Research Purpose:

The objective of this work was to examine the relationship between the expansion and internalization of professional education, through the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Rio Grande do Norte - on the campuses of Caicó, Currais Novos and Parelhas -, and the development of Seridó Potiguar.

Methodology:

This research starts from the interpretative paradigm, of a qualitative nature. Regarding the objectives and procedures, the study has an explanatory character and is characterized by documental and field research. Concerning the treatment and analysis of data, content analysis was used.

Findings:

The results confirmed the hypothesis and the data corroborated the importance of the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Rio Grande do Norte in the development process of Seridó Potiguar, however, it is highlighted that the IFRN and the Government of RN have different understandings about the local development, characterizing them as apparent partners in the development process, because while the Federal Institute seeks to promote what is universal in this reality, state planning, through the Sustainable RN Project, continues to seek to identify only the so-called natural vocations or potentialities of region. In short, IFRN focuses primarily on the individual and consequently the region in which they are located, while the Sustainable RN Project focuses on the region.

Originality/Value:

This is an original and unprecedented work that relates professional education and local development, after the recent process of expansion and internalization of Federal Institutes, more specifically in Seridó Potiguar, that is, an investigation that concerns the process of internalization of professional education and its relations with local development in this region.

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