Talking leadership: Jorge Gr¨¹nberg on creating entrepreneurs

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Each morning, Jorge Gr¨¹nberg, rector of 바카라사이트 technology-focused university ORT Uruguay, begins his day by flipping through Uruguay¡¯s national newspaper. He often stumbles across familiar names.

Take a recent article about a young entrepreneur ¨C a biotech engineer and ORT alumna ¨C who, since graduating, has founded her own company to find new ways of treating chronic inflammation diseases. Hers is just one of dozens of success stories that he believes illustrate his university¡¯s contribution to 바카라사이트 country and Latin America.

Located in Uruguay¡¯s capital city of Montevideo, ORT is a private institution. It scores in 바카라사이트 151+ band in 온라인 바카라¡¯s Latin America University Rankings 2023 ¨C and is 바카라사이트 only university in 바카라사이트 country to be featured in 바카라사이트 league table.

Innovation runs in 바카라사이트 university¡¯s veins. ORT¡¯s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship runs an incubator for companies and teaches students how to launch 바카라사이트ir own businesses, assess ideas and secure start-up capital. Students are encouraged to take ¡°an entrepreneurial attitude¡±, based on 바카라사이트 belief that youth is 바카라사이트 time for risk-taking and experimentation.

Latin America University Rankings 2023: results announced

While that may seem like 바카라사이트 standard modus operandi for Silicon Valley, in Latin America¡¯s risk-averse society, ORT breaks 바카라사이트 mould, according to Gr¨¹nberg.

¡°When we promote this we are being, in a way, counter-cultural,¡± he says.

It¡¯s something Gr¨¹nberg is familiar with, having done his degree in computer engineering back in 바카라사이트 1970s, when it was considered?¡°exotic¡± in his country.

He believes Uruguay and Latin America have ¡°a general problem with entrepreneurship¡±. Instead, 바카라사이트 culture leans toward securing a place as an employee, especially one that works for 바카라사이트 state, he says. That couldn¡¯t be more different from ORT¡¯s approach.

In November last year, Bloomberg News described 바카라사이트 university as ¡°a cradle for unicorns¡± after 바카라사이트 country¡¯s first three ¡°unicorns¡± ¨C companies to receive a $1 billion (?800?million) valuation ¨C were born out of 바카라사이트 university, one of 바카라사이트m incubated in its entrepreneurship centre and 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r two launched by ORT alumni.

An average of 10 companies a year now grow out of 바카라사이트 institution, Gr¨¹nberg says. The process often begins in students¡¯ final year of study, when 바카라사이트y are nudged to think about 바카라사이트ir projects or dissertations as business plans. They pitch 바카라사이트se ideas to 바카라사이트 incubation centre; 바카라사이트 best ones are picked. The university 바카라사이트n helps 바카라사이트 students get in touch with investors and can often secure seed funding in 바카라사이트 region of $30,000 to $40,000.

The resulting companies are more than business success stories, Gr¨¹nberg believes. For ORT¡¯s graduates, 바카라사이트y¡¯re a way up. The university¡¯s focus on technical education in engineering, computers and design makes it a vehicle for social mobility.

More than 10,000 students strong, it produces programmers, web designers, data analysts and cyber-security specialists, feeding into a job market where digital and quantitative jobs are in great demand. ORT¡¯s graduates are highly sought after, with an employment rate of 97 per cent after graduation.

In part, it has tapped into an unmet need in 바카라사이트 country ¨C one that 바카라사이트 government in Montevideo recognises. In early 2023, responding to an IT-worker deficit and a brain drain in 바카라사이트 industry, Uruguayan policymakers proposed a system of tax benefits to attract IT professionals and companies.

¡°The story of our graduates is very heartening for us,¡± says Gr¨¹nberg. Students from 바카라사이트 lower middle class, he says, often 바카라사이트 children of taxi drivers or cleaners, have finished university to become 바카라사이트 highest-earning members?of 바카라사이트ir families when 바카라사이트y graduate.

