SPS launches first-ever global career practicum in Chile

April 03, 2019

During the month of March, a group of thirteen masters students from Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies came to Chile for a weeklong visit to get to know the country’s main industries and economic sectors. The SPS Global Career Practicum was the first of its kind outside of the US.

Through their time in and around capital Santiago, the SPS students got first-hand information from on-sight visits to places including El Teniente, the world’s largest underground copper mine belonging to state-run Codelco; run-of-the-river hydroelectric plants belonging to local generator Colbún; the Santiago Solar photovoltaic plant; the Metro; and Chile’s capital international airport run by concessionaire Nuevo Pudahuel. Other information sessions were held with trade associations and interest groups. The final day of meetings was capped with presentations and discussions with Columbia alumni who are entrepreneurs in Chile.

More than “how to do business in Chile,” students learned about interdisciplinary business approaches, leadership and success strategies, reflecting on their in-country experiences to contextualize their career development.

The students came from varied academic programs: Construction Administration, Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, Information and Knowledge Strategy, Applied Analytics, Strategic Communication, Nonprofit Management, Sustainability Management, Technology Management, Sports Management and Enterprise Risk Management.

Faculty and staff joining the students included Beth Fisher-Yoshida, SPS Vice Chair and Academic Director of the Negotiation and Conflict Resolution program; Tatum Thomas, SPS Senior Associate Dean of Student Affairs; and Tiffany Onorato-Hughes, SPS Executive Director of Student Engagement.

Use this link to see highlights from the week.

To see the Pictures Gallery, click here.