New educational offerings in response to national development: Agroindustrial Engineering

Costa Rica is suffering a process of change in its national economy where agriculture is still an important part of the National Gross Product (GDP) and an inseparable part of the national economy. The current including of added value and the transformation of the raw material from the primary agricultural sector is taking a privileged position. Currently, in this sector the most of the production only receives postharvest treatment in packing plants and in the production of frozen fruit pulps. Through this article it is intended to highlight the need of the country and specifically the Northern Region to have professionals in agro industry, sector that plays an important role but is not developed properly due to the lack of critical human resource that conditioned the changes in the area and in the country. That is why the career of Agro industrial Engineering at the Regional Campus in San Carlos will be key to boosting the agribusiness sector. This proposal also responds to entrepreneurship and the close links it has with the social and productive sectors the Technological Institute of Costa Rica (TEC), an institution that since its creation has contributed to the development of the country, is constantly seeking for academic excellence, from a perspective of a quality state university with a clear national and international competitiveness. With this commitment, from the TEC it was developed a proposal based on an extensive literature review, market research, analysis of production and exports in the region, to propose a tailored curricular offers that meets the needs of the region and country.