As the largest bank in Brazil, Itaú Unibanco is uniquely positioned to support women’s entrepreneurship in the country. Through its Itaú Mulher Empreendedora program, the bank is seeking to grow the capacity of women in business as a way to invest in Brazil’s economic and social development. The program’s online portal provides women entrepreneurs a variety of solutions to inspire, build their skills and connect them. As part of this program, Itaú launched an online course earlier this year to help provide both clients and non-clients with the tools they need to make their businesses a success.
Itaú has partnered with IFC, part of the World Bank Group, as well as EDUK – a well-known learning platform in Brazil that offers more than 1,500 online courses – to develop and deliver the free course. Titled “Plano de crescimento: como transformar negócios em sucesso,” (Growth plan: how to turn business into success) the course seeks to fill the financial and business knowledge gap faced by many women entrepreneurs in Brazil. Through four modules offered in an easily accessible online platform, in three hours the training covers:
- Developing a strong business model
- How to improve sales
- Understanding business finances
- Employee management
The training is delivered by noted business specialists from Brazil, including strategist, mentor and professor Denise Eler; entrepreneur, journalist, author and finance specialist Patricia Lages; human resources manager, ethno-racial diversity specialist and professor Patrícia Santos; and research, marketing and business expert Henrique Junior.
Since the training’s launch in March, more than 8,000 people have signed up for the course. Feedback has been excellent, with the program receiving a five-star rating from users and becoming the third most popular business course in the entire EDUK portfolio.
To view a video about the course (in Portuguese), click here. You can take the course (in Portuguese) by visiting this website.
