At the Universidad Industrial de Santander, Socorro Campus, began the development of the Training and Validation workshops in Colombia as part of the consolidation of the Sustainable Rural Education Strategy project, SUREST, an initiative supported by the European Union through the Erasmus+ call.
Julio Alfonso Martínez Molina, coordinator of the UIS Socorro Campus, highlighted the importance of this meeting that aims to review the progress in the different components of the project, both at the academic and administrative level: “we are happy because it is a meeting with the partners that are part of this project, which allows us to strengthen our capabilities and share knowledge that will be key in the formation of communities in different regions,” said Martínez Molina.
The SUREST project, which began in December 2023 and will run for three years, seeks to develop free training programs in sustainable tourism and tourism entrepreneurship. In the case of the Socorro Campus, training will focus on areas such as technologies applied to tourism, rural and community-based tourism, and sustainable tourism. These initiatives will benefit communities in Barrancabermeja, Malaga, Barbosa and Socorro, promoting local development based on knowledge and innovation.
In addition, as part of the results of the project, the UIS Socorro Campus will have a laboratory for innovation in sustainable tourism at the Bicentennial Campus, a space designed to foster dialogue and knowledge transfer in this area.
Laura Gabriela Obando, director of the SUREST project and representative of the National University of Costa Rica, highlighted the relevance of the workshop as a key space for the validation of modules, curricula and employability strategies: “this workshop allows us to review progress, adjust strategies and consolidate the creation of Integration Centers, Hubs, spaces that will facilitate the articulation between academia, the productive sector and local administrations”.
The meeting, which will last until next Saturday, March 1, brings together experts and representatives of various institutions, with the purpose of strengthening higher education and contributing to the sustainable development of Santander.
