Towards ICT4D in a rural region using robotics to promote technological capability

Costa Rica is a country with more than 800 companies linked to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), but they face a shortage of qualified human resources and most companies are located in the center of the country. In Turrialba, a rural region, a local private initiative proposes alternative solutions that include robotics for improving technology literacy and social and economic development. An additional challenge is decreasing a “brain drain” of Computer Science (CS) graduates who migrate to the center of the country, because of the absence of enough ICT opening jobs in rural areas. In spite of the emigration of skilled workforce, many students want to be admitted in a CS program in Turrialba but admission to it is restricted.