Young trade unionists push for regional skills training agreements

In its 3rd Statutory Meeting last 14 September, the BWI Regional Youth Committee for the Latin America and the Caribbean (RYC-LAC) pushed for the signing of agreements between trade unions and vocational training institutions on the professional skills certification of young workers. 


Asserting that there should be an agreement in place in at least one country for each sub-region, the young trade unionists said that a “youth quota” must be implemented within professional certification programs already being implemented by trade unions like the FENTICOMMC and AMACOA in the Dominican Republic, SUNTRACS in Panama and FEDESOMEC in Ecuador. 


The RYC-LAC said that its call for more and institutionalized skills trainings for young people is in line with the BWI International Youth Committee’s (IYC) “Get Ready for the Future: Invest Now in Skill Training” campaign.  


In the same meeting, the BWI LAC youth leadership also reported a total of 517 young workers were trained in at least 20 youth training events and other union activities and programs it conducted from October 2020 to September 2021. It also highlighted their various participation at the National Boards of Directors and Special Negotiation Commissions.


Among the different initiatives organised by BWI’s young leaders in the region, the LAC youth leadership underscored the importance of the following efforts:


  • Alliance with the Argentine Chamber of Construction (CAMARCO) in jointly designing a work agenda for economic recovery and youth employment in the construction sector,  
  • UOCRA-Argentina’s partnership with the Economic and Social Council (CES) of the Argentine government in designing an artificial intelligence training program 
  • (SUNTRACS-Panama’s collaboration with the Panamanian popular movement in coming up with a national plan for Panamanian youth under the “Youth of the Panamanian Popular Movement.”
  • NTERGREMIAL-Colombia’s Occupational Health and Safety (OSH) training initiatives focused on the youth.