Educación Plus promotes access to employment for young people in Costa Rica
The Vocational Training Workshops project trains 450 young people
Current Project
Costa Rica, with a service-based economy and a well-established tourism market, faces growing social and educational inequality. On the one hand, there is a growing demand for professionals with computer skills, proficiency in a second language, especially English, and the skills and abilities needed by tourism. However, public educational institutions are unable to meet this need, creating an insurmountable barrier for people who cannot afford private education.
This is the reality faced by many vulnerable young people, most of whom live in abject poverty in marginal urban neighborhoods. These young people, aged between 12 and 17, are at high risk of dropping out of school and, in many cases, survive on a family income of less than one dollar a day.
Aware of this problem, Educación Plus works with children and young people in high-risk social situations, offering them development and training opportunities. But its Vocational Training Workshops project goes one step further: its goal is to help these teenagers enter the job market.
To achieve this, 450 students are going to attend quarterly workshops that will enable them to develop the technical and soft competencies they need to quickly join the Costa Rican job market in three areas:
- Construction: training in carpentry, welding, steelwork, and residential electrical work.
- Food and drink: training in kitchen skills for restaurants and hotels, as well as a course in food handling.
- Services: training in the use of Office software.
In addition, they all receive a nine-month block of English language classes.
Educación Plus is a physical, safe, and stable space where young people learn and undertake practical activities and workshops that complement their previous schooling. This environment supports career guidance, strengthens personal development, and promotes an entrepreneurial spirit.
The home-school-community relationship also helps establish role models who serve as support systems for both the young person and the organization, thereby benefiting the entire community.