Risks
- The temporary closure of education institutions and the increased dropout rates caused by the COVID-19 pandemic pose an imminent risk for education and the protection of children’s and youth’s well-being.
Opportunities
- Enhancing the capabilities of the communities with which Grupo Nutresa interacts as an opportunity to empower the human capital.
- Contributing to the quality of education to create a positive impact on the Organization’s productivity and, therefore, on society.
- Contributing to the mitigation of the risks inherent in poverty and social and economic inequality.
- Being able to rely on adequately qualified people in terms of what they are, know and do; and having solid innovation processes as boosting factors.
- Supporting the reopening process of education institutions after their temporary closure to the COVID-19 pandemic, and contributing to the strengthening of distance education processes.
- Providing strategic support through mechanisms such as “Obras por impuestos” (Works instead of taxes).
- Working on bridging socioeconomic gaps in the areas substantially affected by poverty and violence, thus contributing to both development and equality.
Future outlook and goals for 2030
- Continue working on the commitment to strengthening the leadership and managerial capabilities of education institutions, as well as the competences of academic directors and teachers who occupy directive positions, laying a particular emphasis on highly marginalized populations, with the purpose of contributing to bridging education-related gaps.
- Solidifying the capabilities of the school leaders for them to efficiently manage their schools, support the teaching and learning processes, and aligning and engaging with the school community.
- Reinforcing the public/private alliances and the new operating and financing models to enable the participation in public policy formulation and the sustainability of the school transformation processes, such as the results-based payment and works-instead-of-taxes mechanisms.
- Adapting the contents and methodologies to the new reality to reduce the contagion-prone activities and supporting schools with regard to their remote education and reopening models to allow them to address the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Promoting the early and high-quality employment of young people to the professional world to contribute to the economic and social strengthening of the territories.
Success stories and acknowledgments [GRI 103-3]
- Adaptation focused on maintaining the support to schools during times of COVID-19
Participative formulation of solutions adapted to the challenges and needs of schools emerging from the pandemic. The migration to 100% digital environments constituted a relevant adjustment and response opportunity. A total of 54 training sessions were held, strengthening the school capabilities and teaching competences in relation to aspects such as leadership, communication, well-being and change management.
- Fundación Nutresa contributes to the Public Policy on School Leadership in Colombia
The Ministry of National Education, jointly with Fundación Nutresa and other organizations, along with the support from higher education institutions, provided assistance to the School of Leadership for Academic Directors. This is an inspiring proposal for transforming the leadership practices of academic directors to improve the education institution management processes. The School of Leadership will benefit approximately ten thousand academic directors including principals, coordinators and rural supervisors through five components: training, well-being, learning networks, research and resource bank.
[GRI 103-1]
Risk and crisis management
Through the education programs managed by Fundación Nutresa, Grupo Nutresa contributes to the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly goal 4, Quality education, by working on improving the country’s competitiveness and reducing inequality with relevant, effective and innovative initiatives that enhance the quality of education and have a positive impact on the learning processes among children and young people. These projects support the development of leadership and managerial capabilities among teachers and academic directors, improve the furnishing conditions of classrooms, furniture and school materials, and facilitate employability.
Improving the quality of education
The Organization intends to contribute to a relevant and effective education at Colombian schools, support the executive teams and teachers in the formulation and participative creation of transformation routes for their school practices, and enhancing education environments that have a positive impact on the students’ learning processes.
- 1.500 teachers and school directors supported through digital strategies for reinforcing their management and leadership capabilities.
School Leadership Program
- Participation of teachers and academic directors from 267 public schools in Colombia.
- Strengthening of the strategy by using digital means and adapting contents and methodologies to support the school communities in the process of adjusting to the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Collaborative design and execution of learning experiences about adaptive leadership, organizational communication, people’s care and well-being.
- 54 training sessions focused on strengthening the school capabilities and teaching competences in relation to aspects such as leadership, communication, well-being and change management. Participation of 5.645 teachers from the schools that are part of the program, in addition to a group of representatives from multiple education secretariats and strategic private-sector partners.
- Joint implementation with the Colombian Institute of Superior Studies –Icesi– of a process based on the results and conclusions of both local and international experiences related to the improvement of school management and the strengthening of the leadership capabilities of academic directors.
- Inclusion of this program, which was developed by Fundación Nutresa, in the portfolio of the School of Academic Leadership of the Colombian Ministry of National Education, a methodological approach to the strengthening of the institutional culture that combines strategies related to active learning, exchange of experiences and peer feedback.
Generating employability opportunities
The Company actively participates in the University Business State Committee (abbreviated CUEE 2.0 in Spanish), an initiative that has the ulterior purpose of the region’s socioeconomic growth based on science, technology and innovation. Along with other agents from the ecosystem, Grupo Nutresa supports the Talent Work Group that has operated as the launching pad for the implementation of the employability model focused on the early employment of students from technical and technological programs, who are integrated since the first semesters into a development route. It consists in three moments:
- Internships for students from early semesters.
- Open innovation challenges halfway of the program.
- Completion of the students’ development process with the internship for them to become part of a talent incubator that establishes a connection between the organizations and the entrepreneurship projects from the Talent Community of the CUEE 2.0.
- 1.412 interns, 1.280 students, 101 teachers and 31 administrative directors participate in innovation challenges focused on furthering the process and reaching the internship stage early as students.
- Contribution to increasing the number of young people and adults with the necessary capabilities, particularly both technical and professional competences, for accessing employment, decent work and entrepreneurship.
Programs intended to facilitate learning-focused resources
Grupo Nutresa implemented the strategy known as “Obras por impuestos” (works instead of taxes), which is promoted by the Colombian Government. Through this strategy, taxpayers can contribute to the bridging of socioeconomic gaps in the municipalities that have been affected the most by poverty and violence by means of the execution of projects with a positive economic and social impact, thus fostering development in such territories.
- More than COP 19.954 million invested in improvements to the school environments with 81.048 school furniture kits that benefited more than 80.000 students and 2.961 teachers.
- With the Nutresa Quiere a los Niños” (Nutresa cares for children) Program, the Organization contributed to the improvement of the conditions related to education system access and continuity of more than 10.500 children at the basic primary education level. The contribution consisted in delivering school kits that include basic elements for the development of their academic activities from home, biosecurity elements and an educational booklet that favors the adoption of healthy lifestyles.
- Production of a seven-episode web series for children between the ages of 7 and 11; in 2021, the series is shaping up to be a pedagogical tool for the universal access that could be available with or without internet service with the purpose of facilitating the participation of limited-connectivity school populations.
