It is clear that 21st century technology workers need additional preparation for the new global economy. Beyond technical skill training, they need to be able to work in cross-cultural teams, often separated by geography, time zones, and language barriers.  Thus Miami Dade College’s School of Computer and Engineering Technology, guided by its’ Computer Information Systems Advisory Committee and industry focus groups constructed to evaluate these trends, is partnering with Faculdade de Informática e Administraçáo Paulista  (FIAP) in São Paulo, Brazil to promote global technology education of our students in order to prepare graduates with strong international skills.

Through this partnership, global student teams will be assembled and will produce collaborative team projects in an environment that mimics real-world software development. Both institutions agree that this global collaboration is of mutual benefit to the institutions and their students. Exposing students to the larger world around them and ensuring that they understand and appreciate other cultures, is essential to the student's success in an increasingly global economy.

Seated: Left-to-right: Lourdes Oroza, Rolando Montoya, Celso Poderoso de Oliveira (FIAP), Norma Goonen, Richard White