Biobío trains over-40s in AI: more than 100 scholarships and a goal of 500 in 2027, a reskilling model worth copying

By Noticias UdeC · October 19, 2026.

The +40xIA program, led by UdeC Capacita and OTIC CChC (the training body of the Chilean Chamber of Construction), has passed 100 committed scholarships. It is aimed at people over 40 in Chile's Biobío region. According to the university, the initial target, announced in May, was 100 scholarships, and the projection for 2027 is to reach 500 participants.

The program is coordinated with IRADE and SENCE Biobío (the national training service) and backed by the Regional Government. It was officially launched on October 15. Scholarships are funded by the Universidad de Concepción, Siderúrgica Huachipato, Puerto Coronel and ARAUCO. The training path will start in the coming weeks and will combine AI, digital tools and productivity.

The source does not detail the curriculum, its length or how results will be measured. Those are details to watch.

The program's premise, according to its backers, is that AI complements accumulated experience. UdeC Capacita's general manager, Jorge Bizama, talks about people being able to "work from Concepción, from Biobío, for the world."

Our take: the initiative gets the diagnosis right. In the short-term transition, workers with years in their trade and less room to retrain are the most exposed, and companies rarely invest in them on their own initiative. The fact that four local organizations are funding scholarships signals that the problem is seen as collective, not just individual.

There are caveats, too. A hundred scholarships are a drop in the bucket compared with the size of the regional labor market, and 500 in 2027 would still be a modest figure. Moreover, a course on tools does not guarantee a better job. What protects workers is professional judgment combined with the ability to direct AI. As industry context, this fits with what we see elsewhere: those who orchestrate the tool win, and those who only perform routine tasks lose.

The model can be replicated because it brings together university, business and government, and shares the cost. If it rigorously measures how many participants improve or keep their jobs, it could become a benchmark. In the long run, the promise of an AI that frees people to work on what they are passionate about requires exactly this: that no one is left out of the transition because of their age.