TP Professor, winner of the Global Teacher Prize Chile, will be part of the Technical Professional Advisory Council of Mineduc – Ministry of Education

Thursday November 30, 2023

• Marcelo Cofré Seguel, professor of Automotive Mechanics at the Pueblo Nuevo Polytechnic High School in Temuco, will join on behalf of the teachers in the sector from the next session of the body.

After being awarded the Global Teacher Prize Chile 2023, TP teacher, Marcelo Cofré Seguel, was received at the Ministry of Education by the executive secretary of Professional Technical Secondary Education, Cristian Lincovil, who extended the invitation to him to join the Advisory Council Professional Technician, as representative of the teachers. The objective of the body is to propose the National Strategy for Vocational Technical Training, as well as its update every five years.

Cofré has been a professor of Automotive Mechanics at the Pueblo Nuevo Polytechnic High School in Temuco since 2006, and completed his studies at the same establishment. Between 1997 and 2001, he studied Machinery and Automotive Vehicle Engineering at INACAP, Temuco headquarters, where he also joined as a teacher in the Mechanics Area in 2020.

He was the winner of the last Global Teacher Prize competition in Chile, held this Wednesday, and also recognized as one of the three national winners of the Exceptional Teachers Award from the DaleProfe Foundation and the Kiri Foundation in 2023, with the project “Socioemociónate con el Go Kart Challenge.”

“Professional technical education teachers are a bridge for the development of students, their families and society. That is the beauty of TP education: it opens the doors to be a true contribution to the community and allows not only to provide content to students, but also to develop personal and emotional capacities of boys and girls. It is an honor to join the Advisory Council, to put on the table the wide range of knowledge that the classroom and the workshop provides in daily work, I hope to represent the teachers of Chile in the best possible way,” commented Cofré.

From Mineduc, Cristian Lincovil, highlighted the teacher’s contribution to the comprehensive educational reactivation from his work: “his drive, teaching skills and ability to welcome students has strengthened the work around learning, coexistence, mental health, re-engagement and assistance. We are happy to add Marcelo to the Advisory Council and to have him give us his vision that highlights the importance of a strong and comprehensive professional technical education for the sustainable social and economic development of the country and the territories.”

For her part, Verónica Cabezas, executive director of Choose Educar, highlighted that “Marcelo symbolizes the work of all the teachers who are doing their job every day, and we are happy that the Global Teacher Prize can raise the voices of those who are in technical education.

The Technical Vocational Training Advisory Council is an entity promoted by the Ministry of Education – created in 2016 and established in Law 21,091 on Higher Education of 2018 – to build, together with representatives of public and private organizations, public policy initiatives that strengthen Professional Technical Education, with the purpose of making this training part of the challenges that involve moving towards a new development model.

This instance is led by the Minister of Education, Nicolás Cataldo and has the participation of Jeanette Jara, Minister of Labor and Social Welfare; Nicolás Grau, Minister of Economy, Development and Tourism; Mario Marcel, Minister of Finance; Antonia Orellana, Minister of Women and Gender Equality; Aisén Etcheverry, Minister of Sciences, Knowledge, Technology and Innovation; among other government authorities. In addition, representatives from the public and private spheres participate, which includes unions such as the Production and Commerce Corporation (CPC), Sofofa, the Unitary Central of Workers (CUT), student representatives, holders of technical-professional high schools, rectors of Technical Training Centers and Professional Institutes, and different actors and institutions related to the sector.

The Council’s agreements will be materialized in the National Strategy for Technical and Vocational Training corresponding to the year 2025.