For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
April 21, 2001
Fact Sheet Inter-American E-Business Fellowship Program
"We will also sponsor the creation of a new Inter-American E-Business
Fellowship Program. This will give young professionals from
throughout the Americas the opportunity to learn about information
technology by spending time with U.S. companies. And it will
empower them with the skills and background to bring the benefits of
these technologies to their own societies."
President George W. Bush
April 21, 2001
The U.S. Department of Commerce is launching a training program for
Latin American and Caribbean information technology (IT) managers
called the E-Business Fellowship Program. This initiative
builds on President Bush's interest in expanding educational exchanges
that help develop human capital
in the Hemisphere and furthers Summit themes of creating prosperity
and realizing human potential. It also responds to the Free
Trade Area of the Americas' (FTAA) call to expand the benefits of
electronic commerce to the region.
The program will assist economic restructuring in Latin America and the
Caribbean by introducing business executives to U.S. methods of
innovation and management, and by creating a cadre of influential
executives who are predisposed to doing business with the United
States. It will also promote
Hemispheric economic integration, a common business culture, and
cutting edge business practices that will enhance the FTAA's
competitiveness in domestic and global markets.
Under the Inter-American E-Business Fellowship Program, business
professionals from industries throughout the hemisphere will be invited
to participate in a program with U.S. businesses. This 5-6
week training program would match Latin American and Caribbean business
professionals from a variety of industries with selected U.S.
firms. The focus would be on traditional manufacturing,
services, and high-tech sectors that use IT to improve efficiency and
productivity, and to increase their customer base, looking particularly
at supply chain management and the integration of IT in "backroom"
operations. The program will be launched this fall with a
pilot program involving 20 Inter-American information technology
managers. Numerous U.S. companies, including Caterpillar
Industries, Bell Helicopter Textron, and General Electric Company have
expressed interest in
participating in this program.
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