Colombian Students to Receive Culinary and Hospitality Training at Miami Dade College Thanks to 100,000 Strong in the Americas Initiative Award

Miami, May 23, 2016 – Students from Colombia will visit Miami Dade College (MDC) May 20-27 to receive culinary and hospitality training as part of President Barack Obama’s 100,000 Strong in the Americas Initiative grant, which is designed to foster region-wide prosperity through greater international exchange of students in the Western Hemisphere.

The grant is in partnership with the Partners of the Americas, the U.S. Department of State and NAFSA: Association of International Educators.  The goal of the grant is to increase the number of U.S. students studying in Latin America and the number of Latin American students studying in the U.S. to 100,000 each by the year 2020.  The grant will assist MDC in collaborating with Centro de Comercio y Turismo, in Armenia, Colombia, to create a faculty-led study-abroad exchange program.

Students from the culinary and hospitality programs at both institutions will be trained for one week in Colombia and one week in Miami.  In April, MDC students visited the National Coffee Park and the nearby towns of Salento and Finlandia in Colombia.   MDC students also learned ancestral cooking techniques and various lodging models.

While visiting Miami, in addition to the academic components, students from Colombia will participate in a five star dining experience, visit the Schnebly Winery, local hotels and restaurants. Students will also attend courses at Miami Culinary Institute where they will learn about organic and modern cooking techniques, craft of brewing and distilling, cultural tourism, and trends in hospitality management.

In addition, students will participate in an entrepreneurship workshop with the Idea Center at MDC where they will learn how to develop a business plan, seek funding, obtain licenses, and conduct a marketing campaign. They will also participate in a brainstorming session to develop an idea for a joint Miami-Colombian business venture in the hospitality industry. The workshop will be broadcast to additional students in Colombia via an interactive webinar.