With the goal of highlighting women’s leadership in sectors such as art, research, economics, sports, culture, business, and more, the Instituto de Proyección Regional y Educación a Distancia, IPRED UIS, held the 19th edition of its institutional event.
“We wanted to create a link with the university’s gender equity policy and bring this topic to our community to reflect on the gaps that women face in the labor market. We wanted to connect this with the entrepreneurial experiences of our students,” explained Professor Margarita Rodríguez Villabona, Coordinator of Tecnología Empresarial y Gestión Empresarial at IPRED UIS.
Students and professors from different programs and campuses gathered both in person and virtually for the academic session of the Entrepreneurs event, which will continue in June with another academic and scientific session.
The Bucaramanga Chamber of Commerce joined the event’s program by offering the lecture: *“Women in the Economy of Santander,” delivered by UIS alumnus in Economía and the Maestría en Economía y Desarrollo UIS, Ismael Estrada Cañas, Director of the Business Information Center. He praised the focus of this edition of the institutional event.
“We are very happy and proud to have had the opportunity to participate. We thank the Universidad Industrial de Santander and IPRED for giving us the opportunity to present some figures that highlight the barriers women face in accessing the labor market and the weaknesses in female entrepreneurship—particularly with regard to credit access and other issues. It was also important to show what is being done and how those gaps are being closed in the department, as this could result in up to a 35% increase in the regional GDP. For the Bucaramanga Chamber of Commerce, closing gender gaps is imperative, because we understand that this means growing the economy,” said Estrada Cañas.
The event concluded with the forum *“Voices of Women: Stories of Leadership and Transformation,” through which the Instituto de Proyección Regional y Educación a Distancia, IPRED UIS, created a space to inspire new forms of leadership rooted in equity and inclusion by encouraging reflection on the challenges faced by women.
“It was truly a great opportunity and a big motivation because of everything we’ve learned, and it also showed us how we can go even further in improving our skills,” said Yineth Catherine Álvarez Velandia, a fourth-semester student in the programa de Gestión Empresarial, IPRED UIS.
