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We invite you to join us on an incredible journey through our history, rich in entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial spirit, featuring some truly remarkable figures who are sure to surprise you.
Along this journey, you’ll meet people who are dedicated to solving the problems facing the society in which they live, investing their resources and energy in the cause. Today, at CESTE, we remain committed to adapting to a constantly changing world and to going the extra mile to achieve what others dare not attempt. Will you join us?
1988
The School's Origins: A Social Need
Business owners concerned about their children's higher education approached the administration of the Sagrada Familia School in Zaragoza to express their concerns, so that their children could take over their family businesses under the best possible conditions.
1987
Design of pioneering programs that trained "Tactical Executives"
A working group was soon established, led by members of the school’s governing board who had a long history in the field of education. With the collaboration of various business leaders and individuals from the world of higher education, they designed what would become a pioneering program capable of training future professionals who, upon completing high school, would be prepared to become what were then called “Tactical Executives.”
1988–1989 Academic Year
Aragon's first business school was founded in Zaragoza.
The “Center for Advanced and Technical Business Studies (CESTE)”—the predecessor of today’s CESTE University Center—was established, and the first class of graduates in Business Management and Administration began their studies.Thus, the first business school in Aragon was founded in Zaragoza.
At that time, the Advisory Board included Antonio Garrigues, Carlos Ferrer Salat, and Manuel Pizarro, among other prominent figures with extensive knowledge of the business world.
1994
CESTE is introducing the British university model.
From the very beginning, training in technology and languages (English and a second language) was an integral part—along with other management areas—of the leadership profile. After completing a three-year degree program, followed by a four-year program and the corresponding internships, these students graduated from CESTE as professionals ready to add value to companies from the moment they joined them.
Collaboration Agreement with the University of Wales.
The idea of granting these programs official recognition led CESTE’s administration to seek out higher education models that employed a highly participatory methodology, one that prioritized student initiative, in line with the principles that led to the founding of CESTE.
It was determined that the Anglo-Saxon university education system was well-suited to the program’s objectives, and thus, with the support of the British Council, a collaboration agreement was signed in 1994 with the University of Wales (now the University of Wales Trinity Saint David) in the United Kingdom, which remains in effect today, under which CESTE students can earn the official British Bachelor of Arts (Honors) Degree in Business Administration (BBA) from this university, in addition to the degree awarded by CESTE.
Its affiliation with the University of Wales (now the University of Wales Trinity Saint David) led to CESTE’s recognition as an Authorized Foreign University Center by the Autonomous Community of Aragon, and it isregistered in the Registry of Universities, Degrees, and Centers (RUCT) of the Spanish Government’s Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities, under code 50012441.
1990–1991 Academic Year
The first MBA program in Aragón began at CESTE.
In the 1990–91 academic year, CESTE began offering the first MBA in Aragón, a flagship program for any university. This made practical, professional training for the business world accessible to a significant number of young postgraduates and professionals, who no longer had to travel to obtain high-quality education from the country’s top business professionals. And so both the postgraduate and Executive programs were developed. Alongside these programs, others aimed at executives were launched: CADE (Senior Business Management Course), CADF (Senior Financial Management Course), and specialized courses and master’s programs.
2001
CESTE is launching its information technology program.
Working closely with companies enabled CESTE to identify the need to train professionals in what were then known as “New Technologies”—professionals who were attuned to the realities of the business world and could address its challenges. This understanding, combined with direct collaboration in their development, has fostered growth in the innovation departments of various organizations. In June 2000, CESTE launched its training program in New Technologies in partnership with Cisco Systems and its CNAP program.
On that date, CESTE became a Cisco Regional Academy for the Aragón region, enabling it to offer Cisco Networking Academy Program (CNAP) training at its own centers and at Local Academies that would later join the program. In the 2001–2002 academic year, the University of Wales (now the University of Wales Trinity Saint David) granted accreditation for a new degree program: the Bachelor of Science (Honors) in Computer Science (BCS), thereby adding a degree in Computer Science to the existing Business Administration program.
Although CESTE had already obtained accreditation for the MBA from the University of Wales several years ago, due to changes resulting from the implementation of the Bologna Process in higher education, it was recommended that the MBA program be re-accredited by the University of Wales. At the same time, two other programs that had become central to CESTE’s activities were also accredited: the Master’s in Banking and Finance and the Master’s in Communication Technologies. Once recognized by the University of Wales, the three master’s programs received the necessary authorization for their implementation from the Government of Aragon.
