When Brenda Salas He graduated in 2011 as a professional in Software Development at the Technological Institute of the Americas (ITLA), he immediately got a job in a Dominican industrial company that, according to what he said, was “captivated” with his knowledge of technology.
Salas studied at ITLA thanks to a scholarship from the center’s continuing education program and its training It has allowed him to gain experience in the industrial area, in software and in the development of cybersecurity, in addition to receiving international job offers that exceed $3,000 in salaries.
Brenda’s case is only a sample of the same experience that thousands of people can relate. Dominican youth what do they see in him ITLA an opportunity to develop professionally outside of the commonly occupied academic areas offered by Dominican universities.
However, despite the success of its graduates, the ITLA goes through an episode of contrasts. While the institution celebrates, through its portal, historical records of graduates and a major territorial expansionits institutional reputation is shaken by scandals of alleged corruption and the recent dismissal of its owner, Rafael Happy Garcia.
Despite the recent administrative turbulence, the entity remains one of the driving forces of training technique in the country. According to data from the Presidency of the Republic and reports of the 18th and 19th graduations held at the end of 2025, the institution has reached an approximate cumulative 6,519 graduates since its foundation in 2000.
During the year 2025 alone, the institute launched 1,012 new technicians into the labor market, which is the highest number in its 25-year history. This success that the institution exposes means that 87% of its graduates manage to enter the labor market almost immediately, as highlighted by its portal of transparency.
Expansion and offer
The academic offer of the institution has grown to respond to demands, not only from the Dominican Republic, but also internationally.
Currently, the institute teaches 16 technical careersamong which the recently created career of Semiconductorsdriven after the decree No. 324-24 which declared the microchip industry a national priority.
He curriculum of the entity includes:
- Software Development
- Artificial intelligence
- Data Science
- Cybersecurity
- Computer Forensics
- Information Networks
- Multimedia
- Mechatronics
- Automated Manufacturing
- Medical Devices
- Renewable Energies
- Industrial Design
- Sound
- Video games
- Telecommunications
To bring this offer to the provinces, the institution went from operating only in its headquarters in Boca Chica to establishing 12 technology centers in Santo Domingo North (Mama Tingó Metro station) and Este (Culture Stop).
Inside, the institution has extensions in SantiagoSan Francisco de Macorís, Cotuí, Bonao, San Pedro de Macorís, Nagua, Monte Plata, Pedernales and Moca.
The scandals
However, despite the promising academic offer and the achievements of ITLAthe center has recently been marred by issues that go beyond the educational sphere and that have put the policy above the training.
The past January 23 President Luis Abinader issued the decree 39-26dismissing the rector Rafael Felizalthough without publicly explaining the reasons to date.
The measure came after complaints about an alleged scheme to collect “political quotas“According to testimonies collected by journalist Nuria Piera, high-level employees were required to contribute between 5 and 10% of their salaries to finance the political movement of the then rector.
Happy Garcia rejected the accusations through a public letter on Monday, alleging that his assets are justified by bank loans and requesting an audit by the Accounts Chamber to clear his name.
Before that, in 2024a student recorded a video in which he denounced several shortcomings at the center, which included damaged air conditioners, lack of water in the drinkers, disabled microwaves and some others. damage.
The video was broadcast right at the entrance of former rector Féliz to the institution, in the 2024. Months later, he published a new video in which he thanked that all the situations complained of were attended to and corrected by the administration.
A preliminary report of an audit carried out by the Comptroller General of the Republicexecuted between August 17, 2020 and December 31, 2022, determined that the institute is located on land that is not registered in its name and only a small portion of this corresponds to the Dominican State.
The report detailed that the facilities of the ITLA are in an area of 70,007.97 square meterswith a value of 109,982,884.00 pesos corresponding to the plots 479-E-1-REF-B-2 and 479-E-1-REF-B-1-RE-28-BIS.
A new method to appoint a rector?
Regarding the debate on the depoliticization of ITLAthe former Minister of Education, Josefina Pimenteldefended the validity of the system of appointment by decreearguing that this appointment is an exclusive power of the Executive power.
According to the former official, the process should not necessarily be subject to a competition, but rather depends on the “intimate conviction” of the president, who has the responsibility of identifying a person.that fully complies“with a profile that combines training academic and proven track record in the technical area.
For his part, the economist and former rector of Intec, Rolando Guzmanwho was also a member of the board of directors of the ITLAsuggests that the underlying discussion should not be limited to the dilemma of “decree or not decree”, but rather to the creation of mechanisms that guarantee that the selection responds to the technical needs of the institution.
Furthermore, he warns that the absence of formal regulations for the selection of the rector opens the door for the “political interest“is imposed on the academic interestwhich he considered as “a critical risk for entities”.
In his analysis, he highlights that a good initial selection is not enough, but that it is vital to implement management evaluation instruments and accountability to prevent a administration deficient destroy the institutional value accumulated over years.
The budget
By the end of 2025, the ITLA managed an executed budget of 1,141.6 million pesos, according to the center’s execution report published in its portal.
The entity’s budget increases every year due to the expansion of careers, the granting of scholarships and the extensions that have been created in the interior of the country. In 2021 it received more than 500 million in its budget, in 2022 it obtained 600 million and in 2023 it was increased to 700 million pesos.
For him cycle 2026the institution benefits from the amounts assigned to the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (Mescyt) within the General State Budget (Law 99-25), aimed mainly at the completion of the new regional venues.
According to him state budgethe Mescyt It has a budget item of 23,276 million pesos.
Now the challenge for President Luis Abinader is to appoint a new rector for ITLA and try to clean up the image of the center, in a context in which politicization continues to cover the entity with political names that are already being promoted to direct what until now is a technological reference in the region.
The institution, as of the date of publication of this report, remains without a head after the dismissal of Rafael Féliz.
