Laureate Summit on Youth & Jobs Brings Together Leaders from Government, Business and Academia to Address Critical Issue of Youth and Social Mobility in Peru
November 3, 2016
Addressing the impact of quality education on social mobility, former President of Mexico Ernesto Zedillo, the 66th United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, as well as the Peruvian Minister of Education, Dr. Jaime Saavedra, gathered with more than 200 government officials, business executives, academic leaders and students during a summit hosted by Laureate International Universities, in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Inter-American Development Bank, at UPC in Lima, Peru.
Leaders from government, business, and academia participated including:
- Ernesto Zedillo, Director of the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization and
- former President of Mexico
- Condoleezza Rice, Professor of Global Business and the Economy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the 66th United States Secretary of State
- Doug Becker, Chairman and CEO, Laureate Education, Inc.
- Dr. Judith Eaton, President, Council for Higher Education Accreditation
- Bill Plater, Former Commissioner of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
- Ben Sowter, Director at QS Quacquarelli Symonds
- Luis Montoya, President, Latin American Beverages at PepsiCo. Inc.
- Felipe Ortiz de Zevallos Madueño, Founder of Grupo Apoyo and former Peruvian Ambassador to the United States
- Martin Spicer, Regional Head of Industry at the IFC (Manufacturing, Agribusiness & Services – Latin American and the Caribbean)
The conversation at the summit addressed the role of government, the business community, and higher education institutions working together to provide access, quality and career oriented education for young people. The day’s three panels and the concluding town hall with Dr. Rice and Dr. Zedillo all emphasized how we can capitalize on cooperative relationships to build stronger education systems around the world.
“The most important thing to take away from this event is the message of shared responsibility for human development through education. One of the advantages of Laureate institutions is that they have multiple ways for students to get an education and they aren’t stuck on what education looked like yesterday and what it will look like tomorrow,”
said Condoleezza Rice, former U.S. Secretary of State.
“This conference has brought out more of my excitement about the already great achievements and the bright future of Peru. I see a vibrant democracy and I see the country moving forward in its economy and social development. It is stimulating to see that Laureate is an active part of Peru’s journey towards prosperity,”
said Ernesto Zedillo, former President of Mexico.
Mohammed A. Khan of the IFC presented the findings from a study designed to analyze the impact that access to education has on the socio-economic status and social mobility of students in Peru.
“As we looked at the preliminary results of the study, we concluded that students at Laureate Peru institutions had more opportunity, more access and were able to leverage better socioeconomic opportunities than their peers at other institutions,” said Mohammed A. Khan, Senior Education Specialist at the IFC. “This allows them to be able to move up the ladder and have a better life because of their ability to access quality higher education.”
Laureate believes that it is critical to participate in the public-private policy dialogue, specifically as it relates to providing students with the benefits of affordable private education and its promotion of social mobility. Laureate continues to work around the world to better understand employment trends, changes in job creation and hiring practices, and how curriculum can be constructed and better aligned to achieve successful career outcomes for its students.
“Being able to bring global thought leaders together who not only have a great passion for education, but are change-makers in government, business and education, allows for thought-provoking conversation about fulfilling the need for access to quality higher education to be dependable, accountable, and scalable,”
said Douglas Becker, Chairman and CEO of Laureate Education, Inc.
