Corporate Academia

Corporate Academia aims to operate semi-presence undergraduate courses in big companies sites using distance learning platforms. It reduces costs of training, recruitment and also optimizes already existing CSR grants, and cross-subsides poor students. I believe we can create thousands of new vacancies in education in metropolitan areas of Latin America.

Education is not at pace with innovation. So it is useless to open new schools if new skills are within companies, not schools. The quality of higher education is hindered by:

- Lack of connection between teachers and market.

- Innovation is much faster than research, so education will have a delay in relation to companies’ needs.

- Education is expensive in infrastructure. 

- One of the main factors that make it difficult to poor students to access good job opportunities is the lack of good networks.

In Sao Paulo, big companies pay around USD 500 for its interns and the interns pays from USD 200 to USD 300 in tuition fees, studying mostly during night and taking 3h-5h/ day in commuting. This model may cost USD 200 - USD 400 per student that may be paid by the company or partly by the student. It may cross-subside poor students. It is a faster way to expand education infrastructure, and put it at pace with innovation. And for the students it is better to pay a tuition for a strong company flag than for an unknown school.

Poor and low midlle class undergraduate students from metropolitan area in Latin America. The program will be announced in public schools that work for target students.

Graduation rate among students. - 20,000 underprivileged students get acces to quality education.

Former Students Career Tracking - 10,000 underprivileged students get acces to high paying job

The uniqueness of this solution is a new approach for education in business and administration and engineering the reconnect education to business.  Many innovation aims to scale up existing education models but not solve the problem of education itself and this model believes that for that companies and schools must be integrated. It is not mandatory that is in the same site, but using spare infrastructure may reduce costs and save time from traffic which is a reality of most of Latin American students, with gains to the company. 

The focus of the solution is the students and not the technology. It aims to put students close to the technology where it is developed, so it increases its chance of learning what matters for their future. They will interact with technology according to companies’ needs, that are related to their own professional success.

The program will be announced in public schools of the target students and low middle class students and CSR grants may subside poor students. 

Currently I work as a professor and I could manage to sustain myself working part time as a professor or using part of the grant for this purpose.

The main factor that may hinder success is that it depends a lot on negotiation for a first pilot, later on it is self sustaining as it is a cheaper and more effective way of education in business and engineering. 

I believe education is one of the most wonderful ways of human relation, and I realize myself in it. I also believe this the best way to enhance human capabilities to fight for poverty reduction and get a better world for all of us. And I think the education most of all receive is completely disconnected from reality, wasting youth resources that could bring brilliant solutions to companies and society in general. I found in SOLVE an opportunity to join forces to make a better education and a better world.

Strong Educacional, a Brazilian school that I believed showed interest in this project.

As far as I know I don't have direct competitors.