The Costa Rica – United States Cooperation Foundation (CRUSA), the Costa Rican Coalition for Development Initiatives (CINDE), the North American Cultural Center – through its Education USA office, and the United States Embassy yesterday announced five scholarship opportunities for students at Costa Rica’s Technical Professional Associations (CTP) and public schools that are part of the International Baccalaureate program to study at a vocational or community college in the U.S.

Five scholarships will be awarded in 2017, and starting in 2018 – and for four years, there will be seven scholarships per year offered. The total budget of the initiative is US$1.45 million, said the U.S. Embassy.

The beneficiaries will study in a vocational training center or community college in the United States, and will be able to complement their training with internships in companies that have operations in Costa Rica, whose headquarters are located in the United States.

Applications by students in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) will begin to be received at the end of July thanks to this new Dr. Ana Sittenfeld Technical Training Scholarship Program.

Each scholarships includes full tuition, books and materials, health insurance, and living expenses, for a total of $41,429.00 per student, per year, said the embassy.

“The alliance we have formed between CRUSA, CINDE and the embassy will benefit those who wish to undertake technical study programs in the United States, and which will aid with the shortage of labor in Costa Rica,” said U.S. Ambassador S. Fitzgerald Haney, who explained that the embassy’s commercial section will select at least 20 U.S. community colleges that teach accredited programs related to the STEM areas, and that are the careers that CINDE recommends to meet the needs of the Costa Rican private sector.

The multinational companies attracted by CINDE generate an average of seven thousand new jobs per year. For the period 2018-2022, these companies estimate requiring staff for approximately 35 thousand new positions.

To fulfill this demand, U.S. companies with operations in Costa Rica will be seeking bilingual technicians in specialized areas such as quality control, manufacturing design and related processes, software development, financial analysis, mechanics and mechatronics (technology combining electronics and mechanical engineering), language skills, and technology and systems management, among others.

According to Luis Gamboa, President of CINDE, “Joint efforts like this are of great value for Costa Rica. Undoubtedly, strengthening human resources is one of the highest priorities for strengthening our country’s competitiveness in key industries, while at the same time, this translates into great opportunities for personal and professional growth for Costa Ricans.”