This year, and for the first time since the FIE was created in 2010, the call for applications was made at a national level. Schools from the 16 regions of the country applied for amounts ranging between $10 and $25 million chilean pesos to finance their initiatives.
Claudio Lara, coordinator for the Strengthening of Educational Initiatives, highlighted the high interest of the schools in participating: “Despite the intense end of the year that the educational communities had, around 25% of all the professional technical schools in Chile applied to the FIE 2021. This is very positive because it indicates that the schools want to work with us and that we are on the right track. We are convinced that promoting the access of TP students to higher education is fundamental to improve the life trajectories of them and their families”.
The establishments could apply for two types of projects. On the one hand, Initiation projects, presented by a single establishment, whose funding amount ranges between $10 and $15 million chilean pesos. Secondly, collaborative projects, submitted by two or three educational establishments together. In this case, the amount of funding available to the initiatives was between $15 and $25 million chilean pesos.
In addition, the initiatives could respond to one of the following themes: Development of socio-emotional and/or 21st century skills; Vocational guidance; Leveling of learning and general competencies for entry to higher education; Projects aimed at recognizing prior learning; and Internships and certifications.
The FIE evaluation team is currently selecting the winning projects, which will be announced in the second half of January. In total, between 20 and 30 winning projects are expected to be selected, among which a fund of $500 million chilean pesos will be distributed.