How could a Chevening Scholarship help you achieve your career goals?

Fabricio has been passionate about education from a very early age. When he was just 14 years old, he inspired over 3000 other students in his secondary school to hold their principal accountable for shirking election laws. Now, his interest in education has taken him to the UK, to study on a Chevening Scholarship.

That advances in technology are changing the nature of many job roles and creating new possibilities for people around the world is no secret. It is for this reason that Fabricio hopes to one day reform the education system in Brazil to give science and technology subjects a more central focus. Through networking and building relationships with other influencers, he hopes to increase the standard of education in Brazil, to create a level playing field for new forms of work.

Below, we share a snapshot of an interview conducted by Chevening partner, the Lemann Foundation, about how he intends to use his Chevening experience to bring him closer to achieving his career goals.

What are your long-term career goals when you return from the UK?

In the long term, I want to help increase education standards in Brazil.

Agriculture is currently one of the primary foundations of Brazil’s economy. However, labour markets and the nature of high valued jobs are changing, as technology continues to advance.

What’s more, positions within the agricultural sector tend to be occupied by the more privileged members of society. Everyone else must choose from other positions available which tend to be lower-paid roles within the service industry.

I want our education system to focus on preparing people for the high value jobs of the future, and to raise the standard and quality of teaching and learning within our schools. It is my view that only then will Brazil be able to compete economically and be equipped to ensure the fundamental human rights of all its citizens.

How will you achieve your career goals?

There are many conflicting and contrasting ideas about how education needs to change within Brazil, and there are many groups of people with different lobbying agendas.

That’s why I know that moving towards an education system that gives science and technology subjects a more central focus will require a lot of time, energy and negotiation with others. It is my aim to bring the relevant stakeholders together, including civil society, politicians and businesses, to facilitate open and collaborative discussions. My hope is that this will build bridges between people, forge productive alliances and ultimately move us forward in developing a sustainable and effective new education system in Brazil.

How will you leverage the Chevening network to help you achieve your ambitions?

The Chevening network is made up of lots of professionals from a variety of different backgrounds and sectors. I’m excited to be part of such an international environment. I want to learn from them, to understand how they tackle their challenges and how other countries overcome the obstacles they face. Being part of Chevening’s huge and diverse network of thinkers and doers is a tremendous opportunity.

Ultimately, I see Brazil’s current situation as a test for us to learn from our mistakes and try to reduce inequality through education and social development. We must ask ourselves: “What future do we want? How can we build a more stable political and economic system in a sustainable way?”

I believe that the future must be built and the effort to build it will depend on our ability to forge unity and consensus. This is our greater challenge and it’s one I’m keen to tackle head on.

Are you passionate about creating positive change in the communities around you? Apply for a Chevening Scholarship today!