Although salaries vary according to individual performance and socio-emotional skills, Sáez assures that there are cases of graduates starting with incomes close to $2,500, especially in specialized technical areas. The process to appoint a new educational manager remains on the agenda. The institution, according to its acting manager, responded with information delivery levels ranging from 95% to 98%, which allowed requests to be met on time without paralyzing academic activities. The audit, which recently concluded, now enters the report-writing phase. She assures that, despite the media episodes surrounding the departure of the previous educational manager and tensions with the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), the institution did not deviate from its mission of forming technical talent with quality standards. “Sometimes we get carried away by the media part,” she reflects, while insisting that the institutional course has remained intact. As will be recalled, last year the former director of ITSE responded to the statements of the Minister of Economy and Finance, Felipe Chapman, regarding the entity's low budget execution with a phrase that marked the controversy: “You can't give change if the money doesn't run out.” The Audit. The change in the educational management coincided with an audit process by the Comptroller General of the Republic of Panama, which added pressure to the administration. Meanwhile, the current interim administration seeks to consolidate a narrative centered on stability and institutional projection. For Sáez, the value of ITSE lies in three axes: social transformation, relevant training, and strengthening trust in students. Sáez recognized that, like many public entities, ITSE faces financial limitations in a complex national context. Its budget for this year was $21 million. The strategy, she explains, involves expanding the offering of continuing education, strengthening ties with the private sector, and diversifying income sources. “We will always require funds, but it is time to reinvent ourselves,” she states, alluding to the need for adaptation in the education sector. In this process, the backing of international organizations is key. The interim management of the Technical and Specialized Higher Institute (ITSE) is sustained, according to its acting educational manager, Suzanne Sáez — who assumed the position after replacing Milena Gómez — on a central idea: continuity. In the midst of administrative changes and public questioning, the institution has sought to keep the planned academic and operational projects running, relying —she says— on a team of experienced professionals and a governance structure that supports strategic decisions. Sáez defines ITSE as a “country project” that transcends circumstances. It will be the Comptroller who is in charge of officially submitting the findings, which, according to Sáez, must be interpreted as an opportunity for improvement in an institution that is still in the process of consolidation. The scope of the review included key aspects such as budget execution, administrative management, fund handling, accounting records, and staff hiring processes. The projection, according to Sáez, points to an annual increase of between 30% and 35%, which forces the expansion of physical and technological capabilities in the short term. Academic Offer. One of the emphases of this new stage is the consolidation of the School of Industrial Technology and the expansion of areas such as digital innovation. The decision will rest with the ITSE's board of directors through a public contest, whose opening is scheduled for this year. ITSE has financing from the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, structured in phases that combine academic strengthening, institutional governance, and equipment. The total loan amounts to 75 million dollars, of which a first phase of 15 million is already being executed. Sáez describes that moment as “challenging,” due to the need to sustain the academic operation while attending to the requirements of the supervisory body. For 112 days, a team of nine auditors and a supervisor reviewed the ITSE's internal processes. These resources are mainly destined to equip technical schools, improve facilities, and respond to the sustained growth in student enrollment, which currently exceeds 4,400 students. The institutional growth is also reflected in its staff, which reaches 505 employees. “ITSE transforms stories,” she affirms, highlighting the impact of technical education on young people with limited resources who find in this institution a path to social mobility. “It is an institutional X-ray,” summarizes the official, who maintains that ITSE remained open to scrutiny. The Budget. In parallel, the debate on the budget continues to be a latent issue. In the face of this, she poses the need to move towards self-management schemes. Programs linked to cybersecurity, data science, programming, and artificial intelligence are among the most demanded by the labor market. In line with this, ITSE has established alliances with actors in the technology sector such as Oracle and projects agreements with Google, with the objective of aligning academic training with the needs of the industry and increasing the employability of its graduates. To date, the institution reports around 300 graduates.
