Six college students and an accompanying university official from the nation of Colombia visited Fox Valley Technical College through its Global Education and Services department and Venture Center to learn about small business development.

The weeklong immersion was supported by the 100,000 Strong in the Americas initiative designed to build a stronger global workforce, enhance competitiveness, and improve economic growth and development in the Western Hemisphere.

The program aims to increase student mobility to 100,000 learners between the United States and the rest of the Americas by 2020. The international students at FVTC engaged in several lectures and hands-on activities, including work in the college’s Fab Lab, attending a weekly 1 Million Cups entrepreneur networking session, and tours of area companies representing the retail and business sectors, in addition to a seafood market experience in Milwaukee. Many of the students have interests in food service and production in Colombia, so their visit to FVTC was customized to provide related learning resources and events.

The Venture Center is FVTC’s community-based and workplace small business development and entrepreneur training hub.