The 2012 US-Brazil Connect Fellows have been selected and are excited to begin working with 200 students from Salvador, Bahia! Included in the photo are US-Brazil Connect Fellows from Red Rocks Community College, members of the board, and friends of US-Brazil Connect.
US-BRAZIL CONNECT Presents at the American Association of Community Colleges Convention
On April 22nd, US-Brazil Connect President, Mary Gershwin, together with members of the Brazilian Council of International Directors of the Federal Technological Institutes, gave a presentation in Orlando addressing opportunities to leverage the power of the U.S.-Brazil relationship in supporting innovation in U.S. community colleges. Read More.
Brazil is now the sixth-largest economy in the world.
US-Brazil Connect, the National Industrial Apprenticeship Service of Brazil (SENAI), and Social Service for Industry of Brazil (SESI) are joining forces to develop a new workforce training initiative — the US-Brazil Partnership for Skills.
The Partnership:
- Creates opportunities for U.S. community college students interested in science and technology careers to participate in intensive study and immersion in Brazil;
- Improves the English skills of Brazilian technical students;
- Demonstrates real-world relevance of STEM-related studies in the the US and Brazil;
- Develops the foundation for mutually-beneficial cooperation between community colleges in the U.S. and SENAI/SESI schools in Brazil
Says Sergio Moreira, Deputy Director for Education and Technology at Brazil’s National Confederation of Industries (CNI):
We are creating a strong network of people and institutions for knowledge and culture. By bringing young people in both countries together to develop their skills and abilities, we aim to increase dialogue between our institutions.”
According to Moreira, the initiative is a win-win: “The two countries will benefit equally. Our aim is to reach all Brazilian states, starting with the participants in the basic and vocational education programs run by SESI and SENAI.”
Houston Community College (TX), Jackson Community College (MI), and Red Rocks Community College (CO), founding members of the US-Brazil Connect consortium, are now selecting the first group of outstanding community college students who will travel to Salvador, Brazil, for a four-week exchange in June 2012. This first cohort of U.S. participants will tutor Brazilian technical students in English and participate in an intensive program focused on sustainability, technology, and innovation. The program is designed to make international experience accessible: Selected community college students pay less than five percent of the total costs of the program.
Join us in unleashing the power of partnerships to bring communities in the U.S. and Brazil together for greater understanding, education, and economic opportunity!
