The Instituto Nacional de Aprendizaje (INA), or National Learning Institute, recognized this week its inability to train the number of technicians needed to meet demand in the business sector.
“It’s utopian to consider that in one or two years we are going to be able to cover these necessities,”
Carlos Sequeira, INA Executive President, told business leaders.
“As a country, development hit us and we weren’t prepared,” Mr Sequeira admitted.

“It is totally impossible for the INA to satisfy the demand that, for example, the construction sector has today.”
In an activity organized in conjunction with the Unión de Cámaras y Asociaciones de la Empresa Privada (UCCAEP) in San José, business asked for the formation of more technicians, especially in the fields of technical drawing, electrics, plumbing, and maintenance.
Carlos Lizama, President of the Asociación Costarricense de Profesionales de Turismo (ACOPROT), said that hotels for example are having difficulty finding qualified personnel like cooks.
Edgardo Montoya, President of the Comité de Recursos Humanos de la Cámara Costarricense Norteamericana de Comercio, spoke of the shortage of workers specialized in public care.
Business heads also expressed upset because 70 per cent of the INA budget comes from their contributions, which totaled 33 million colones (about $66,000) last year.
“One doesn’t see this percentage returning to us as an investment, “said Mr Montoya.” The INA has surplus of 40 billion colones (about $80 million) that, because of the law, can only be spent on infrastructure and not on training.”
Moreover, business said INA the courses being offered must be more in tune with available labor.
“There is a separation between the necessities of the sector and the preparation of the sector and the preparation of INA offers,” said Shirley Saborío executive Director of the UCCAEP.
Mr  Sequeira said that training technicians in English is not the exclusive field of INA, which currently gives 15,000 courses. Authorities have recognized many are now obsolete.
“Totally true,” she said. “Those areas are identified. The bulk of the businesses don’t need them, but two or three of the little businesses ask for them.  It isn’t fair, that if someone is receiving courses, the training is being cut.”
Businesses said their demands are based on market realities and sustained because the country needs to be more competitive.