Diana Páez
Senior Director, Energy & Mobility
Dedicated EV parking spots with chargers at the Technology Hub in Ciudad Juárez.
By Diana Páez and Dana Gorodetsky
Less than a year ago, we hosted a delegation from Chihuahua, Mexico here at WDI’s offices at the University of Michigan. The group included leaders in economic development, policy, manufacturing, workforce development, technology and engineering. Each had the same concern: How to prepare their region — an important automotive hub in the country — for an electric mobility (e-mobility) future.
In the time since this visit, momentum has continued to build — globally and especially in North America — around e-mobility. The transport sector is responsible for approximately one quarter of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) globally, which brings serious consequences for climate change, according to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization. While the environmental benefits of EVs are still being debated, the industry shift toward electrification is clear. For countries with an established automotive manufacturing capability, shifting the industry toward producing EVs – while working to create the conditions for faster adoption — involves a significant cross-sector transformation.
At WDI, our mission is to provide economic decision makers with the tools of commercial success. And there’s no question that entering the EV market or transitioning products and services to serve EVs will require a robust toolkit.
As the mobility sector moves toward electrification, we are witnessing a shakeup in the relationship dynamics among traditional automotive players. Startups and tech companies are entering the market, dynamics between original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers are changing, and former competitors are forming strategic partnerships to keep up. The landscape is shifting, resulting in blurred boundaries among industries and a broader, more dynamic mobility ecosystem.This disruption brings challenges as well as opportunities.
Markets for electric vehicles (EVs) are expanding quickly. Globally, almost 20 million passenger EVs are on the road. Policymakers around the world are increasing government targets for phasing out sales of new internal combustion vehicles. Meanwhile, new commitments by automakers are regularly announced, confirming that the strategic direction of most is to embrace EV production over the next decade. The 2020s will be a crucial decade for EV technology and the maturation of its value chain.
Diana Páez with government and business representatives after the press conference announcing the project in Ciudad Juárez, in August 2022. (From left to right, sitting, Raúl Varela, Director of Institute for Innovation and Competitiveness, María Angélica Granados Trespalacios, Secretary of Innovation and Economic Development of Chihuahua (SIDE), Fernando Alba, Under Secretary for Mining, Energy and Industry, and Ulises Fernández, Under Secretary for Innovation and Economic Development. From left to right, standing, Sergio Mancinas, Director of INADET, Jaime Campos, Industry Director at SIDE, René Chavira, Executive Director, Desarrollo Económico del Estado de Chihuahua, and Guillermo Alvarez, Executive Director, Chihuahua Futura.
This is why we at WDI are excited to partner with the State of Chihuahua to develop a roadmap that not only points out the challenges on the horizon, but also considers how companies and communities can flourish as a result of the transition.
In our recent visit to Chihuahua, we connected with more than 30 leaders from business, academia, government, and interest groups involved in the automotive and mobility sectors who shared about their work. Building on their insights and our research, we will identify key assets that the state of Chihuahua can leverage as well as gaps and challenges that will need to be addressed to navigate the transition to e-mobility. We will analyze these inputs across three key enablers: policy framework, infrastructure and workforce.
In addition, drawing from our business knowledge and global industry perspective, we will identify the most viable opportunities for businesses and entrepreneurs in Chihuahua to compete in the e-mobility value chain. The outcome of this collaboration will be a roadmap with concrete recommendations for players in Chihuahua to capture those opportunities, and specific actions that can lead to a stronger local ecosystem to enable this shift.
While the roadmap will be developed with Chihuahua’s assets and goals in mind, our work will be useful for players in other low and middle-income countries who are ready to create their own forward-looking strategy to take advantage of this major transition.
Diana Páez
Senior Director, Energy & Mobility
Dana Gorodetsky
Program Manager, Energy
The William Davidson Institute (WDI) and the State of Chihuahua in Mexico will join together to research and develop a comprehensive strategic roadmap for the automotive manufacturing hub to transition to a competitive electric mobility ecosystem.
Nearly 184,000 people are employed in the automotive and transportation sector in the State of Chihuahua, according to a 2022 survey by INEGI, Mexico’s national statistics institute. Regional economic development leaders are preparing for the transition to electric mobility (e-Mobility) by developing a statewide strategy to increase its competitiveness and identify key capabilities needed to take advantage of current and future business opportunities in the rapidly changing sector.
