Each year, the RECLA Awards bring together projects, experiences, and professionals who are driving new ways of understanding and strengthening continuing education. They are a recognition and, of course, a great opportunity to showcase the work of institutions that are generating a real impact in their communities and contributing to the development of higher education in Latin America.
This year we held the 15th edition of the RECLA Awards, and they highlighted initiatives that reflect innovation, leadership and commitment to continuing education that is increasingly relevant, flexible and connected to the needs of people and organizations.
Through this recognition, RECLA seeks to highlight:
- Programs with a demonstrable impact
- Innovative management models
- Strategic alliances between institutions and organizations.
- Experiences that strengthen lifelong learning.
Following the evaluation process carried out by international experts and the RECLA Executive Committee, we proudly and excitedly announce the projects and individuals recognized in the 2026 edition:
🏆Winner Best Practices Category
Program: UNIBE SENIOR: Lifelong Learning
Institution: Ibero-American University
Responsible: Maribel Medina Mejía
Country: Dominican Republic
🏆Winner Sustainability Category
Program: Integrated Children's and Youth Philharmonic System
Institution: Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja
Responsible: Roberto Beltrán Zambrano
Country: Ecuador
🏆Winner Internationalization Category
Program: Curricular Innovation through Socio-Business Linkages
for Sustainable Development in Colombia and Ecuador
Institution: Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, Loja
Responsible: Monica Patricia Costa Ruiz
Country: Ecuador
🏆Winner, University-Business Partnership Category: In-Company
Program: Inclusive Training Pathway for Work: Essential Skills
for Unemployed People with Disabilities — UNIMINUTO-Colsubsidio Alliance.
Institution: Minuto de Dios University Corporation .
Responsible: Laura Melina Martínez Páez.
Country: Colombia
🏆Winner Category: Public-Private University Partnerships
Program: Primary Health Care Forum
Institution: El Bosque University
Responsible parties: Andrés Gómez – Paola Joya – Juan Felipe Otálora
Country: Colombia
🏆Winner, Career and Work Category in Continuing Education
Institution: El Bosque University
Responsible: Valentí Martínez
Country: Colombia
In total, the call brought together 39 initiatives from universities and institutions in nine Ibero-American countries, reflecting the diversity and growth of continuing education in the region.
The applications for this edition also reveal how Continuing Education is changing. Some proposals take training directly to where real problems exist, such as the Primary Health Care Forum, which brings together three universities, decentralizes academic discourse, and connects training with the needs of different regions. Others redefine who can access it and how they should learn: the Inclusive Training Pathway from UNIMINUTO and Colsubsidio combines micro-credentials, Universal Design for Learning, challenge- and project-based learning, continuous accessibility, and a direct connection to an employment agency. Models that broaden the concept of lifelong learning also appear, such as UNIBE SENIOR, which integrates training, well-being, digital inclusion, and social interaction for older adults, with a flexible offering and methodologies centered on their experience. And from an international perspective, initiatives like ALPRODE show that it's no longer simply about taking a program to another country, but about building content, methodologies, and experiences between universities in Europe and Latin America. Taken together, these proposals show a Continuing Education that is moving towards more accessible, collaborative, territorial and international models, where innovation is not only in technology, but in how the experience is designed and for what specific problems it is designed ..
Each of these initiatives represents the work of teams that have found new ways to respond to the challenges of continuing education, demonstrating that innovation is also built from collaboration, inclusion, and the ability to generate impact.
RECLA congratulates the recognized institutions and professionals, as well as all the universities that participated in this edition.
Receiving so many proposals from different countries is undoubtedly one of the greatest rewards of the RECLA Awards. Behind each application are teams that dedicate time, knowledge, and effort to creating solutions that generate real impact in their institutions and communities. We congratulate all the universities and professionals who participated in this edition.
Each initiative presented enriches the conversation, inspires other institutions, and demonstrates that continuing education continues to transform thanks to the collaborative work of those who believe in its power to generate opportunities.
See you at the XXXI RECLA International Meeting to celebrate together the institutions and professionals who inspire the present and future of continuing education.
RECLA.
