Previous Article: Choson Exchange 2016 | An Overview
When we started preparing the first Women In Business program in DPR Korea, our idea to focus on female participants seemed strange to local partners. No exchange program of this kind, focusing on this demographic, existed. Asking for significant input on who would attend these events, aiming for a high rate of repeat participants, teaching business content to a majority-female audience — our partners did not think this was a good idea. Nonetheless, we pitched our vision, and pushed forward to build the very first initiative of this kind in the country.
Last year, we organized 2 workshops for the WIB program, ‘Women in Business March 2016" in Korea and an overseas “Hospitality & Retail Management" in Shanghai. 92 participants from more than 28 small and medium enterprises joined us in Korea. We received highly positive feedback: more than 95% of participants responded that they found opportunities to network with other Korean businesspeople useful! And more than 85% appreciate the new insights they learned and would recommend the programs to their peers.
Today, the WIB program is known among business women in Pyongyang and beyond. Colleagues, friends, and friends of friends of Koreans who have attended our first business workshops decided to join and take advantage of the opportunity. We got to witness how news about upcoming Choson Exchange workshops spread via word of mouth, with many participants joining after hearing about the program from previous attendees.
Teaching women how to better connect with female peers, build their own support networks, and join forces to advance their careers in business has become a regular, accepted, anticipated highlight for many Korean business women who we have gotten to know over the past few years. Our audience has grown from a couple dozen to almost 90 persons per workshop. Participants have become more business-savvy, and are asking for specific information and skills they need to succeed in this challenging environment. Many of them have shared what they have learned at our workshops with colleagues and friends. They are a force for positive change at the frontiers of entrepreneurship!
Get in touch if you are interested https://www.chosonexchange.org/join !