PCA and CAF Convene a Strategic Dialogue on Workforce Development in Central America.
San Salvador, El Salvador, June 7, 2023 – The Partnership for Central America (PCA) partnered with the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) to convene a “Strategic Dialogue on Workforce Development in Central America.” The meeting was opened with remarks by Oscar Avalle (Country Director Representative of El Salvador, CAF), Mark Lopes (President & COO, PCA), Miguel Kattan (Secretary of Commerce of El Salvador), and William Duncan (U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador). The event included representatives from the government of El Salvador - including Minister of Economy Maria Luisa Hayem and Minister of Education Jose Mauricio Pineda Rodriguez, as well as private sector executives, multilateral banks and organizations, and representatives from educational institutions and NGOs.
The business services sector is a key growth priority as PCA seeks to mobilize additional commitments from the United States private sector to Central America. The lack of high-quality jobs in Central America is the single largest driver of migration. Business services jobs offer high-paying roles with the potential to build skills and develop a career in the industry. PCA aims to double the size of the business services sector over the next ten years. In order to generate interest and commitment from multinational companies that are clients of the sector, we see the need for collaboration between the public and private sectors to address the barriers to progress.
This dialogue convened leaders from the public and private sectors to address three tactical objectives to overcome these obstacles:
Identify opportunities to grow the pool of workers with skills aligned with employers’ needs.
Prioritize the services and technology sectors by mobilizing investment to meet those sectors’ needs.
Identify opportunities for immediate collaboration between donors, ed tech companies, government, universities, and training institutes.
“We are here with serious stakeholders to discuss serious strategies for scaled investments that will make a relevant impact. We look forward to building on this energy with our government and non/governmental partners and closing deals for large multi-year investments,” Mark Lopes, PCA President.
About the Partnership for Central America (PCA):
The Partnership for Central America is a non-partisan, non-governmental organization that works with a multi-national coalition of private organizations to advance economic opportunity across underserved populations in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. The Partnership serves as a coordinating body of Vice President Harris’s Call to Action and aims to facilitate and support practical solutions to advance economic opportunity, address urgent climate, education, and health challenges, and promote long-term investments and workforce capability in support of a vision of hope for Central America. If you are interested in learning more, please reach out to membership@centampartnership.org.
About the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF):
CAF -the development bank of Latin America- has created a Management Unit for Mexico and Central America with the purpose of increasing its presence in the region to support the development efforts of new member countries such as El Salvador and Honduras. CAF pretends to promote regional integration and investment opportunities that will result in better job opportunities and robust sustainable development.
