LOWERING DROPOUT RATES IN BUSINESS TRAINING FOR WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

Crea Comunidades de Emprendedores Sociales, A.C., (Crea) is a nonprofit social enterprise that implements customized programs to empower and strengthen women entrepreneurs from socially and economically marginalized areas in Mexico. Crea enlisted a Capstone team to identify common attributes of women who attend Crea training programs. The team reviewed Crea's portfolio of programs and services, analyzed data on the female attendees, and interviewed participants and staff in Mexico City, Toluca, and Tlalnepantla. The goal was to find verifiable explanations for why some participants do not finish Crea's training programs. The data analysis revealed that women with greater socioeconomic advantages, higher non-cognitive abilities, and more established institutional linkages are more likely to finish the training. The fieldwork disclosed that women who completed the training program have intrinsic characteristics that motivate them to finish. Additionally, Crea's staff and beneficiaries identified the importance of learning transferable skills, which are a key component of women's empowerment. Based on these findings, the team proposed policy and program innovations to help lower dropout rates for future beneficiaries.