How do you visualize the technology industry in Uruguay?
Uruguay's technology industry is in an ideal moment to grow exponentially, with exports to more than 52 countries and adding new destinations every year, for example in Asia and Africa. It is already a mature industry that is consolidating in all areas, from the professionalization of business management, to the incorporation of Research and Development areas for the creation of new advanced technological solutions.
What are your main challenges that you perceive in the industry?
The main challenges we face are the creation of intellectual property, which allows us to generate economies of scale and the international positioning of our industry so that companies can grow more and more.
One of the problems that companies in the industry often have to face is the lack of talent. How do you think this situation should be addressed at a national level?
Cuti has been working for years to raise awareness, so that young people can see what job opportunities exist in the industry that is transforming the world. At the same time we work side by side with the academy, explaining our needs so that they have the most appropriate training at different levels.
Today we need more engineers, analysts, programmers, but also more masters and doctorates. On the other hand, other professions such as economists, mathematicians, statisticians, other engineering, accountants, psychologists, etc. are needed.
We are also working on a program called Jacarandá, which we are launching together with the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining (Miem) and Antel, to take development teams to the whole country and nurture them with local resources, trained in the different careers that are already established in the interior of the country.
The focus of the Jóvenes a Programar program is to bring more talent into the industry. How is it working? Do you see a positive change in the industry?
Jóvenes a Programar (JaP) is a project of Plan Ceibal, the Cuti and the IDB that seeks to start attracting talent to the industry, it is a first step for young people to know how companies in the sector work. Now we are in the process of incorporating the first generation of graduates.
With JaP it was perceived that there are many young people interested in the industry and that it is important to work on attractive proposals for all of them.
In addition to this program, Cuti with the support of Inefop started this year with B_IT, a 100% online training project in which students have training courses to work in the industry.
What projects are ahead of you in your new role as president?
In this new directive that I preside, we have proposed to focus our efforts on internationalization. The industry has demonstrated its exporting vocation, however, we need to work so that more companies reach international markets and, those that are already there, consolidate and grow at higher rates than the current ones. Also in innovation, our companies are already working in Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Robotics, Genetics, Virtual Reality, Blockchain, among others, but we see that it is important to establish processes that allow the creation of intellectual property to then scale to other markets.
Profile:
Leonardo Loureiro
He holds a degree in Computer Engineering from the Universidad de la República and an MBA from the Universidad Católica del Uruguay. In addition to chairing Cuti, he is the International Business Development Manager at Quanam and a professor at Universidad ORT Uruguay.
Source: El Gallito - El País
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