Punta Cana, DR.– At the XVI Congress of Municipal Finances and Fourth Industrial Revolution of the Dominican Federation of Municipal Districts (FEDODIM), Rafael Santos Badía, Director General of the Institute of Technical and Professional Training (Infotep), proposed an alliance with municipal governments to enhance development through technical and professional training.
Santos Badía suggested that municipal districts adopt the training agenda to not only improve municipal employee performance but also train local citizens in technical skills. Under his leadership, Infotep has established 10 training centers in previously underserved districts, including La Mata de Santa Cruz, Palo Verde de Montecristi, and others in the provinces of Monseñor Nouel and Hermanas Mirabal.
The strategy includes creating community centers around major technology hubs like those in Salcedo and Bonao. This approach aims to expand access to training and improve employment opportunities nationwide.
Santos Badía emphasized the importance of technical training in adapting to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which will bring job displacement but also higher-quality jobs requiring new skills. He advocated for promoting training in fields such as electrical work, plumbing, tailoring, software design and cybersecurity in municipal districts.
“There will be displacements, job losses, and other higher-quality jobs will be gained that accelerate development, but for that, people need to be trained, to have technical training, in a country where not everyone who enrolls manages to finish university,” he said.
For Santos Badía, it is necessary to promote and encourage, as developed countries have done, Technical and Professional Training to enable people to perform good jobs.
He also urged municipal directors to leverage artificial intelligence and robotics to enhance local management, suggesting collaborative efforts among districts to fund these technologies. Additionally, he recommended the use of smart trucks for waste management and recycling, and smart traffic lights in high-traffic areas to improve local management.