CATIE encourages professional updating of its personnel

• An initiative will allow CATIE's technical and academic staff to train in its postgraduate programs.

As part of an initiative of CATIE's General Directorate to strengthen the capacities of technical and academic personnel, a group of collaborators will have the opportunity to receive a scholarship to study for a master's or doctoral degree at the Graduate School.

Dr. Luis Pocasangre, Director General of CATIE, explained that “the objective of this administration is to favor colleagues who have worked at CATIE for years and that we can support them in pursuing their PhD. We have also identified middle management personnel with the potential to do their master's degrees and we want to facilitate this process”.

The programs to which the selected persons will be admitted are the International Academic Master's Degree in Agroforestry and Sustainable Agriculture and the Doctorate of Science in Agriculture and Natural Resources. In March of this year, one person began his lessons in the master's program and three more people will join in June to study for the doctorate.

The selection is made by consensus by the Human Development Office, the Dean's Office of the Graduate School and the Master's Coordination, with the authorization of the General Direction. Candidates must meet the requirements for the program to which they are applying and pass the evaluation process carried out by the coordination of the master's or doctoral program. For the time being, scholarships will only be granted to personnel from CATIE's headquarters in Costa Rica.

The dean of the Graduate School, Dr. Alfredo Zamarripa, commented that “for our institution it is of great importance that its personnel have the highest academic degree possible, that they have the current technical tools to face the climatic and technical challenges and challenges of the agri-food system and natural resources. This is a win-win initiative.

He also stressed that the Graduate School has the highest standards of educational quality, certified by SINAES, so it is appropriate to offer staff the opportunity to grow professionally in this renowned school, the first to offer graduate programs in Agricultural Sciences in Latin America and the Caribbean.