Viewpoint: Brazil’s education challenge

Eduardo Gomez – BBC, 04/16/2012

Brazil has seen real progress in widening education access for its children

As an emerging nation striving to strengthen its economy, Brazil is making serious investment in scientific education.

Seeking to build a skilled and productive workforce, President Dilma Rousseff has made a point of expanding programmes that encourage families to enrol their children into schools.

She has also launched initiatives, such as the Science Without Borders programme, which aims to send thousands of students to universities abroad, including the US.

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Brazil’s growth engine requires fuel of skilled labour

Adrian Saldanha – Financial Post, 04/03/2012

Brazil is home to one of the world’s fastest-growing emerging markets. From commodities to food exports to aircraft manufacturing to oil exploration, the South American powerhouse is experiencing an unprecedented economic boom.

The flourishing economy has provided Brazil with an enviably low unemployment rate. But growth has also presented the country with some big challenges – and education may be the biggest. Brazil’s hot job market is attracting plenty of skilled workers from outside the country’s borders. But Brazil is only now emerging from great poverty and inequality, and its public education system has so far been unable to produce enough skilled labour to meet the demand.

“Businessmen will say to you that it’s the biggest problem we have,” says Dr. Helen Joyce, Brazil bureau chief for The Economist. “[They] cannot pick qualified staff – the labour turnover is horrendous here.”

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Brazil to facilitate work visas for foreign professionals

Ben Tavener – Rio Times, 01/17/2012

Brazil's Ministry of Work permitted over 51,000 people to work between January and September in 2011, up 32 percent, photo by The Rio Times.

The Brazilian government is looking to change the way its immigration policy is oriented towards highly-skilled foreign professionals wanting to work in the country. Some commentators say that Brazil wants to lure skilled workers from Europe made unemployed in the economic downturn, at the same time as a crackdown against illegal workers has also been announced.

If recommendations from a presidential advisory group are followed, highly-qualified foreign workers could be given VIP visa treatment.

The experts say existing rules for skilled migrants are too strict, and that there is too much bureaucracy for applicants while proving their eligibility in the work visa process.

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