Oportunidades e desafios profissionais para jovens com altas habilidades: estudo com os egressos do Centro para Desenvolvimento do Potencial e Talento (CEDET) - Lavras-MG

Abstract

This study examines the trajectories of graduates from the Center for the Development of Potential and Talent (CEDET) in Lavras, Brazil, focusing on their access to higher education and integration into the labor market. Framed within the scope of Special Education policies for students with Giftedness and High Abilities (GHA), the research adopted a mixed, qualitative and quantitative, and exploratory approach, combining questionnaires administered to graduates with semi-structured interviews conducted with the center’s facilitators. The objective was to understand to what extent CEDET’s educational experience influenced academic and professional decisions and the construction of life projects. The findings reveal consistent effects, such as a high rate of access to higher education, strong occupational insertion, and diversification of fields and professional affiliations, accompanied by gains in self-knowledge, autonomy, and vocational clarity. Evidence indicates that individualized plans, hands-on experiences in workshops, laboratories, and projects, combined with mentorship, operate as key mechanisms mediating the relationship between interest and opportunity, reducing barriers typically observed in the transition from youth to the workforce. As a technical product, an educational guide was developed to support students with GHA in exploring career areas, planning their studies, and managing their professional transition. It is concluded that CEDET represents an exemplary public policy in talent development and educational equity, providing replicable insights for educational networks seeking to integrate academic training, socioemotional development, and entry into the world of work. Keywords: giftedness and high abilities; special education; public policies; professional insertion; CEDET.