USC to work with US uni to help small businesses

CEBU, Philippines - Through the help of a family-run foundation in Cebu City, two Catholic institutions - local and international universities - have collaborated in discussing plans to facilitate the development of small-scale businesses in Cebu.

A delegation from California-based Santa Clara University (SCU) visited Cebu City yesterday to meet with the administration of the University of San Carlos (USC), through the School of Business and Economics, to explore possible areas of academic collaboration, particularly on entrepreneurship.

The meeting was made possible through the initiative of Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI), which has earlier established linkages with the international university, seeking to extend the partnership not just to the private sector but also to the academe.

The collaborative meeting focused on crafting and creating actions in making entrepreneurship plans to help poor entrepreneurs and small business owners to expand their businesses, and in order to help others through reaching out to the community especially in the marginalized sectors.

The collaboration aims to produce plans and studies through USC's School of Business and Economics. Trainings on topics such as business planning and entrepreneurship will be done by SCU's Miller Center with the help of RAFI with their micro-financing services, said USC University President Fr. Dionisio Miranda, SVD.

SCU's Miller Center on social entrepreneurship is a training center that focuses not just on the training aspect but also on actual application. The center has been creating a network around the world and has been working on the ground to alleviate poverty, said SCU President Fr. Michael Engh, SJ.

Jeff Miller, the founder of Miller Center, said that the training that they have been teaching really involves social entrepreneurship which covers the development, funding and implementation of solutions to social, cultural, or environmental issues.

RAFI Vice President Jon Ramon Aboitiz also added that the Hapinoy Sari-Sari Store Program was one of the projects that the Miller Center has helped realize.

As for USC academe, they said that they have to do studies and researches before coming up with a plan, said Dr. Challoner Matero, Dean of the School of Business and Economics.

He said that once they have completed the study, they will conduct community extension and implement projects on the ground.

Matero said that the partnership with SCU is also a great opportunity for them to learn best practices in entrepreneurship at an international scale.

"Hopefully by the training that we have undertaken and with the collaborations that we have made we could also hopefully lessen the poverty here," said Matero. (FREEMAN)