Companies wishing to participate in the program must submit a proposal and meet eligibility requirements.

San Jose, October 13, 2023. The Ministry of Foreign Trade (COMEX) and the Foreign Trade Promotion Agency of Costa Rica (PROCOMER) have launched an incentive to enhance the development of Costa Rican human talent and foster the generation of skills that meet the demands of businesses.

The incentive, established since the enactment of the Free Trade Zone Regime Law, in Article 21, subsection a), which allows for assistance in the training of workers, both current and potential, within the Free Trade Zone Regime, was launched on the afternoon of October 12 and was attended by representatives from more than 150 global companies. Present at the launch were Laura López Salazar, General Manager of PROCOMER; Juan Pablo Jiménez Murillo, Director of Investment at COMEX; as well as representatives from the National Institute of Learning (INA) and the Ministry of Labor and Social Security (MTSS).

The project, aimed at addressing training needs associated with knowledge-intensive industries with high specialization demands, involves co-financing for companies in the free trade zone that invest in closing the training and updating needs of their current and prospective employees.

“Reactivating the economy is a comprehensive task that involves not only attracting and retaining foreign direct investment but also ensuring that companies can have the skilled human talent to meet their expectations, and that’s why we are offering them various alternatives. This is one of those responses,” stated Manuel Tovar, Minister of Foreign Trade, who added that this effort is part of the foreign investment attraction strategy, as it seeks to ensure that Costa Rican talent has options to adapt to the changing conditions of the workplace.

“PROCOMER, as the national agency for export promotion and the attraction of foreign direct investment, developed this initiative to strengthen human talent and promote the expansion of investment already established in the country, generating high-quality employment – especially among women and in areas outside the Greater Metropolitan Area, where there are greater disparities. For this, it is crucial that companies have access to specialized talent,” added Laura López, General Manager of PROCOMER.

This initiative enhances the competitiveness of the country, as it provides a concrete response to accelerate the pace at which training and education needs that arise daily, related to new practices, methodologies, and tools introduced by technology applied to various industries, are addressed.

Companies interested in this initiative must submit a single project, which will be evaluated based on eligibility requirements, including the project’s impact on the development and specialization of national talent.

For more information, please contact the email [email protected].