Three work training models in Latin America

To increase the productivity and competitiveness of the economies and companies, it is essential to have an adequate amount of quality human capital that makes the introduction of innovations possible to achieve productivity improvements.       

CAF's publication "  Educación técnica y formación profesional en América Latina. El reto de la productividad" (Technical education and professional training in Latin America. The challenge of productivity) (2014), proposes a classification which considers three categories or models for work training systems in the region. 

"Traditional institutional" corresponds to the one developed originally in the region. It consists of a national institution, generally assigned to the labor ministries but with administrative and financial autonomy, which becomes the most relevant actor in the system. Some countries that are included in this model are: Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Panama, Venezuela, and Honduras, among others. 

"Regulatory and promoter State" is the second classification proposed, and consists in a clear separation between the institutions that define the training policies and strategies and those that execute them. The State does not directly execute the policies but defines, promotes, and supervises them. The countries that have this model are: Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Trinidad and Tobago. 

The "Mixed typology includes the characteristics and actors of the two previous models: the State assumes a regulatory and promoter role for the system, but at the same time there are autonomous national institutions that develop professional education and work training programs. The countries that have this model are: Brazil, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru and Paraguay. 

To close the productivity gap of the human resources in the region, it is necessary to align the educational and working policies. Thus, CAF, Development Bank of Latin America, includes education and technical and technological training among the programs that make up its productive transformation and competitiveness strategy.