Invited to apply to a free pre-university program in Puente Alto

The Higher Education Entrance Training School (EFIES in Spanish) has 40 spots open for students in the third year of secondary school in 2023. Last year, 120 students took part in this pre-university program promoted by Formando Chile and CMPC. Of the total participants, 80% went on to enter higher education.

“I was in high school in 2021 and honestly I learned a lot. It was a great experience. I loved the teachers, they were very attentive to every student’s needs,” said Javiera Campos, a student at the Higher Education Entrance Training School (EFIES) last year.

Javiera’s experience was so positive that in 2022 she decided to remain connected to the program organized by Formando Chile and CMPC. “When I finished fourth year, I decided to take a gap year because I didn’t feel ready to study yet. I was very grateful to the pre-university school for everything they had taught me, so I told them I’d be available to help them if I could. Then they called me to let me know there was an opening,” she said. Since then Javiera has been in charge of logistics at the Puente Alto location.

EFIES is a free comprehensive pre-university program that seeks to increase the chances that third and fourth grade students from the Puente Alto district get to go to a university, technical training center or a professional institute.

Currently, as part of the application window for 2023, there are 40 remaining spots open for third year students next year. Students who want to apply should go to https://formandochile.cl/efies-2023/. The website has all the instructions to register for the program, which will be open until Wednesday, December 7 or until there is no more availability.

To date, more than 300 students from Puente Alto have benefited from the program. In 2021, of the 37 students that took part of the pre-university program, 24 entered university degree programs and four went to technical programs. The educational institutions that were selected most often were the University of Santiago, the Pontifical Catholic University and the Autonomous University. Some of the most frequent degree programs chosen were architecture, psychology, kinesiology and pedagogy.

The program does not select students based on academics. The only requirement is to be or have graduated from a municipal or subsidized school with a school vulnerability index greater than 70%.

Executive Director of Formando Chile Pablo Hormazábal said, “At EFIES we seek to help our students enter and remain in higher education, which is why we work with third and fourth year secondary school students and give them a free and comprehensive pre-university education to help them achieve their goals. We invite those who are in their second year of high school right now to apply to the EFIES pre-university for 2023. We have a few spots open still, so we hope they feel ready to participate.

CMPC Deputy Manager of Corporate Affairs Francisco Torrealba said they hope that the pre-university program continues to provide support for the students in the district. “We are very happy to see how EFIES has grown and how it has managed to help so many students to achieve their goals. The success of the program confirms that it is worth supporting initiatives like this, since they are fundamental to the growth of the young people in the community and their families,” he said.

Students will have access to mathematics and reading competence courses every Saturday from 8:30 AM to 1:30 PM at the CMPC Puente Alto plant, on Avenida Eyzaguirre 01098. In addition, EFIES not only focuses on reinforcing the academics, but also has complementary courses of vocational guidance and socio-emotional skills that help deliver a more comprehensive education.