University scholarship program: promoting professionalization and employability through a comprehensive approach and support of young Venezuelans in vulnerable situations

Faced with the complex educational crisis in the country, private universities are positioned as an alternative where academic excellence continues to be possible despite the constant tuition increases. Therefore, the universities selected were chosen because they maintain quality standards and guarantee greater opportunity for employability. Given the great demand for financial aid, we designed our own selection process conformed by several phases that integrate socioeconomic factors with academic performance and outstanding participation in activities, ensuring the selection of outstanding students and reducing desertion risks. In addition to financial support, the organization has developed a systematic support system in which it is possible to monitor academic requirements, provide training and complementary development spaces, the opportunity to connect scholarship recipients with psychological counseling, and identify possible dropout situations or decreased performance. We also have partnerships with the private sector, by developing an internship subscription program, serving as a bridge between their job offers and outstanding undergraduate students, promoting youth employability while generating income for the program. The constant follow-up of the scholarship recipients allows us to monitor their performance, ensuring that the organization's indicators are met. With the administrative processes, all payments are made directly to the universities, ensuring the transparency of the funds. These efforts make it possible to guarantee the highest academic completion rate, the monitoring of funds and, therefore, the optimization of invested resources.