Education and infrastructure are key factors in the development of more professionals in the technology sector in Latin America.
Companies in Latin America 2.5 million is required Technical experts, said Valtensir Mendes, Head of Education at UNESCO’s Regional Office of Education for Latin America and the Caribbean. He did just that during the LAC ICT Talent Summit in Bogota.
There is a shortage of professionals in this area The ‘big’ digital and learning skills crisis Mendes said that in the region.
Daniel Noboa and Javier Milei fragment the regional team
More than 500 people from 22 Latin American countries gathered in the Colombian capital for discussions. The role of education in developing digital skillsChallenges to Digitization and Keys to Promoting an Inclusive and Equitable Economy
The meeting was organized by Huawei, UNESCO, APC, GIZ and EFE Agency.
The problem of education
In Latin America “there’s a lot of fragmentation, there’s a lot of staff turnover in ministries of education, and with every government we have a New Education Program“Mendis explained with reference to regional problems.
Precisely, on December 5, 2023, the eighth edition of the PISA report was published. Poor results of Latin American countries in education. Students rBelow average results Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries
“At Huawei, we try to do our best in this challenge New technologies“said the vice president of public relations for Latin America of the technology company Cesar Funes.
The “grain of sand” he refers to includes programs to close the gender gap and recruit young people into the tech industry.
One of them Seeds for the futureA competition designed for the youth to learn about the latest trends in digitization and explore how digital technologies can be addressed Common social problems.
“We want to continue to foster an ecosystem that is absolutely thriving for the development of digital talent in the region.”
Cesar Funes, Huawei
Strengthen digital competence
Faced with this panorama, Fuentes highlighted Education and continuous learning is required Digital skills, he says, allow him to “gain a thorough understanding of topics and avoid falling into information bubbles.”
is also highlighted Difficulties in basic education is The ‘Achilles’ heel of technological development.
“There are many aspects of the problem Two languages and certain special skillsWe need to focus on this, but the question is how to do it in the population He didn’t learn the basicssaid Claudia Uribe, Director of the UNESCO Regional Office of Education for Latin America and the Caribbean in Chile.
Summit participants agreed on the need to strengthen digital skills and promote technological development in the Latin America and Caribbean region. The talent is there, but it is not encouraged.
Invest in infrastructure
Another important issue is to strengthen digital skills and promote technological development connectionIn the words of Saul Kattan, Advisor to the President of Colombia’s Digital Transformation, these objectives must be met.
“We have to start from the beginning, by having good technical infrastructure, by having connectivity, in many of our countries, There is no connectivity in many areas (…) For example, in Colombia, today half of the citizens have no internet or very poor internet,” he said.
In the case of Ecuador, hardly 33% of households ensure that they have technological equipmentThat is, a computer, laptop or tablet, according to the Information and Communication Technologies Survey, National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC).
The figure is lower in rural areas, where only 17% of households have these devices.
About him Internet accessAnswer Two-thirds of Ecuadorian households are positive. However, in Less than half of households in rural areas Access that service.
Development of the link should be done hand in hand Digital security In the “unsafe” environment they are in Hacking companies, citizens and governments The world goes on,” Kattan added.
For his part, Huawei’s Head of Communications and Public Affairs, Jeff Wang, highlighted that. Investment in infrastructureHe believes that industrial revolution 4.0 and digital talent Drivers of growth.
