NY-WEA
The Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator (WEA), today announced the global launch of its online entrepreneurship curriculum designed to inspire, educate, and empower women entrepreneurs around the world. The Online Entrepreneurship Certificate Programme was first announced during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 76) on the second anniversary of WEA.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220111005443/en/
WEA is a multi-stakeholder strategic partnership convening six United Nations agencies: International Labour Organization (ILO), International Trade Centre (ITC), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), UN Women, and Mary Kay. ITC is leading the capacity-building component of the multi-partnership.
Developed by ITC SheTrades and powered by Mary Kay in support of WEA, the guided Entrepreneurship Certificate Programme includes 27 interactive modules enriched with over 200 videos. The aim is to teach women entrepreneurs—aspiring or veteran—the skills to design and set up businesses that have potential to be economically viable. Participants will learn how to adopt an entrepreneurship culture, develop ideas through design thinking and lean start-up methodologies, prepare a business model canvas, design a pitch, identify sources of funding, find the right partners, arrange for mentorship, build a team, and set up their businesses.
The Certificate Programme covers the seven key stages of business development :
- Certificate 1: Deciding to Become an Entrepreneur (6 modules),
- Certificate 2: Developing the Idea – Business Ideation (3 modules),
- Certificate 3: Business Modelling (4 modules),
- Certificate 4: Pitching the Business (4 modules),
- Certificate 5: Funding the Venture (3 modules),
- Certificate 6: Building up the Team (4 modules),
- Certificate 7: Setting up the Business (3 modules).
The WEA Online Entrepreneurship Certificate Programme is now accessible at the fingertips of millions of women directly on the ITC SheTrades website (www.shetrades.com/en/learn/e-learning ) and on the WEA website. It is currently available in English, Spanish, and French, with Arabic, Russian and Mandarin coming in 2022. It is free for all users of shetrades.com with no barrier to entry. Participants will receive a certificate upon completion of each of the seven key stages of business development .
“The world needs more women entrepreneurs,” said Deborah Gibbins, Chief Operating Officer at Mary Kay Inc . “Almost half of all women entrepreneurs claim to be driven by the desire to contribute to the great societal good. Their impact can be immense. The WEA Online Entrepreneurship Certificate Programme is a game-changer for women and girls around the world. With the right tools and support, there’s no limit to what women can do.”
“We must increase women’s participation in international trade, helping them scale their businesses so that they become the catalysts for more inclusive and sustainable communities. Women are powerful agents of change – and empowering women benefits whole societies,” said Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director of the International Trade Centre .
An official launch event will be held on January 18, 2022, at 15:00 CET in collaboration with Mary Kay. It will convene women entrepreneurs and women-owned businesses from the ITC SheTrades network around the world. The event will be hosted virtually in English and will serve as a platform to present the Entrepreneurship Certificate Programme, and upcoming in-country trainings. The SheTrades team will present the entrepreneurship curriculum as well as other tools available on www.shetrades.com . Register here to the launch of WEA’s first free Entrepreneurship Certificate Programme.
The launch of the WEA Certificate Programme on the ITC SheTrades eLearning platform will also be supplemented at the national level with on-the-ground training for women from developing countries interested in entrepreneurship and/or planning to integrate into regional and global value chains. The in-country training sessions will provide practical insight and expertise to women entrepreneurs and MSMEs and will take place virtually in Colombia, Brazil, Mexico and India. The training sessions will be held in Spanish (Colombia, Mexico), Portuguese (Brasil) and English (India). Sessions will focus on two main topics: “Competitiveness and Export Readiness” (19-20 January) and “Digital Marketing and e-commerce workshops” (1-3 February).
The contribution falls under ITC's “Empowering Women to Trade Programme” which contributes directly to ITC’s focus area 5 “Promoting and Mainstreaming Inclusive and Green Trade” and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 5, 8 and 17.
WEA has committed to empower 5 million women entrepreneurs by 2030.
About the Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator
The Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator (WEA) is a multi-partnership initiative on women’s entrepreneurship convening six United Nations agencies and Mary Kay. International Labour Organization (ILO), International Trade Centre (ITC), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN Global Compact (UNGC), UN Women and Mary Kay have committed to empower 5 million women entrepreneurs by 2030. The ultimate goal of the initiative is to maximize the development impact of women entrepreneurship in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by creating an enabling ecosystem for women entrepreneurs around the world. The Accelerator exemplifies the transformational power of a multi-partnership of unique magnitude to harness the potential of women entrepreneurs. Learn more at we-accelerate.com
. Follow us: Twitter and Instagram (@we_accelerator), Facebook and LinkedIn (@womensentrepreneurshipaccelerator).
About ITC SheTrades
The International Trade Centre’s SheTrades initiative aims to connect three million women to market by 2021 and rallies stakeholders around the world to work together to address trade barriers and create greater opportunities for women entrepreneurs. It is supported by a web and mobile digital platform. For more information, please visit SheTrades.com: https://www.shetrades.com/en
.