In the partnership, WDI will collaborate closely with Chihuahua state government entities Secretaría de Innovación y Desarrollo Económico (SIDE) and Instituto de Innovación y Competitividad (I2C), to create a roadmap for the transition to e-Mobility.
Fernando Alba
“The objective of this collaboration is to establish a pathway on e-mobility to which we can align our actions and initiatives, developing and strengthening the skills of our citizens and promoting changes in the industry production processes. This roadmap will inform and support public policies that develop the supply chain in the state, while promoting competitiveness and efficient mobility,” said Fernando Alba, Undersecretary for Mining, Energy, and Industry, for the State of Chihuahua.
“By orchestrating agendas of smart specialization, we seek to ensure the positioning of Chihuahua as the eState of Mexico, through effective public policies and a favorable environment that guarantees economic transformation of our region, thanks to more competitive companies, participating in more profitable and future-oriented businesses,” said María Angélica Granados Trespalacios, Secretary of Innovation and Economic Development for Chihuahua.
The roadmap will explore many issues, including the key elements of the emerging e-mobility ecosystem, the players necessary to make it possible, and the most effective strategies and actions to prepare for the e-Mobility transition.
“This project will dig into many of the most relevant questions and issues that the e-mobility transition involves for players operating in this space, particularly in low and middle-income countries,” said Diana Páez, Senior Director and mobility lead at WDI. “With the answers to these questions, we will work with Chihuahua to develop a strong ecosystem that builds on their assets and strengths and helps position the state as an e-mobility leader.”
Electric vehicles (EVs) represented just 4.1% of total new vehicle sales worldwide in 2020. However, that figure doubled to nearly 9% (6.6 million vehicles) in 2021, according to the International Energy Agency. Nearly all automakers are introducing new EVs, investing heavily in R&D for electric powertrains and batteries, and several have announced plans to phase out internal combustion engine vehicles. The coming transition has created uncertainty for many companies, municipalities and workforces that depend upon the automotive industry.
“WDI’s focus will be on identifying emerging business opportunities that play to Chihuahua’s capabilities in this sector and recommending areas that the state can target for high-impact interventions. In the current mobility environment, the moves leaders make now will decide whether they win or lose tomorrow. We are delighted to see Chihuahua’s commitment to this goal and excited to partner on this project,” Páez added.
Diana Páez
In October of 2021, WDI hosted a delegation from the State of Chihuahua that included representatives from SIDE, the Artificial Intelligence Center, National Polytechnic Institute, Technology Hub, Technology Development Institute, and the Technical Institute of Juárez. Representatives from Dell and Microsoft were also in attendance. The group participated in a weeklong learning and exchange program that included stops and meetings at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, SPARK, the Center for Automotive Research, the University Research Corridor, the Michigan Economic Center, and the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification in Detroit, among other mobility players.
WDI works with energy and mobility innovators and entrepreneurs in low- and middle-income countries to develop and scale profitable business models. This includes designing commercialization strategies and generating knowledge and tools that help companies navigate the energy transition and take advantage of emerging opportunities. The Institute partners with University of Michigan faculty, students, and global experts working at the frontiers of solar, wind and other renewable energy solutions. In the mobility space, WDI also leverages the state of Michigan’s rich automotive heritage and vibrant mobility ecosystem to help partners navigate the industry’s ongoing transformation and take advantage of new business opportunities.
About WDI
At the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan, unlocking the power of business to provide lasting economic and social prosperity in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is in our DNA. We gather the data, develop new models, test concepts and collaborate with partners to find real solutions that lead to new opportunities. This is what we mean by Solving for Business—our calling since the Institute was first founded as an independent nonprofit educational organization in 1992. We believe societies that empower individuals with the tools and skills to excel in business, in turn generate both economic growth and social freedom—or the agency necessary for people to thrive.
About SIDE
SIDE fosters and facilitates the economic development of Chihuahua, in coordination with economic actors, increasing the competitiveness of businesses through innovation, to generate wealth and employment, and enhance the quality of life for the people of Chihuahua.
About I2C
I2C is a government agency of the State of Chihuahua that seeks to strengthen and promote scientific, technological and innovation capacities, through strategic research, technological development, and innovation (R&D&i) projects and programs that provide solutions and improve productivity and competitiveness of the productive, social, public, and academic sectors of the State of Chihuahua.
