The “Gral. Bernardino Caballero” Higher Technical Training Center, linked to the Governing Board of the National Republican Association (ANR), has trained around 20,000 people since it was authorized by the Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC) in 2003. The institution underwent modernization with a total investment of G. 452,967,600, aiming to keep courses free for the public, regardless of political affiliation.
The institute’s director, Luis Servín Blaires, explained that the center has operated continuously since 2001, including during the pandemic. “This institution has been operating since 2001 without interruption, not even during the pandemic did it stop working,” he said. Formal authorization by the MEC came in 2003.
The institute has 16 classrooms and offers two types of training: two-year technical careers, such as Public Relations and Protocol and Business Marketing, and short-term job training courses, such as plumbing, hairdressing, oil painting, and sculpted nails, lasting about three months. “Absolutely nothing is needed other than having completed high school, and it is completely free, no affiliation is required. It is for everyone,” Servín Blaires stressed.
In addition, the center offers free language courses, including English and Mandarin Chinese, in virtual and in-person formats, with 150 students currently enrolled. “Absolutely nothing is charged at the institute,” he emphasized. In the IT area, the classrooms have been fully renovated with new computers and trained teachers.
The institute has signed cooperation agreements with universities to facilitate students’ access to higher education, as well as a partnership with the National System of Job Training and Capacity Building (Sinafocal), linked to the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security (MTESS). “We have cooperation agreements with Sinafocal and we help each other to have a suitable teaching staff,” the director said.
According to Servín Blaires, the short job training courses are in highest demand. As for the technical careers, around 3,500 students have passed through since the beginning. The modernization included painting, new air-conditioning units, and a general overhaul of the 16 classrooms, with a total investment of G. 452,967,600.
The director stressed the importance of education, quoting the founder of the Colorado Party, General Bernardino Caballero, who reportedly said: “A country that does not enjoy the benefits of education can never be a free country.” The current administration of President Horacio Cartes, he said, prioritizes education.