The private sector claims that it is not enough to invest $10 million in the construction of a technical school if the academic programs are not developed considering the staffing needs of the productive sectors.

The problem of a shortage of technically skilled labor in Panamanian companies will not be resolved if educational programs do not take as a starting point the demands of the productive sector. In the view of Juan Planells, former director of the National Institute of Vocational Training for Human Development (Inadeh), “… creating supply without the consent of this group would be ‘a waste of time.'”

Prensa.com reports that “… The former Minister of Education Juan Bosco Bernal felt that entrepreneurs should take the lead in defining the profile of their employees. At the same time, he explained that there are ways for the private sector to participate in the work of these institutes. One of these is for the ITSE to have a board in which the private sector participates.”

“… Despite the signals from employers, the Education Minister, Marcela Paredes Vasquez highlighted that talks have been held with this private sector on the construction of the ITSE. According to Meduca young people are being prepared in subjects that are required by the business sector such as logistics, health, environment, languages, electronics and autotronics, allowing them to enter the labor market quickly. “

Source: Prensa.com