Medical Device Manufacturing promotes Employability and Continuing Education

Evolution Free Zone participated in the Forum “Medical Device Manufacturing, Costa Rica’s main Export Product”.

• This Sector represents a source of employment and constant growth for young, inexperienced people.
• Quality and technological innovation position Costa Rica as a leader in this industry.
• Evolution Free Zone participated in the Forum “Medical Device Manufacturing, Costa Rica’s main Export Product”.

July, 2023. The Medical Device Manufacturing industry improves employability and fosters the training and constant growth of employees. Currently this sector employs around 90 thousand people, who have the tools for continuous training.

Carlos Wong, Managing Director of CODE Development Group , said that one of the main benefits of the medical device industry is the employability it offers, together with the constant training that fosters growth within this sector.

There is a myth regarding employment opportunities in this industry and it is thought that Free Trade Zones only generate jobs for people with a high level of professionalization. The truth is that 80% of the personnel in the medical device manufacturing sector are operators, whose academic requirements are basic; however, the industry breaks with comfort zones and promotes technical training and continuous education to meet the quality and technological innovation demanded by this sector”, Wong explained.

Medical devices manufacturing

Currently, medical devices represent the main export product in the country and its growth is reflected both in the export figures (38%), the existing companies (almost 90), the linkages it generates with the number of suppliers required, as well as the sophistication of the processes and the openness for the recruitment and training of human talent.

The job profiles are 80% manufacturing operators, whose main requirements are based on having the ninth year of high school, and a basic knowledge of English. Their skills are focused on being able to work in sophisticated manufacturing processes. The other 20% are professional profiles in the fields of industrial engineering, operations, finance, human resources, and other areas.

According to Wong, CODE Development Group, developer of the Evolution Free Zone , has focused on strengthening suitable digital training platforms such as “Lumino”, which promote the acquisition of certifications and innovative work methodologies, as well as technical training and dual education programs to promote technical and soft skills and the reinforcement and improvement of English language skills, through strategic alliances with the Ministry of Public Education (MEP), the National Learning Institute (INA) and several universities, so that people in the western region where this Free Trade Zone is located can take advantage of opportunities for decent employment.

Evolution Free Zone will have a significant economic and social impact on the communities of the central canton of Alajuela, as well as San Ramón, Grecia, Atenas, Naranjo, Palmares, Poás, Zarcero and Sarchí, thanks to the generation of jobs.

Today more than 50% of the people in the region have to leave the area to get a job, so we seek to improve the quality of life by providing closer sources of employment that reduce commuting times to the workplace and promote the development of this area of the country,” said Wong.