By: Thaís Trapp

Education must be the priority if Brazil is to become more competitive. This is the conclusion arrived at by the participants in the II Digital Leaders Forum: ICT for development, held on October 9th in São Paulo, bringing together leaders from large companies, the government and the third sector. ?Everything is built on education. As long as we have not made education number one amongst the basic needs of the population, we will continue to stall?, said Jorge Gerdau, founding president of the Competitive Brazil Movement (MBC) and president of the Board at the Gerdau Group.

The second forum dealt with the priorities and challenges that need to be identified and dealt with so that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can contribute to Brazil?s development and competitiveness. Based on five central themes ? public management, education, professional training, digital inclusion, and infrastructure ? the forum was the stage for lively debate, interesting proposals and complimentary ideas. ?This is an intelligent debate on the way forward. Using the potential ICT provides us with brings together the efforts of education, training and digital inclusion?, said Gerdau.

All the discussions were bases on the fact that fostering competitiveness in Brazil depends on a quality educational program, which involves access to basic education, professional training, equity and digital ?ascension?. ?At the core of everything is education, as the big problem faced by Brazilian society. It is the base for permanent, stable and competent political growth?, said Maurício Botelho, President of Embraer.

Partnerships between the public and private sectors must boost the country?s capacity for innovation, and make it more competitive on the ICT market. According to Antônio Gil, president of Brasscom, the ICT industry in Brazil will face a demand for over 500,000 new professionals by 2011, about 100,000 of them needing to be completely fluent in English. ?Brazil graduates only 30,000 engineers a year. India graduates 300,000, but only one in three is 100% ready for the job market. ICT will help us graduate more and better professionals through quality distance learning?, said Gil.