Business Development Professional Program

The National Latino Education Institute has created the Business Development Professional program as a response to the need for qualified bicultural professionals who possess an awareness and sensitivity to the Latino market and who wish to service the overall Latino market in the Chicago area. The 30-week Business Development Professional program provides specialized courses in an effort to build a foundation of sales, service, and marketing skills in qualified candidates for customer service and sales related positions and to prepare graduates for careers in a broad range of industries, including the following: insurance, finance, energy, telecommunications, and marketing.

Upon completion of the 30-week classroom training, students will participate in a 140 clock hour internship in an area business. Employment is the expected outcome of the program and job placement services are provided to all graduates. Occupations for which graduates qualify include, but are not limited to, customer service representative, call center representative, claims representative, personal banker, account representative, telephone banker, sales assistant, sales associate, and marketing assistant. Presentations by representatives of local corporations help guide students in their employment preparation. In addition to appropriate textbooks and other materials, students have access to a resource center and computer labs.

During the course of training, students may participate in a number of training-related experiences in addition to their classroom instruction. These activities include, but are not limited to, mock interviews, sales simulation, work place observation, on-site visits, and workshops/presentations. These activities are considered to be an integral aspect of training.

To successfully complete the BDP program, students are expected to achieve a minimum typing NWPM (net words per minute).