Colombia & the New Global Economy: Implications of Tratado de Libre Comercio for Colombian Industry, Engineers and Engineering Educators

The landscape of the world economy has changed significantly over the last twenty five years. The inter-connectedness of national economies, the rapid ascent of the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China) in the global engineering environment and the pro-active role of organizations such as the World Trade Organization, regional alliances such as the EU, and Mercosur are factors that have synergized this movement towards a new order. The completion of the Tratado de Libre Comercio (TLC) agreement is a major milestone for the Colombian economy. These developments have serious and opportunistic implications for organizations, engineers, and engineering educators. We focus here on the drivers and consequences for engineering practitioners and educators. Corporate strategies, along with the need for engineering curriculum reform to ensure that Colombian engineers will effectively compete in the global marketplace, are detailed.