The knowledge is meant to flow both directions.
En un país donde la aceleración tecnológica amenaza con dejar atrás a generaciones enteras, Chile ensaya una respuesta poco convencional: unir la experiencia acumulada de los mayores de 55 años con la fluidez digital de los jóvenes tecnólogos. El programa Duplas Intergeneracionales Tech, impulsado por Desafío Latam y financiado por el Fondo 55+ de Entel, parte de una premisa que cuestiona los supuestos habituales sobre quién enseña y quién aprende. No se trata solo de cerrar una brecha digital, sino de preguntarse qué se pierde cuando la experiencia y la innovación no se encuentran.
- Miles de profesionales mayores de 55 años enfrentan la amenaza silenciosa de quedar fuera del mercado laboral a medida que la inteligencia artificial redefine industrias enteras.
- El programa rompe con la lógica asistencialista: no es capacitación de rescate, sino una apuesta por equipos intergeneracionales que resuelvan problemas reales de la industria.
- La selección de solo 60 duplas entre todos los postulantes introduce una tensión competitiva que eleva las expectativas y obliga a los participantes a demostrar compromiso desde la primera fase.
- La exigencia de sesiones presenciales en Santiago y Valparaíso filtra a quienes pueden comprometerse plenamente, convirtiendo la accesibilidad inicial en una escalera hacia una colaboración más exigente.
- Si el modelo demuestra que los equipos intergeneracionales resuelven mejor los desafíos tecnológicos, podría transformar la forma en que las empresas chilenas piensan el talento y la contratación.
El panorama de la formación tecnológica en Chile acaba de moverse. Desafío Latam abrió la inscripción para Duplas Intergeneracionales Tech, un programa gratuito de inteligencia artificial y habilidades digitales dirigido a profesionales y adultos mayores de 55 años, respaldado por el Fondo 55+ de Entel. La premisa es directa: los trabajadores con experiencia no tienen por qué quedar rezagados en la economía digital, y los jóvenes tecnólogos tienen algo que aprender de quienes llevan décadas en sus campos.
El programa se desarrolla en dos fases. La primera es amplia y accesible: ocho webinars gratuitos sobre herramientas de IA y alfabetización digital, disponibles desde cualquier lugar con conexión a internet. La segunda fase es donde ocurre la verdadera innovación: los 60 participantes más comprometidos son seleccionados y emparejados con jóvenes tecnólogos para trabajar juntos, bajo guía de mentores, en problemas reales de la industria. El conocimiento fluye en ambas direcciones: el joven aporta dominio técnico, el mayor aporta criterio, experiencia de campo y formas de pensar que ningún algoritmo enseña.
Los requisitos de postulación son deliberadamente bajos: tener al menos 55 años, ser chileno o residente permanente, haber completado la educación secundaria y saber usar un computador básico. La accesibilidad es intencional. Sin embargo, la segunda fase exige presencialidad en Santiago o Valparaíso, lo que convierte el programa en una experiencia híbrida que no puede completarse desde el living de casa.
Más allá de la inclusión, Desafío Latam está probando una hipótesis con implicancias para toda la industria: si los equipos intergeneracionales resuelven mejor los desafíos tecnológicos, el modelo podría redefinir cómo las empresas construyen sus equipos. Las inscripciones están abiertas y la primera cohorte comenzará pronto.
Chile's technology education landscape just shifted. Desafío Latam, a digital training academy, has opened enrollment for an unusual program: free artificial intelligence and digital skills instruction aimed squarely at professionals and adults over 55. The initiative, backed by Entel's 55+ Fund, is called Duplas Intergeneracionales Tech—Intergenerational Tech Pairs—and it operates on a simple premise: older workers don't have to fall behind in the digital economy, and young technologists have something to learn from experience.
The program unfolds in two distinct phases. First comes the broad reach: eight online webinars designed to teach digital literacy and practical AI tools to anyone who meets the basic criteria. These sessions are free and accessible from anywhere with an internet connection. The content focuses on how AI actually works in today's industries, not abstract theory. But the real innovation happens in phase two, where the program becomes selective and collaborative. The organizers will identify the 60 most engaged participants from the initial webinar cohort and pair each with a young technologist. These sixty intergenerational pairs then work together under mentor guidance to tackle genuine industry problems using AI as their toolkit.
To apply, candidates must be at least 55 years old, Chilean or a permanent resident, and have completed secondary education. The bar for technical skill is deliberately low: applicants simply need to know how to use a computer, browse the internet, and join a video call. This accessibility is intentional. The program recognizes that the digital divide isn't about age—it's about opportunity and confidence. What matters more is willingness to learn and the ability to show up.
There's a catch, though a manageable one. While the eight webinars happen entirely online, the second phase includes mandatory in-person sessions in Santiago and Valparaíso. Participants selected for the advanced stage must be able to travel to the Metropolitan Region or Valparaíso to participate in workshops and project milestones. This hybrid model forces real collaboration; it's not a program you can complete from your living room alone.
The program simultaneously recruits young technologists to serve as the other half of each pair. The framing matters: these aren't mentors teaching seniors how to use computers. They're partners. The knowledge is meant to flow both directions. A young developer might learn project management, client relations, or how to think about problems from someone who has spent thirty years in their field. The senior learns current tools and methods. Both walk away changed.
This kind of initiative addresses something Chile's economy has been grappling with for years: how to keep experienced workers engaged and productive as technology accelerates, and how to prevent entire cohorts from being locked out of opportunity simply because they didn't grow up with smartphones. It also reflects a quiet shift in how tech companies think about their own talent pipeline. Desafío Latam isn't running this program out of pure charity. They're testing whether intergenerational teams actually solve problems better, whether older workers bring something that pure technical skill cannot. If it works, the model could reshape how companies think about hiring and team composition. Enrollment is open now. The first cohort will begin soon.
Citas Notables
The program recognizes that the digital divide isn't about age—it's about opportunity and confidence.— Program design philosophy
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why pair seniors with young technologists at all? Why not just teach them separately?
Because the pairing is the whole point. A young developer knows the latest tools, but a 55-year-old professional has spent decades understanding how businesses actually work, how to manage relationships, how to think through problems. You put them together and something happens that neither could do alone.
But won't there be friction? Different speeds, different comfort levels?
Probably, yes. That's why there's a mentor guiding each pair. The friction is the learning. If it were frictionless, they wouldn't need each other.
Who actually benefits more—the senior or the young person?
That's the wrong question. The program only works if both leave knowing something they didn't before. The senior learns AI tools and current methods. The young person learns how to think like someone who's built something real over decades.
What happens after the program ends? Do these pairs stay connected?
The source doesn't say. But that's the real test, isn't it? If they do, you've built something. If they don't, it was just a workshop.
Why is Entel funding this specifically?
They're betting on the future workforce. If they can show that intergenerational teams work, they've got a model for hiring and retention that nobody else is using yet. Plus, it's good business to help people stay economically relevant.
What's the actual barrier for someone 55+ to apply?
Honestly, it's low. You need a high school diploma, basic computer skills, and the ability to show up in person if you make it to phase two. The real barrier is probably just knowing the program exists.