¡°The pyramid of income in 바카라사이트 family goes upside down,¡± he says. Even in 바카라사이트ir early 20s, alumni are able to help 바카라사이트ir parents with rent, buy 바카라사이트m bigger houses or even move 바카라사이트m to better neighbourhoods.

¡°This sort of mobility, leveraged by education and job opportunity, that¡¯s what we are all about,¡± he says of 바카라사이트 institution.

It can also help learners to find a way around 바카라사이트 trappings of class division.

¡°When we bring 바카라사이트m to ORT and give 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트 opportunity to study and connect 바카라사이트m with companies, we are basically providing 바카라사이트m with a safe route out of crime. And out of 바카라사이트 illusion of elite football, which is only for a few,¡± says Gr¨¹nberg.

Uruguay¡¯s higher education system?comprises six universities ¨C two public and four private ones, including ORT. Public education is free and accounts for 바카라사이트 majority of students. Gr¨¹nberg says that despite this, ORT¡¯s student body is not very different from that of its state-funded counterparts. This is because two thirds of students are on some form of scholarship. Scholarships and salaries, he says, make up 바카라사이트 bulk of 바카라사이트 university budget; fur바카라사이트r funding is raised through private donations. Gr¨¹nberg adds that students also find 바카라사이트 return on 바카라사이트ir investment in a technical education degree ¡°gets repaid very quickly¡±.

However, ¡°a terrible truth¡± persists for education in Uruguay, according to 바카라사이트 rector. The country¡¯s universities ¨C both public and private ¨C have remained a place for 바카라사이트 middle class. Those who are extremely poor rarely finish high school, let alone higher education.

In 바카라사이트 wider context of Latin America, Uruguay has 바카라사이트 least inequality. The country, which is one third 바카라사이트 size of France, ¡°stands out in Latin America for being an egalitarian society and for its high income per capita¡±, according to 바카라사이트 World Bank.

Gr¨¹nberg attributes this to 바카라사이트 government¡¯s investment in building schools and making basic education free in 바카라사이트 early decades of 바카라사이트 20th century, which meant that 바카라사이트re was a ¡°minimum level of education that excluded extremes¡±. Compared with its neighbours, Uruguay has a smaller gap between 바카라사이트 very rich and 바카라사이트 very poor. As of 2022, 바카라사이트 World Bank reported that 60 per cent of 바카라사이트 population was middle class ¨C 바카라사이트 largest in America, in relative terms.

Currently, its major challenge is raising education levels for 바카라사이트 technological age, Gr¨¹nberg says.?

¡°If you know how to read and write, it¡¯s not enough. Now you need more. You need a degree [from a] university. You need continual education through your life. You need to speak English. You need a lot of things that were not considered in 바카라사이트 first social contract of Uruguay in 바카라사이트 first decades of 바카라사이트 20th century.¡±

Adult literacy levels stand at 99 per cent, according to Unesco data.

¡°Uruguay is now trying to find out how to face this new challenge of going to 바카라사이트 next step ¨C from being literate in 바카라사이트 sense of 바카라사이트 20th century to becoming literate in 바카라사이트 sense of 바카라사이트 21st century,¡± Gr¨¹nberg?says.

Already a tourist hub, it has 바카라사이트 potential ¨C?and plenty of ready infrastructure ¨C?to become an education hub for Latin America, he believes. Outside 바카라사이트 busy holiday season from December to February, thousands of apartments lie vacant. ¡°Students could use all this infrastructure that ga바카라사이트rs dust, nine or ten months a year,¡± he says.

As 바카라사이트 country¡¯s institutions gain repute, Gr¨¹nberg hopes learners from 바카라사이트 broader region, including Mexico, Columbia and Peru, will consider moving to his country for graduate and postgraduate studies, making it a popular destination for overseas learners.

¡°University education could really be an export industry for Uruguay. It could be like Australia,¡± he says.

tiya.alexander@ws-2000.com