WDI worked with the Secretaría de Innovación y Desarrollo Económico (SIDE) and Instituto de Innovación y Competitividad (I2C) of the State of Chihuahua in Mexico to prepare for the transition to electric mobility (e-mobility) in the automotive industry. Through this project, WDI helped Chihuahua develop a statewide strategy to increase its competitiveness and tap into current and future business opportunities in this changing sector. This work included conducting a global e-mobility ecosystem mapping, assessing Chihuahua’s strengths and identifying gaps and opportunities, and developing a roadmap to e-mobility with actionable recommendations for the state’s e-mobility strategy. Two key project outputs include the report “Mapping the E-Mobility Transition: Opportunities and Enablers” and the Roadmap to E-mobility for the State of Chihuahua.
WDI provided due diligence advisory services to the North American Development Bank (NADB) for the potential financing of the construction and operation of a private hospital in San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora, Mexico. This work is helping the NADB assess its first ever financing of a healthcare project. WDI delivered a report to the NADB with findings to assist them in making an informed decision on the opportunities and risks of providing finance. The report summarized WDI’s analysis of various aspects of the business, including operations, management, cost structure, financial projections, risk management, and positioning within the market.
WDI’s Healthcare Delivery sector is offering an online program to equip management executives of private hospitals, clinics, and healthcare delivery enterprises in low- and middle-income countries with the skills to improve efficiency through better processes, and to allocate costs more accurately for better strategic and pricing decisions. The program includes modules on Process Analysis and Optimization, Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing, and Healthcare Supply Chain. Modules on Cost Management and Control, and Due Diligence are in development. The program consists of online, asynchronous training for each of the two modules; synchronous remote class sessions via Zoom; and a team-based action learning project based on a real business challenge at the participating institutions. To date, six hospitals from Mexico, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, and Pakistan have participated in the courses. They are: Nyaho Medical Center, Ghana; Grupo OSME, Mexico; Evercare Hospital Lekki, Nigeria; AfyA Care, Nigeria; Avenue Healthcare, Kenya; and Evercare Hospital Lahore, Pakistan.
On Nov. 5, 2021, the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan and the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, in collaboration with the US-Mexico Foundation (USMF), will host a virtual roundtable to discuss further integration within the auto industry in the U.S. and Mexico. The event will bring together accomplished diplomats, industry leaders and academia to share their perspectives on trends and opportunities for players in both countries.
For decades, the U.S.-Mexico automotive supply chain has been deeply unified, collectively manufacturing around 20 percent of the world’s passenger cars and commercial vehicles. At the same time, the automotive sector is undergoing a profound transformation, fueled by technological innovations, sustainability efforts and supply chain concerns.
During the virtual roundtable, two interrelated, consecutive panel discussions will focus on these shifts and how both sides of the border can leverage them in the context of an enhanced U.S.–Mexico partnership.
“At this time of great change in the automotive sector, further integration between businesses in the U.S. and Mexico can increase competitiveness for both economies,” said Paul Clyde, president, William Davidson Institute, and professor of business administration, University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. “As part of WDI’s mission to help formulate the tools for commercial success in low- and middle-income countries, we’re delighted to work with the Ross School of Business and USMF to facilitate this important dialogue.”
The panelists taking part in the event include:
Francine Lafontaine, interim dean, Michigan Ross School of Business, and Diana E. Páez, senior director, grants & partnerships, grants management, WDI, will serve as moderators.
The “A Vision for a Stronger U.S.-Mexico Partnership: Emerging Opportunities in the Automotive Industry” virtual roundtable is free and open to the public. Register for the Nov. 5 event here or by visiting the WDI homepage at wdi.umich.edu.
Established at the University of Michigan in 1992, the William Davidson Institute (WDI) is an independent, non-profit research and educational organization. WDI is guided by our founding principle that thriving businesses drive economic development and improve social welfare in low- and middle-income countries. Our work focuses on developing, adapting and applying sound business principles in four interrelated sectors necessary for a thriving economy: professional education and training, energy, finance and healthcare, in addition to offering performance measurement and improvement services that span these sectors. With a unique blend of field-based experience and academic rigor, WDI works to build stronger economies and healthier societies.
Media Contact:
Scott Anderson
+1 734-615-4560
Note: This was the first in-person event WDI has held since the Covid-19 pandemic. WDI followed all protocols, including masking indoors and vaccine requirements.
The transformation of the global automotive industry in everything from electric vehicles to the supply chains to workforces that will build them, requires new ways of thinking, new connections and new conversations.
