The importance of investing in science and technology

Beating stories is always an inspiration to those who follow them. A 20-year-old girl from Luanda, in the state’s northwest, paves the way for her biggest dream: to become an astronaut. This is Andressa Ojeda, a fan of cartoons and video games. She lived in Florida, USA for three years, studying Aeronautical Engineering at the American University, Embry-Riddle.

It’s a shame that she chased after her dreams to leave the country. Andressa’s case shows that due to the lack of investments in science and technology, Brazil, year after year, sees its young talents looking for opportunities in global technological centers.

It should be noted that until the 1970s, Brazil had superior technology compared to China and other countries that today are among the global forces in innovation. After decades of outdated policies, and an educational model that does not include youth involvement in the technology sector, the state is passively watching the transformations of the digital age without any major role.

In the IT sector, IT, blackouts are chronic: there are vacancies, but there is a shortage of qualified workers. A survey conducted by the Brazilian Association of Information Technology Companies (Brascom) revealed that the sector should employ about 420,000 professionals by 2024. Annually, Brazil trains 46,000 people with a technology profile suitable for the IT field. However, Brascom’s forecast indicates that about 70,000 professionals are needed annually to fully fill the vacant positions.

Given the complexity of the technological sector, we often do not realize the importance of these professionals in our daily lives: whether in the manufacture of vaccines, in mobile data transmission, or in the hospital device that saves lives. We’ve reached the point where everything seems to be on two legs in the digital world, and to stay out of this trend is to miss the history train.

It is very important for the country that development policies through science and technology are included as priorities so that in the near future we can keep Andressas here, through the training of our astronauts.

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