Dominican Government invests in vocational education to boost economic competitiveness
President Luis Abinader at the inauguration of the Vocational School of the Armed Forces and the Opportunity 14/24 Program in Pedernales, February 2023. (Photo: Presidencia.gob.do)
Santo Domingo.- The Dominican Government is investing heavily in vocational education in an effort to boost the country’s economic competitiveness.
In an article published in a local newspaper, Vice Minister of International Cooperation for the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development Olaya Dotel Caraballo outlined the Government’s initiatives.
Dotel noted that the results of the 2022 PISA test showed significant improvement in all indicators for the Dominican Republic, reversing a historical trend. This improvement, she said, is due in part to the Government’s focus on education, including vocational education.
One of the Government’s challenges is to increase the availability of vocational education. To address this, the Government has conducted three assessments of vocational education centers. The assessments found that 274 centers are in need of equipment, repair, or renovation.
In addition, 239 centers need to hire 856 technical teachers to meet the needs of 2,242 students. Another 68 centers need teacher training, as well as administrative and support staff.
The Government is currently implementing a three-phase plan to strengthen vocational education. The plan includes equipping workshops and laboratories, and incorporating 31 academic schools into the vocational education system.
Vice Minister of International Cooperation for the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development Olaya Dotel Caraballo. (Photo: Presidencia.gob.do)
As part of this effort, the Ministry of Education has published a tender for 102 centers with 232 workshops. The total value of the tender is over RD 3.1 billion, of which 96 centers have already been awarded.
“These investments will ensure real convergence between the education system and a market hungry for quality technical personnel, which will raise the levels of competitiveness of the Dominican economy,” Dotel concluded.