Scholarships Provide Pathways to Fulfilling Careers
The USAID-funded Advance Program helps young people in Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Jamaica gain in-demand skills to build careers they like.
Across Latin America and the Caribbean, there is a disconnect between higher education and local labor market demand.
To address this gap, USAID developed the Advance Program—implemented by FHI 360 in the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, and Jamaica. The program conducts labor market assessments, updates technical education programs at 11 higher education institutions, and creates viable career pathways for young people as they graduate and transition to the labor force.
Over the past eight years, Advance provided 504 scholarships to young people in vulnerable conditions; trained 1,161 faculty and staff in content and pedagogy; and connected 4,880 students to internships, skills training, entrepreneurship workshops, and employer visits.
The following stories were created by USAID’s Leading Through Learning Global Platform to highlight successful and replicable approaches to higher education that put disadvantaged youth on a path to financial stability and fulfilling careers.
Jose in Guatemala
Matching Personal Passion to the Local Economy
In Guatemala, José Jacobo Lorenzo Nicolas needed a pathway that allowed him to continue his studies while helping his family. Like most people in his town of Santa Eulalia, where José lives with his parents and five siblings, José speaks Q’anjob’al at home and learned Spanish as a second language.
José is enthusiastic about agriculture. That enthusiasm grew when he found out the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC) agricultural engineering program became more practical and relevant to the market after its curriculum was revised through Advance. José received an Advance scholarship to study with the USAC program, concentrating on fruit cultivation.
Because the scholarship covered his tuition and other expenses, José was able to save money to start a greenhouse on his father’s land, where he grows green beans, tomatoes, bell peppers, and jalapeño peppers. The vegetable bounty provides him and his family with a new source of income.
José has since completed his technical degree and is working toward a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering. He hopes to keep learning new skills and languages and one day buy his own land where he can build a house.
In Guatemala, José Jacobo Lorenzo Nicolas received a USAID-supported Advance scholarship to study agricultural engineering and support his family.
Chapin Files for Advance/FHI 360
Primary Text[I plan to] find a job that allows me to be self-sufficient and support my parents,” José says. "I am thankful for support from the USAID and FHI 360 Advance scholarship, which allowed me to continue my studies.
Yomary used the Advance Scholarship to pursue a nursing degree at the Instituto Técnico Superior Comunitario in the Dominican Republic.
Cerebrum, Comunicación Estratégica 360 - Franco Brazobán for Advance/FHI 360
Primary Text“Fight for your dreams. There are opportunities.” - Yomary's message for other young people.
Yomary in the Dominican Republic
Opening Doors to Higher Education
When Yomary Bratini Kelly began the nursing program at the Instituto Técnico Superior Comunitario in the Dominican Republic, she struggled to balance her studies with work to pay for tuition.
“I used to sell quipes” (deep-fried snacks filled with minced meat) “and I would get up at 4 a.m. to prepare the quipes, then go to my institute to take classes,” Yomary recalls.
She had to borrow a friend’s laptop to complete assignments and at times could not afford the bus fare to class. The pandemic worsened her situation, as classmates were no longer willing to share their computers or study together.
Yomary’s scholarship package covered not only the cost of tuition, but a laptop, internet access, transportation, and other materials. The absence of any of these essential resources could have derailed her career path.
“The program arrived, and they embraced me,” Yomary says. “I can now count on my own computer.”
She no longer had to plan around friends’ study schedules. She can focus on school instead of splitting her time to sell food in the outdoor markets.
Yomary will graduate as a nurse in November 2023.
Olvin in Honduras
Designing Your Own Future
In Honduras, Olvin Danery Torres Osorio received an Advance scholarship to study web design and development at a Tegucigalpa campus of Centro Universitario Tecnológico (CEUTEC), a private school he otherwise would not have been able to afford.
“For me and my family, it was a huge support … because the program I wanted to study wasn’t available at a public school," says Olvin.
In addition to providing funds for tuition and living expenses, the Advance Program exposed Olvin to promising career paths.
As part of his web design program, Olvin completed practical training at an advertising agency, which gave him valuable work experience.
Now a CEUTEC graduate, he works at a software company and dreams of starting his own business one day.
Primary Text“I want to thank the Advance scholarship program for funding my studies and allowing me to find this great field, which I hadn’t known about,” says Olvin. “This is something I am passionate about. It’s wonderful to be able to work in a field you like.”
Tashana in Jamaica
Ensuring Success in Today’s Job Market
In Jamaica, an Advance scholarship helped Tashana Golding become the first person in her family to go to college. Despite hardship, Tashana was always determined to learn.
“Education means a pathway to freedom, and that’s all I had growing up,” she remembers. “I envisioned myself at the next level of education, and I applied for the scholarship to live my vision.”
Tashana completed an Associates Degree of Applied Science in health and wellness tourism at Excelsior Community College in Kingston. The school is part of the Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica, one of the partner institutions Advance worked with to better align curriculum with the current labor market.
In the Advance-revised course, Tashana developed skills in marketing, sales, and event management—all skills she uses in her current job on a cruise ship.
“My role is to plan and host beauty events [on the ship]. I also do skin consultations and presentations about beauty and wellness.” Tashana works with international brands such as Chanel, Christian Dior, and Lancôme.
In Jamaica, an Advance scholarship helped Tashana gain the marketing, sales, and event management skills she uses in her current job on a cruise ship.
Superb Digital Productions for Advance/FHI 360
Primary Text“This is a big accomplishment for me. Looking back at where I am coming from, to where I am now, [I’m] grateful,” she says.