a social worker, a psychologist, a nutritionist, a mediator artist, a special educator and a professional nurse.
But in addition to infrastructure and support from professional and technical personnel, there’s an interdisciplinary education wager that seeks for the children to explore and learn about issues such as water, animals, the environment and regional cultures.
“This garden is a place of recognition and respect, built by the community, where children are protected, cared for and are trained in values,” explains Yeini Margarita Ensuncho Celis, pedagogical coordinator.
Another achievement of this educational center, according to social worker Camilo Henao Mejía, was to position the Mesa de la Primera Infancia (Early Childhood Bureau) of the Comuna 1, where about thirty people participate, among Buen Comienzo operators, community leaders, the library network, different secretariats from the Medellín Mayor’s Office, such as Government and Health, and parents. This Early Childhood Bureau works for social mobilization, exchange of knowledge and experiences to qualify work articulately and recognize children as subjects of rights, protagonists of the present and managers for a better future.
The economic dynamics of a city like Medellín stimulate the opening of new markets and the strengthening of relations with international actors. To do so, not only technological or legal tools are needed, also human talent capable of communicating in different languages, especially in English since it is the universal language of business and communications.
This need of bilingual professionals led to the enactment of Law 1651 in 2013. It modifies articles of Law 115 of 1994 seeking to develop communication skills of Colombian students in a language foreign
However, despite the different programs developed throughout the country, the Ministry of National Education estimates that by 2018, only 8% of high school students in the country would reach a B1 level in English as a foreign language.
This figure is added to the recent study of the English Proficiency Index (EF EPI), which evaluated the skills of more than 1 million people in 80 countries, among which Colombia ranked 51 with 49.97 points. The country also was ranked 11 among the 15 Latin American nations which struggle the most with bilingualism.
Although these figures can be daunting, they are an invitation to redesign the strategies for the adequate acquisition of English as a foreign language, as in the case of Medellín Bilingüe. It is a strategy of the Mayor’s Office to improve the learning of languages in the city in which several secretariats get involve through programs such as Semilla Bilingüe, Medellín City Camps, Medellín School Camps, Teacher Training, Con vos; Inglés al barrio (English to the neighborhood), The best T, Boarding Pass to Canada and Cine Club Film Control.
According to Lorena Cañaveral, coordinator and leader of Medellín Bilingüe, “Sometimes the language is the most important item in a resume and it is time to give the opportunity not only to people who have studied abroad or with a complete immersion in English from a private school, but to all citizens who need this tool to communicate in the academic and work environment. Likewise, labor relations are not the only field in which a language can be useful. Another advantage of being bilingual is that social relationships increase as new languages are learned. ”
In the same way, the Cañaveral assures that to learn to fall in love with another language, we must leave behind a traditional model and understand that through film, music, comics, jokes and even memes, we can practice a foreign language. This is a process in which the teaching work is fundamental to break stereotypes in the teaching-learning process.
Therefore, professional skills of local human talent can be strengthened through these actions, positively impacting the increase in employment rates with foreign companies that impact the quality of life of families in the value chain.
Technological innovation, a road to development
In addition to strengthening skills in a foreign language, organizations seek to access to creative human talent that can perform innovative technological developments and which respond appropriately to the needs of each of them.
Although Medellín has an excellent university education level, the arrival of companies dedicated to the provision of services and IT development has increased the need for people with specific training in those areas .According to Adriana Pérez, Organizational Innovation Professional at Ruta N, “the city is currently undertaking a digital transformation process of the economy, therefore all the institutions of the CT + i ecosystem are facing the global challenge of the shortage of IT talent. Ruta N is working on an “IT Talent Fund” along with Sura Asset Management to close gaps while strengthening the attraction of the Landing process. ”
Under the same perspective, John Jairo González, systems engineer graduated from the University of San Buenaventura says, “the city is experiencing an absence of systems engineers because students rather to migrate to other professions. They believe the time they invest in study is not reflected in the salary they receive. Although talent and academy do exist, many companies hire technicians and technologists due to salary and operational reason. They are able to carry out actions corresponding to certain needs, but, for a greater innovative development, university professionals are required for their academic training and work experience.”
Responding to this reality, the faculties of Systems Engineering the city has (around 15), continue to adapt their curricula to improve training and research system, overcoming the gap of the city in specific issues and creatively cover the needs of companies with international projection.