With this massive shift in mind, WDI, in collaboration with Economic Development of Juárez and the US-Mexico Foundation (USMF), convened a week-long visit for 15 senior leaders in business, technology, academia and government from the State of Chihuahua, Mexico – a critical hub in the North American automotive industry.
The delegation met with faculty and other experts representing the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, Transportation Research Institute, College of Engineering, Technology Transfer and Mcity – U-M’s public-private mobility research partnership. The group also traveled to Detroit, meeting with representatives from TechTown, NextEnergy, the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, and Automation Alley.
Juárez, Chihuahua’s largest city located on the border with El Paso, Texas, is home to more than 330,000 manufacturing workers, with about half employed by over 100 auto-related companies operating there. Regional economic development leaders say they’re working to advance multiple initiatives focused on mobility, innovation, digitalization, smart city technologies, and workforce development and upskilling.
Fernando Alba, Executive Director of Economic Development for the city of Juárez who led the delegation, noted the industry shift away from the internal combustion engine toward electrically powered vehicles that require fewer parts, will mean cleaner transportation, but also far fewer components produced there.
“The challenge we have is how do we adapt our people, our talent and our companies,” Alba said. “As a city with a heavy manufacturing tradition that is moving away from what we used to do, we need to learn the new tools and techniques to continue to be a leader in the new world of mobility”.
Alba noted that Juárez and the Detroit area share several similarities; both border other countries, the U.S. and Canada, respectively. Their local economies rely largely on the automotive industry, and they both have faced serious social and economic challenges that have hindered economic growth. Ciudad Juarez is now at the beginning of a similar transformation to the one Detroit went through just a few years ago as leaders launched a new vision for development, innovation and inclusion. While challenges remain, the city offers a cautionary tale and many lessons learned that Ciudad Juarez leaders are taking home with them.
“The William Davidson Institute is a key player for us in what we want to do in the future for our region. Being based here at the University of Michigan and close to Detroit, there is no better place to be,” he added.
Alba was accompanied by leaders from Economic Development of Ciudad Juárez, and of the city and State of Chihuahua and the Southwest Manufacturers Industry Association. The delegation also included representatives from companies including Dell, and Microsoft; as well as from the Artificial Intelligence Center, National Polytechnic Institute, Technology Hub, Technology Development Institute, and the Technical Institute of Juárez.
The group participated in a weeklong learning and exchange program that included stops and meetings in Ann Arbor at the American Center for Mobility, Washtenaw Community College, the Center for Automotive Research, the University Research Corridor, the Michigan Economic Center, and SPARK; as well as connecting with mobility players at the Ann Arbor Mobility Summit.
Diana Páez, senior director for Grants and Partnerships at WDI, said hosting the delegation was an excellent example of how the Institute convenes a wide spectrum of players around the shared opportunities in low- and middle-income countries.
“How we all think about mobility is changing faster than any one company can possibly manage. Keeping pace with that change will require novel approaches and new conversations, not just in Southeast Michigan or Chihuahua, Mexico, but around the world,” Páez said. “The change is happening now, and the consequences have implications for multiple economies.”
Additionally, when it comes to the mobility industry, what happens in Detroit reverberates not only in Mexico but around the world – from supply chain issues to the shift toward electrification. Indeed, every move by the U.S.-based automakers has ripple effects in other markets, and the challenges – and opportunities for businesses – are worth exploring, Páez said.
Building on this effort, on Nov. 5, WDI and Michigan Ross, in collaboration with USMF, will host a virtual roundtable to discuss further integration within the auto industry in the U.S. and Mexico. The event, A Vision for a Stronger U.S.-Mexico Partnership: Emerging Opportunities in the Automotive Industry, will bring together accomplished diplomats, executives, analysts and academic leaders to share their perspectives on trends and opportunities for players in both countries.
“At WDI, bringing together the players who truly drive economic growth and opportunity is what we do,” Páez said. “The future of mobility is global, and that’s where we are well-positioned to have the most impact. For us, it’s where the rubber hits the road.”
If a strawberry or cucumber or spinach leaf — or any number of other fruits or vegetables — was grown in the U.S., it’s likely a migrant farmworker had a hand in its journey from ground to plate. These essential workers are keeping U.S. farm systems functioning, and they require essential services — including healthcare.
Dr. Raul Payán has been answering that need for 30 years. He runs the OSME medical clinic in San Luis Río Colorado in Sonora, Mexico, a border town just south of Yuma, Arizona. He and his team provide general and urgent care, imaging, and routine medical services to the community, mostly made up of migrant workers and their families whose healthcare costs are covered by U.S. insurers and businesses.
