upper secondary education is becoming the desired minimum while those who do not reach this standard half of all young people at present may be left behind as the economy develops in a way which will inevitably reduce its reliance on lowskilled jobs growing inequality in costa rica reflects this worrying skills divide oecd a forthcoming participation rates and second chance options have grown fast aided by a raft of measures to tackle dropout and grade repetition well respected public universities provide an attractive goal for those who excel academically the technical school system offers an appealing and highstatus track alongside in the national training institute instituto nacional del aprendizaje ina a wellfunded system providing both initial occupational training and upskilling a reformed curriculum now provides a major opportunity to rethink upper secondary education this chapter looks at how costa rica can build on these strengths to establish a more inclusive system