Burgeoning tech ecosystems can be seen emerging in many places across Latin America.
Through greater investment in R&D and education, and by encouraging a tech-enabled society, LatAm can be said to be coming into its own within the tech industry. The region counted 26 unicorns last year, and in Mexico alone, the economy stands to gain more than $245 billion in cumulative GDP thanks to its digital growth from 2018 to 2025.
This has helped to increase the region’s economic prosperity, driving infrastructure development and advancing innovation and its adoption. The key missing piece, however, is for the region to make sure that all segments of the populace know how to wield the technology that will continue to shape their societies more and more.
A handful of players have stepped forward taking the initiative to help drive education in this regard. Among them, the Mexican last-mile logistics platform Cargamos is a very notable example. Cargamos is answering this call to action with its recent launch of the Educa initiative: a free programming boot camp that helps to train young people and adults in the development of applications and digital solutions.
Let’s take a look at how the program is providing LatAm with the tools that the region needs to continue its push toward digitalization and the business benefits that come from it.
Training LatAm For Its Digital Future
LatAm’s technology sector had a hallmark year in 2021 and is expected to grow tenfold in the next decade. Cargamos’ Educa program is aimed at tapping into this growth potential by offering a more equal opportunity to digital-savvy for the people of LatAm—providing the education necessary to fulfill roles in the tech sector.
Their programming “boot camp” is in collaboration with Silabuz.com, an online education platform, and the Focolare Movement, a foundation that works to catalyze unity worldwide. Silabuz provides the online digital learning platform for the program and The Focolare Movement supplies the physical school classrooms, required equipment, and a tutor who understands basic computer needs.
For every 20 adults who take the boot camp, the initiative also awards a scholarship to 20 children so that they can continue with their studies. Students’ education includes how to create web pages, eCommerce and web applications, and many other high-complexity technological skills that are in high demand in the global market.
The end goal is for students to develop innovative projects where they apply everything they have learned and allocate it into their own capstone portfolio of work. This inspires confidence in students’ own capabilities, giving them trust in themselves to think quickly on their feet and feel prepared to enter the ever-evolving tech industry.
There are no contingencies for those that want to apply, and no prior knowledge is required. The course is currently being offered in Mexico and Guatemala, helping to train young people and adults in the most relevant digital training for the technological era that is 2022.
Patching Existing Disparities
Although mobile penetration in LatAm is incredibly far-reaching, other technology evolutions aren’t quite keeping pace. This makes for increasing disparities in the business economy and a widening gap of poverty within the population as technology quickly becomes a prerequisite for access to a better life.
In Mexico alone, a survey of 500 companies in the country revealed that approximately 65% are looking for talent in careers related to technology—making digital development and education imperative for the future of the region.
Through Cargamos’ Educa program, adults’ skill sets who are in existing roles in the job market can be improved—helping them to provide themselves with a better future. At the same time, the program bolsters the education of the next generation of LatAm, giving them the digital tools they need.
If you want to bolster your own skillset in the world of programming while also helping a young person in need get their chance in the fast-paced technology industry, check out Cargamos’ official website to get involved with the Educa program.
Disclosure: This article mentions a client of an Espacio portfolio company.
