EDUCATION
The Need
Only 10% of rural Nicaraguan students graduate high school. Here at Emprendedora, we aim to change this.
By implementing a learning-by-doing model at Emprendedora, students who graduate are career-ready and have applicable work experience. Simultaneously, this model for learning allows us to operate businesses that offset the costs of our high-quality education. Both the need for affordable quality education and preparedness for future work opportunities are met through this learn-by-doing method.
Additionally, the tuition rate at Emprendedora is intentionally kept low in order to allow students of all financial backgrounds within our community to attend our school.
Addressing Our Community’s Needs
OUR IMPACT
351
total graduates since 2016
67%
of graduates attended university
38%
of graduates held a
job or internship
following graduation
17%
from each segment
are doing both
Our Curriculum
At Emprendedora, we have a special focus on English. Students spend more than two times the state-required amount of hours of English to prepare them for the workforce. Students also learn technical skills such as Excel, PowerPoint, web design, and several other Microsoft tools. Additionally, Emprendedora has classes that teach Christian values which help students develop their faith. Some other specialized courses at Emprendedora include business courses which have business plan competitions that allow students to develop hard and soft skills. When students are upperclassmen, they receive internship experience, with seniors working 5 hours a week and juniors working 2 hours a week.
When students graduate from Emprendedora, they have obtained a high school diploma, a technical degree in sustainable tourism or sustainable agriculture, and certification for up to a B1 (intermediate) level of English. With their additional internship experience in their chosen career field, students leave fully prepared for the job market.
Tourism Track
In the tourism track, students learn five key aspects of hotel management: reception, kitchen, restaurant, housekeeping, and maintenance. Students also have the opportunity to intern with local hotels including Pacaya Lodge & Spa.
Agriculture Track
Students who partake in the agriculture track learn the entire process of running an agriculture-based business including specialized skills in planting, crop management, fertilization, irrigation systems, weeding, harvesting, packaging, and sales. At Emprendedora we have student-run farms which grow lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, red beans, turmeric, and yuca.
The Future of Our Community
At Emprendedora, our curriculum is designed to prepare the next generation for the workforce. We hope this will alleviate some of the financial challenges many families face in Nicaragua. Emprendedora is also designed to achieve substantial sustainability through the development of our own self-run small businesses which generate income to fund the school. It is our hope that this self-sustaining motor will help power other education efforts in rural Nicaragua.
Students leave Emprendedora fully prepared to enter the workforce in the two most promising industries in the country: agriculture and tourism. But regardless of career selection, students have the skills and knowledge to start their own businesses, utilize English proficiency for higher income opportunities, or continue their education at the University level.
We hope that by creating a generation of future community leaders and changemakers, our students will return back to their hometowns to use their knowledge and skills from Emprendedora to better the lives of their entire communities.
