The cooperation agreement signed between Fundación Imagen de Chile and the higher education sector brand Learn Chile will seek to coordinate, agree, align and promote positioning actions that increase the impact of the Chile brand  in foreign markets.

Education is an important builder of the country’s image, especially considering that more than 28,000 foreign students choose Chile annually to improve their education, due to a diverse and reliable offer, which is favored by the economic and political stability that Chile possesses, which surprises to those who visit it for the first time.

That is why Learn Chile, the first and only network for the promotion of Chilean higher education abroad, joined the mission of Imagen de Chile in terms of publicizing the advantages that the nation has in the field of higher education.

Myriam Gómez, Executive Director of Imagen de Chile, highlighted the agreement and commented that “the alliance that we make today is a great step forward to reinforce a key area for national visibility: to constitute a benchmark of quality for students from all over the world. According to our analysis, the quality of our education is within the sectors highlighted by the Latin American public opinion and we know that only through collaboration can we continue to instill outside our borders that we are a place where the exceptional becomes an opportunity, a place that is in search of solutions to the global challenges of the present and future”.

The joint work between both entities will meet its next milestone during the seminar of the Learn Chile brand in Quito, Ecuador, on April 20 and 21 and, with the participation of a delegation of 13 Chilean higher education institutions, who will also announce the various continuing education programs for foreigners at a Postgraduate Expo for Ecuadorian students and professionals.

Marcos Avilez Aros, director of Learn Chile, said that “this agreement makes it possible to jointly develop more and better tools and information that consolidate the work that both institutions do in the positioning of our country abroad. It also coincides with the fulfillment of the 5 years of our brand and the closeness to the application to the fourth stage of the Learn Chile project with ProChile, for which we are attentive to the possibilities that this agreement will open.”

The ceremony was also attended by representatives of Universidad Central de Chile, Duoc UC, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Universidad del Desarrollo, Universidad Bernardo O’Higgins, INACAP, Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación, Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso and ProChile.

In order to participate in the course “Multidisciplinary Analysis of National and Neighborhood Conflicts in Contemporary Chile”, which is carried out by the Bernardo O’Higgins University, ten students from Belgium and France arrived at UBO.

The course developed by the Center for Political, Cultural and Social Studies of Latin America (EPOCAL), includes, in addition to the classes, visits to historical places in Chile. This time, the students went to Valparaíso with the aim of having a sociocultural experience based on the history of the port city and knowing part of this World Heritage Site.

On the tour, the youth who visit Chile for the first time had the chance to visit one of the houses of the poet Pablo Neruda, La Sebastiana, located on Cerro Florida. In addition, during the day they made a city tour that began in Plaza Sotomayor, in which they toured different points of the port.

The Belgian exchange student, Nathan Godts, in relation to his experience in the country and the university said he is very happy with his experience “because I have seen the city and I like it, people are very nice, teachers are very interesting and the university very organized. Latin America is different, people are very warm and we are learning a lot about Chile which is a country that we do not know very much”.

Meanwhile, the young Belgian Lily Vercruysse, said that “I had never been outside Europe before, but coming to Latin America, even if it’s a long trip, I think it’s a good experience. We spent a lot of time in the city and have known Santiago very well. During the weekend we can go out and take a little trip. I think it’s a good way to learn and visit a country.”

This international course is designed especially for students who come from abroad and is offered in English, French and Spanish. Many of them chose Chile as a destination because of references from classmates and teachers who lived the experience.

The program was designed to allow to understand the challenges posed by a world in constant change and for the student to understand the traditional and emerging conflicts faced by Chile and Latin America.

To encourage the internationalization of students who come to study at the Bernardo O’Higgins University (UBO) and reciprocally enhance the mobility of academics and researchers in the line of Political Science and joint research, are the objectives of the agreement signed with SciencesPo Strasbourg, France, dependent on the Université de Strasbourg.

The French house of studies is among the TOP 500 universities of the Shanghai Rankingand, and has been dedicated for five centuries to the training of professionals, emphasizing its wealth of research.

In the opinion of the Director of Inter-Institutional Relations of the UBO, Virginie Delalande, “this agreement will contribute to strengthen our process of Internationalization through the mobility of Sciences Po students who will come to make a year of exchange in our University; it will encourage the mobility of academics and researchers and, above all, strengthen the links of academic cooperation with the network of French political science institutes, which are recognized worldwide for their prestigious training”, she stressed.

In addition to the above, there is an opportunity to participate and develop different extension activities such as academic chairs and seminars between both institutiotns.

Via: UBO

These young students are the first representatives from the North American institution to attend the Spanish for Foreigners Program provided by the the Education Faculty of Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción.

“It is important for us to receive them. The exchange is an enriching experience, which is difficult to grasp when you are living it, and can only be taken in in hindsight. We hope your time here is advantageous for each of you and for our institution.” With these words UCSC’s Pro-Rector, Andres Varela, officially welcomed 11 students from Simpson College, who will course a semester at the University.

The young students from Iowa, USA, took part in the Spanish for Foreigners program provided by the University’s Education Faculty, and are the first representatives from that particular college to choose UCSC as their exchange destination. Once they arrived at Concepcion, the students where received by the Director of Institutional Relations, Steve Baeza, and by the Chief of Networks and Projects unit, Caitlin Jurgensen, as well as the families that will take them into their homes.

During their stay at UCSC, the group will be accompanied by Simpson College’s academic, Dr. Mark Bates, who will teach the subjects of History of the Intervention of the United States in Latin America and a course of Reflection. Both courses will be open to USCS students who are interested in participating.

“As a mentor, I hope the students improve their ability to express themselves when speaking and writing in Spanish, and start to understand what it is to look at a new culture, understanding it without judgement. In our College we use a method of cultural analysis in out classes, which will be applied by the students during their experience in Chile. My wish is that when our students finish the program, they can develop abilities that allow them to travel while feeling integrated in any place in Latin America”, stated Bates.

Via: UCSC