The fact is that regulatory changes regarding the delivery of university education in accordance with the university systems of other countries—in this case, the United Kingdom—required us to apply for the necessary authorizations from the Government of the Autonomous Community of Aragon, which has jurisdiction over this matter following the devolution of powers from the Spanish Government to the autonomous communities. These authorizations were granted in all cases where they were requested, and we currently hold them.
2003
The CESTE Foundation is launched.
Ethical conduct in the business world has long been a priority for CESTE, which, in its early years, launched the Seminar on Executive Conduct as a means of fostering reflection, raising awareness, and providing training on this issue. Today, reflection and work on this aspect of professional performance take place not only in the classroom but also through the CESTE Foundation’s Ethiconomics Forum. In 2003, CESTE and the Sagrada Familia School—which is the founding institution of this University Center—decided to create the CESTE Education and Business Foundation, with the aim of channeling through it the activities of general interest carried out by the two educational institutions, thereby strengthening the social dimension of their work.
The Foundation carries out its activities through the following forums: Employability; Information and Communication Technologies; Social and Health Care; Ethiconomics; Education; Finance and Entrepreneurship; Leisure and Tourism; and CESTE People.
2008
We welcome international students.
Since its inception, internationalization has been one of the guiding principles that its Advisory Board sought to embed in its development. And for this reason, first the European Union, and later the rest of the world, has been the focus of special attention at CESTE, to educate its students on the internationalization and globalization of human and economic relations, and to open our programs and classrooms to students from diverse backgrounds—whether Spanish-speaking students from Latin America or those from other regions such as the Russian Federation, Asia, or Africa.
In 2008, CESTE stepped up its commitment to its internationalization plan and began welcoming large groups of international students, transforming life at the school into a multicultural, diverse, and enriching educational experience.
2017
We are launching our online training and blended learning programs.
In 2017, CESTE launched its first fully online programs. It began with finance programs (a tremendously strong area at CESTE) accredited by the Spanish National Securities Market Commission (CNMV), which follow a traditional self-study model where students have access to numerous resources within the platform, such as interactive multimedia content, synchronous virtual classes, and recorded video conferences, as well as individual and group activities and exercises—all of this, of course, with the personalized support that characterizes the CESTE model and expert guidance.
2019
The Master's programs in Banking and Finance and in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence are launching in a hybrid format.
The technology chosen by CESTE made it possible to launch two of its master’s programs in 2019 (Banking and Finance, and Data Science and Artificial Intelligence) in a blended learning format. This proved to be a valuable learning experience for the organization, as it had to transition all in-person training to an online format in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The technology chosen by CESTE, the contribution of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, and above all the commitment of the professionals involved in the online project made it possible to transition all in-person training to an online format in just one weekend—an unprecedented success in the educational sector in our region. Students rated the quality of the tools and class sessions very highly and expressed confidence in how the 2019–2020 school year would be completed academically.
Effective immediately, the CESTE Management Team has decided to extend to all programs the option of pursuing university studies (undergraduate or graduate) in a hybrid format (from home or work, or by attending classes at CESTE).
News
CESTE and the Future
Today, CESTE continues to refine the methodological innovation of its learning processes, drawing on the British university system’s experience to incorporate everything that benefits its students.
Innovation and entrepreneurship are strategic areas that define the present. Support for the strategic development priorities of Aragón, and of other parts of the world where CESTE is establishing a presence, has led this university training center to expand its educational offerings beyond the aforementioned Innovation and Entrepreneurship to include Data Science, Logistics, Cloud Computing, and Tourism and Hospitality—areas of great importance— and in which it will continue to partner with the University of Wales Trinity Saint David for their development.
We continue to grow by expanding into new fields of knowledge and new specializations in sectors that are strategic for Spain and Aragon.
Throughout its history, and today as well, CESTE has a faculty dedicated to its mission and vision, actively collaborating to achieve its goals. These individuals, together with the rest of the professionals at this university center, provide high-quality education aimed at advancing their students’ professional careers, while remaining attentive to the needs of businesses by offering training that equips the business community with executives who possess the right skills—both personally and professionally.
In particular, our future will be shaped by the new demands placed on the professionals we train by both society and businesses, as we strive for educational excellence and continually learn from the best of the best.
Now that you know our story, would you like to learn more about ourtraining programs?