About the International Trade Centre
The International Trade Centre is the joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations. ITC assists small and medium-sized enterprises in developing and transition economies to become more competitive in global markets, thereby contributing to sustainable economic development within the frameworks of the Aid-for-Trade agenda and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. For more information, visit www.intracen.org
. Follow ITC on Twitter
| Facebook
| LinkedIn
| Instagram
| Flickr
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220111005443/en/
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Textron Aviation Broadens Aftermarket Connectivity Solutions for Cessna Citation Latitude by Offering Starlink High-Speed Internet18.9.2025 15:30:00 CEST | Press release
Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, today announced an additional high-speed internet connectivity solution for the Cessna Citation Latitude following the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) issuance of AeroMech’s Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for Starlink high-speed internet connectivity. AeroMech’s STC utilizes Starlink’s constellation of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites to provide more reliable connectivity over land, water and remote areas, where traditional in-flight Wi-Fi may not have service. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250918380069/en/ Textron Aviation broadens aftermarket connectivity solutions for Cessna Citation Latitude by offering Starlink high-speed internet (Photo Credit: Textron Aviation) “With Starlink connectivity now available as an upgrade, Citation Latitude customers can enjoy a seamless, high-speed in-flight experience that keeps them connected in more
Lenovo Finds 65% of IT Leaders Admit Their Defenses Can’t Withstand AI Cybercrime18.9.2025 15:00:00 CEST | Press release
New Lenovo Research Shows How AI-Powered Defenses Help Enterprises Turn Cyber Risk into Cyber Resilience Lenovo research reveals a widening security gap as AI-driven cybercrime surges: 65% of IT leaders surveyed admit their defenses are outdated and unable to withstand AI-enabled attacks, and just 31% feel confident defending against them. The new insights are drawn from Lenovo’s third Work Reborn report, Reinforcing the Modern Workplace. While AI is driving business improvements and efficiency gains, it is also fueling a new wave of cybercrime that most businesses are ill-equipped to defend against. This underscores the critical need for enterprises to adopt AI-driven strategies that can counter threats that learn, adapt, and evolve in real time. Lenovo is positioned to deliver this shift with end-to-end solutions that embed AI security into the digital workplace. With operations in 180 markets and a leader in enterprise technology, Lenovo brings unmatched scale to solving AI workplac
Decode the Future of AI and Customer Experience at Elevate'25 Digital Innovation Summit18.9.2025 15:00:00 CEST | Press release
With keynotes from Google Cloud and an independent research firm, Elevate’25 will provide actionable strategies to harness the power of AI and create exceptional experiences for today's mobile-first consumer As unprecedented advancements in AI reshape consumer behavior, digital innovation summit Elevate'25 opened for general registration today. Sponsored by Airship, the exclusive, one-day event is designed to equip business leaders with proven strategies to harness artificial intelligence and mobile-first technology for a decisive competitive advantage. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250918928987/en/ Gain insight and advice from firms at the frontier of AI-powered, mobile-first customer experiences. Taking place on October 15, 2025, at the iconic Shangri-La at The Shard in London, Elevate'25 moves beyond the headlines to provide a practical roadmap for success, featuring insights from brand executives and ind
Armis Receives Morgan Stanley 2025 Innovation Award18.9.2025 15:00:00 CEST | Press release
Armis Centrix™ Platform, powered by Armis’ AI driven cyber security intelligence engine, manages over 6.5 billion assets daily making it the largest of its kind in the world Armis, the cyber exposure management & security company, today announced that it has received the prestigious Innovation Award from Morgan Stanley at the Firm’s 23rd Tech Week event in Silicon Valley. For over 20 years, Morgan Stanley has celebrated companies with innovative capabilities that have materially impacted its business. Armis is being recognized for its partnership with Morgan Stanley, which chose Armis to help protect and secure its critical internet-of-things (IoT) assets across its organization. “Continuous and cutting-edge innovation that enables global cybersecurity teams to combat malicious actors is essential in today’s environment. The attack surface is growing exponentially, and Armis’ mission is to protect organizations’ entire attack surface by managing cyber risk exposure in real time,” said
Scoring Big With Fans: Balchem Spotlights the Power of Vitamin K2 at FC Bayern Women’s Season Opener18.9.2025 14:33:00 CEST | Press release
Balchem, a leading global manufacturer of specialty ingredients for human nutrition and health – and official partner of FC Bayern (FCB) Women’s football team - has launched its first ever direct-to-consumer initiative, showcasing the power of vitamin K2 to FCB fans. The company promoted its K2VITAL™ brand with an exhibition stand at the Allianz Arena in Munich, during the opening game of the Bundesliga (German football league) on 6 September. This initiative is part of Balchem’s latest marketing strategy, which aims to raise consumer awareness of the health benefits vitamin K2 has to offer, bridging the gap between B2B and B2C markets. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250918950889/en/ Balchem Spotlights The Power of Vitamin K2 at FC Bayern Women’s Season Opener Co-Branded K2 Health Vitamins Hit the Pitch The opening event of the season provided a unique platform for Balchem to promote K2VITAL™, a patented, typ
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom