The Employability and Entrepreneurship Plan (E&E) was created in response to a need of students at the university: uncertainty about their future employment. In response, the School of Engineering of the Universidad de los Andes initiated a pilot plan together with the Career Path Center (CTP), which seeks to accompany its students so that they know their strengths and interests and prepare themselves for professional life from very early in their careers.
The purpose of the plan is to accompany students in the construction of a professional life portfolio, which will allow them to differentiate themselves through a close exploration of five 
professional fields in which they will be able to work once they graduate: business, social, academic and research, public and entrepreneurship. "Building a professional future is a process, not a moment. The decision to choose a field and a professional profile is as important as the decision to choose an undergraduate career. If we want our graduates to be as successful as our students, we must offer them diverse spaces in which they can get to know themselves very well, get to know the environment and its needs, align their personal interests with these needs, reinforce their skills, listen to the experiences of graduates and build a network of contacts," said Marcela Hernández, Vice-Dean of Student Affairs of the School of Engineering.
The E&E Plan consists of an integrated offer of spaces related to job search, working life, entrepreneurship, career management and the construction of networks of contacts or allies in the public, private and social sectors (third sector), with an emphasis on the network of uniandinos graduates. It is proposed that students be an active actor in this process and co-create strategies and activities that respond to their concerns and needs.
When does the E&E Plan start?
With a good coffee, like all the best things. If you are an undergraduate student, we invite you to schedule yourself from Monday, September 19, 2022 to claim from 7:00 a.m. in the Street of Knowledge of the ML Building a delicious combo of Senecafé with croissant, courtesy of the E&E Plan. Don't miss that same day, on the 5th floor of the ML Building, the intervention of the Calisthenics group to liven up your reflections.
On Tuesday, September 20, the agenda continues with free crispetas and a musical showcase.
The key day is Wednesday, September 21. First, you will be able to participate in interactive spaces in the ML Street of Knowledge. There you can write your own future on the Mural of Dreams. Later, at 12:30 p.m. in room ML 606, four outstanding alumni of the University will join us in the first session of Crack Talks, a TedTalk-like format between alumni and students where they can share their experiences as entrepreneurs, social leaders, researchers and public officials. Each guest will share his or her lessons learned and failures to understand why this path has led them to become better professionals. Register here for the activity.
Don't miss the testimonials of:
- Nicolás Contreras Villegas:
Electronic and industrial engineer, software architect, entrepreneur and activist. Dedicated to creating digital products that deliver economic, decision-making and political power to citizens. He is CEO of Vaki, founder of PappCorn, leader of Neocracia and the web development community Angular Bogotá.
- Daniel Rodríguez:
Business Administrator from Universidad de los Andes, Master in Creative Advertising from Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. He has worked in different advertising agencies of the Sancho BBDO group such as Sistole (now Latir) and Proximity, and is currently CEO of the Amazóniko foundation.
- María Carolina Quintero Escobar:
Biologist with a master's degree in Applied Mathematics and a PhD in Engineering. She has professional experience in university teaching and research in applied mathematics to solve specific problems in Biology and Medicine. In parallel, she has worked as a research advisor in public and private entities in the educational sector, in which she has served as a mediator in the search for organizational strategies that contribute to the development of human values within the context of research, innovation and technological development. She currently works at the Faculty of Engineering as a doctoral coordinator for the Vice-Deanship of Research and Innovation.
- Julián Triana:
Lawyer and Master's student in Interdisciplinary Development Studies at Universidad de los Andes. Champion of debate tournaments in the United States, Peru, Bolivia and Colombia. Winner of the "Youth Leadership Award 2019" given by the Academy of Political Arts and Sciences of Washington D.C. that recognizes the young promises of Ibero-American politics. He is an activist and creator of content in social networks where he reflects on politics for all audiences. He currently serves as mayor of the town of Fontibón.
Finally, to culminate with the launching activities of the E&E Plan and within the framework of Uniandes' Paiz Day, on October 13, a conversation "Let's put the chip on the country" was organized, where 4 renowned guests from the public sector will talk with Paca Zuleta, Dean of the School of Government of the Universidad de los Andes.
Learn more about the E&E Plan Cycles
The E&E Plan is divided into 5 cycles. In the first, called "Reflecting", students will be offered a set of self-knowledge workshops to discover who they are and where they would like to go in order to align their personal interests with their professional future.
In the second cycle, called "Exploring", a life design workshop and several meetings with recruiters and entrepreneurs will be offered so that our students can explore or learn about the different professional fields in which they could work in the future.
In the third cycle, called "Preparing", a set of tools will be delivered to students to help them prepare for their professional life, such as practical sessions on value proposition, resume, interview presentation, as well as workshops with entrepreneurs to learn how to build business models, minimum viable products, etc.
The fourth cycle, or "Connecting", is aimed at connecting them with the working world. Here we organize meetings with recent graduates to tell them about their experiences, good and bad, we do a workshop on resilience to learn from failure, take risks and persevere. And we offer various networking opportunities between graduates* and graduates.
Finally, in the fifth and last cycle, called "Hands to Work", students will be able to put into practice everything they have learned in the previous cycles. Here you will find the different degree options, academic internships, challenges in courses in alliances with organizations, as well as the employment exchange.
For more information about the E&E plan, please contact us at vice-estudiantesing@uniandes.edu.co.