But Dr. Payán’s clinic is not a hospital, so he and his team refer patients with more serious medical needs to hospitals, often in the city of Mexicali, an hour away, where prices for care are higher. This means the clinic is losing business it could keep if it had a hospital, insurance companies are spending more than if OSME had a hospital in San Luis Río Colorado and patients are inconvenienced by being forced to travel to receive treatment and pay higher copayments.
To provide specialist inpatient care, Dr. Payán is planning to grow the OSME clinic into a full-scale hospital, with the goal of retaining patients within the system, lowering their cost of care, and attracting new ones from the surrounding region. In response to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the North American Development Bank (NADB), a border-focused developmental financing institution run jointly by U.S. and Mexican leadership, is looking to support projects that have both environmental benefits and direct positive impacts on the economy of the U.S.-Mexico border region and the health and well-being of border residents.
The bank works closely with project sponsors to create financing packages that move crucial ventures forward, either through loans or grants. Recognizing the success of OSME’s service model, NADB is considering a loan to the medical group for a portion of the funds it needs to expand. Before deciding to support OSME’s growth, though, the finance institution turned to the William Davidson Institute (WDI) to tackle some of its due diligence and provide deep industry and business analysis into the possible benefits of such support.
NADB is dedicated to supporting and financing environmental infrastructure projects along both sides of the border, which typically include water and energy infrastructure projects. Amid the massive impact of the COVID-19 crisis, however, it became clear that NADB should play a key role in working to enhance the economic recovery and the general health and welfare of U.S.-Mexico border communities while remaining cognizant of its core mission to preserve, protect and enhance the environment of the region.
The pandemic’s global impact highlighted that infrastructure includes any systems or spaces required for a community to survive, maintain its welfare, and improve its well-being — and that encompasses healthcare services and facilities.
With that in mind, the bank is beginning to offer loans to nontraditional projects that include healthcare initiatives along the border under its COVID-19 Recovery Loan Program, an imperative influx of funds that could help bring greater care and stability to the local communities. They’ve allocated $200 million for these initiatives, and the potential OSME hospital is the first such healthcare project.
The OSME clinic has been connected to essential migrant workers for decades, and that community is only growing. The agricultural industry needs 1.5 to 2 million workers to complete planting, harvesting, and processes tasks, and since farms across the country are struggling to find U.S. citizens and permanent residents to handle these critical responsibilities, migrant workers are filling the gap.
Although some of these workers are undocumented, many take advantage of a visa system meant specifically for this kind of work: the H-2A and H-2B visas. These visas have increased dramatically over the last few decades. By 2019, there were 257,667 jobs approved for H-2 visa positions by the U.S. government, with 204,791 visas issued. And 91% of those were claimed by Mexican citizens.
Many agricultural workers’ families live on the Mexican side of the border and use OSME and clinics like it for their medical needs, and the workers themselves return to the town from the U.S. for their care, as do some U.S. citizens and permanent residents of Mexican heritage. In fact, while just over 200,000 visas were issued to temporary agricultural workers in 2019, there were 394,564 H-2 visa admissions across the U.S. border during that same period, demonstrating the back-and-forth nature of workers in these roles.
To incentivize workers to take on these fundamental farming tasks, agricultural enterprises are now offering medical insurance and coverage to migrant workers, and that’s been to the benefit of the OSME clinic. Today, around 75% of OSME patients are covered by either U.S. insurance companies or U.S. businesses that foot the bill for health services or procedures for their employees. For the most part, Dr. Payán and his staff work directly with insurance companies to provide this care, even running the only U.S.- insurance-connected pharmacy in the region.
[OSMED Clinic has] built their business plan around capturing more of the value chain of care for their existing insured patient market while also enabling their U.S. health insurance partners to expand their market, bringing more workers and their families into the insurance net.
This insurance-focused service plan is one that holds tremendous financial potential for the clinic and provides a framework for offering excellent healthcare to the community. It’s already working for routine and urgent care, and Dr. Payán is certain it can only improve with the construction of an OSME hospital.
Ioan Cleaton-Jones, Director of healthcare delivery at WDI and a seasoned healthcare finance and management consultant, agrees. He has been working closely with both Dr. Payán’s OSME team and the team at the NADB to ensure adequate due diligence while also examining the likelihood of success for both parties. He’s optimistic about the possibilities.
“This makes sense as a business,” Cleaton-Jones explains.
