With the aim of developing the digital commerce ecosystem in the country and committed to the training of professionals in this area, the Digital Economy Chamber of Uruguay (CEDU) signed an agreement with the Technological University (UTEC) to jointly coordinate research, development, innovation and human capital formation actions.
The research instances that are developed in the logistics area of UTEC will provide inputs to CEDU, such as data and information, which will allow the deployment of new strategies for the chamber and its associates.
"Adding experiences from the educational and professional levels, we will analyze the needs that may arise in order to work together," said Dahiana Silva, coordinator of the Logistics Engineering course at the Regional Technological Institute of UTEC, in the city of Fray Bentos.
As the main organization of the digital economy in the country, one of the main objectives of CEDU is the generation and dissemination of knowledge on the subject, both for its members and for different organizations, as it is considered essential to promote the development of the activity in Uruguay.
"Working on further improving logistics is an important duty we have as an Ecosystem, we believe that the instances of research to be developed in the logistics area of UTEC will be essential. We have data from 2019 on the importance that the consumer gives to the tracking of orders and how they prefer to get hold of them, but we still do not have information on the management of the last mile by companies. On dates like Cyber Monday, and other commercial dates that move a large number of online transactions, deliveries take much longer than usual, and this is not the experience that the Uruguayan consumer should have when buying online," said Ivanna Rocha, Manager of CEDU.
"The education and training of professionals is one of the pillars of CEDU. That is why it is a pleasure to conclude this agreement, which also allows us to let you know what are the needs in this field," said Natalia Macri, a member of CEDU and who also serves as a teacher in the Business Administration Unit of UTEC.
Macri pointed out that the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) boosted e-Commerce, but exposed existing logistical problems. That is why he highlighted the need to train professionals. "UTEC has the only career in Logistics Engineering in Uruguay and we still do not have graduated students, but they will be very important for the activity," he said, referring to one of the areas in which they will work together.
CEDU has developed numerous instances with educational institutions. In the particular case of UTEC, different trainings and conferences have been held for students, which from now on will be enhanced with the alliance between the two organizations.
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