Another partner in vocational education and training in Latin America

On 4 May 2023 in a virtual ceremony, the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), represented by its President Prof. Dr Friedrich Hubert Esser, and the Inter-American Centre for Knowledge Development in Vocational Training of the International Labour Organization (ILO/Cinterfor), represented by its Director Dr Anne Posthuma, signed a cooperation agreement spanning the next three years.

The aim of the cooperation agreement is to contribute to the economic and social development in the field of VET and VET research in Germany and Latin America through mutual support, cooperation and exchange of information and knowledge.

The agreement contains four work priorities:

• Strengthening regional networking through the establishment and monitoring of regional networks in the vocational training sector,
• Working collaboratively in joint public relations efforts,
• Participating jointly in VET projects, and
• Promoting of institutional exchange on specific VET topics.

Prof. Dr. Friedrich Hubert Esser, President of BIBB, emphasised that current challenges, such as digitalisation and meeting the demand for skilled workers, affect not only the German VET system, but also the VET systems of many countries in Latin America:

"It is therefore all the more important that we learn from each other and overcome these challenges together". The signing of the cooperation agreement with ILO/Cinterfor will give us even more opportunities to develop joint initiatives and continue to contribute to the modernisation of VET systems in Latin America."

Dr. Anne Posthuma, Director of ILO/Cinterfor, stressed that given the challenges facing the Latin American and Caribbean region in terms of labour and vocational education and training, the agreement comes at a very opportune time:

"These challenges have their natural and obvious correlate in stresses and challenges, also for our vocational education and training systems and institutions that are part of the ILO/Cinterfor network."

Birgit Thomann, Head of the International Department at BIBB, expressed her appreciation for the positive collaboration thus far emphasising that the cooperation agreement provides BIBB and ILO/Cinterfor with an optimal basis for shaping further cooperation:

"But that is just like a picture: the frame alone does not make a work of art; the content must also be designed. That is why we all want to implement concrete joint measures beyond the alliance in Latin America".

The ILO/Cinterfor and the BIBB have already been working together successfully for two years on issues of vocational education and training. In June 2021, both institutions, together with VET institutions from 15 Latin American countries, founded the first Alliance for Dual Training in Latin America and the Caribbean. In order to further strengthen the existing cooperation and build up further synergies, both institutions decided to conclude a cooperation agreement as an important measure for the internationalisation of vocational education and training.