Not only does the OSME clinic already run at a profit, but its plans to expand are clear and full of potential. “They’ve built their business plan around capturing more of the value chain of care for their existing insured patient market,” says Cleaton-Jones, “while also enabling their U.S. health insurance partners to expand their market, bringing more workers and their families into the insurance net. Additionally, they anticipate that there will be patients and doctors who would come from Mexicali.”
The clinic has provided decades of care to essential agricultural workers, and that community of migrant workers and their families may now have access to a hospital for care it either couldn’t get before or at reduced cost. This is thanks to Dr. Payán and his team’s devoted efforts and WDI’s expert analytical support.
Cleaton-Jones hopes WDI will continue to provide this kind of analysis to support healthcare projects, and he believes the positive business model of this OSME hospital expansion is a beacon for what’s possible.
Participants in the Communication workshop post their selfies to the ExtendEd portal.
How does an educator convene a global classroom across a dozen countries, numerous cultures and differing perspectives? Sometimes, it’s better to instead let the students set the pace.
WDI’s Education Sector team recently tailored two fully online courses for The Ford Motor Company Fund as part of the Ford Community Impact Fellows Training program. Students accepted into the program work together to advance understanding and new thinking around topics such as innovation and entrepreneurship.
The courses were tailored to the students’ needs by key personnel at WDI’s Global Virtual Learning Center (GVLC), which was established to advance the field to create international linkages and promote economic growth in emerging markets. Students hailed from a dozen countries including Brazil, Ghana, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco and Sierra Leone.
“In this day and age, we all need to be continuous learners,” said Amy Gillett, vice president of the Education sector. “In a time when it’s difficult or impossible to bring people together face to face, this format is really effective and it also sets students up for making long-term connections with one another.”
The two fully online courses include one module on developing leadership qualities and a second on improving interpersonal communication skills. About 130 students participated in the leadership module, offered for seven weeks ending April 11, and 179 students are taking part in the five-week communications module, set to end July 12. The leadership course helped participants understand themselves as leaders on both personal and team levels, and drew on the Michigan Model of Leadership. The communications course emphasized cross-cultural communication, managing emotions and interpreting body language across different nationalities and traditions.
WDI produced the content for the courses, which were hosted on the ExtendEd portal – the Institute’s proprietary learning management system. Students viewed a series of instructional videos on ExtendEd, followed by quizzes to check for comprehension. Students were assigned to teams across countries to work on a project together and practice their new leadership skills.
While the students were from many different countries, pursuing a wide variety of degrees and occupations – from business to medicine – a well-designed online learning environment was a perfect vehicle for bringing them together.
“It’s an efficient way to reach people with targeted training, and it’s the way people prefer to learn,” said Gillett. “They want to learn when they have time to learn, even if it’s in 15-minute increments. Students log in at their own pace, learn at their own pace, and take the modules on any device.”
The course is a perfect example of a small private online community – or SPOC – which is designed to nurture an intimate learning environment where students can interact and get to know one another other.
At the conclusion of the modules, WDI hosts a live webinar to summarize the learning. This is followed by sending participants a series of reminders on what they learned in the course. Such reminders — “Memory Pings” — also prompt them to apply what they learn in the course back on the job.
“It’s vitally important to provide opportunities for tomorrow’s leaders to share new ideas and brainstorm sustainable solutions to make people’s lives better,” said Farah Harb, Global Education Programs Analyst, Ford Motor Company Fund. “Learning and leadership are essential as we navigate and adapt to our constantly changing world.”
Many students found the WDI courses very valuable.
“Giving back to society and creating positive (impact) has always been my passion. In the world, there are so many challenges facing us,” … to fix these problems, the world needs great leaders with great leadership skills and this course has shown me surely that great leaders can be created or trained,“ wrote one student of the Leadership workshop.
Another student noted: “This workshop has been an eye opener and I am certain I am ready to work in every environment.”
As a final assignment, the students submitted videos exploring cross-cultural learning and how to apply that knowledge to real-world scenarios. The finalists for the contest and their video stories, can be found below:
WDI created an 8-week online course: Starting a Business: Your Entrepreneurial Journey. The pilot program ran in April-May 2023. The course consisted of live training sessions, guest talks, short videos, online quizzes, and a capstone project in which participants worked in teams to conceptualize and pitch a new business via a video. The video was then judged by the program mentors and winning teams received a special certificate. The pilot program had 88 participants from nine countries.
