4
Quality education
Strengthening dialogue
between the PA countries on sustainable policies, guidelines and practices for developing a skilled workforce and equitable employment conditions.
The Pacific Alliance
Education
for Employment
Program
A success story of the collaboration between Canada and the four countries of the Pacific Alliance (Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru).
2016-2023
Welcome to the Pacific Alliance Education for Employment Program website
Explore this site and learn about the impact of this program through testimonials from key players. Funded by Global Affairs Canada, the program has contributed to the development of technical training and the strengthening of dialogue in the four countries of the Pacific Alliance (PA) over the seven years that it has been implemented by Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan).
This web documentary is the result of a process that collected and analyzed nearly 200 testimonials from project stakeholders, such as political authorities, directors, teachers and students, who shared their experiences, what they learned and the lessons they drew from it.
Join us in discovering the richness of this success story!
A success story
Education for Employment in the Pacific Alliance
This program is the story of the sharing of expertise between 21 Canadian colleges that are members of CICan, technical education stakeholders at all levels and sector-based industries in the four PA countries (Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru) to support the development of technical training, improve the employability of young people and promote equity, diversity and environmental sustainability in the extractive and energy sectors. Through collaboration with their partners, the Canadian colleges involved in the program have supported technical training institutions to improve the academic success and employability of young people, particularly young women, in these four countries.
In addition, key activities at the regional level have helped strengthen multilateral cooperation among various ministries and align policies and best practices that promote a skilled workforce and fair working conditions in the four PA countries. Learn more about this story through testimonials from the program’s key players and beneficiaries.
This program is aligned with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals and works in particular to strengthen goals 4, 5, 10, 12, 13 and 17.
5
Gender equality
8
Decent work and economic growth
10
Reduction of inequalities
13
climate action
17
Alliances to achieve the objectives
Skills and equity
Promoting technical skills and equity in the labour market for sustainable development.
Improving the quality and diversification
of technical training programs in the four PA countries to meet the needs of the labour market, particularly in the extractive and energy sectors.
Dive into our Story
Discover the history and impact of the program through its four main themes and cross-cutting dimensions.
Results that speak for themselves
The project in numbers that demonstrate the impact of these collaborative efforts.
2 761 direct beneficiaries
and 28 780 155 indirect beneficiaries of the PA-EFE program.
between 34 TVET institutions
16 partnerships
to increase socio-economic opportunities for men and women in a sustainable extractive sector.
(54% women)
3 006 leaders and administrators
trained in the development and implementation of policies and best practices.
116 agreements made
between public, private, and community stakeholders in the ES.
16 training programs created or improved
to respond to the needs of the sector and to consider the competency-based approach and the challenges related to gender equality (GE) and environmental sustainability.
82% of women
very happy with the academic success services strenghtened in the local partner insitutions.
CICan Education for Employment An approach based on partnership and trust
CICan’s Education for Employment (EFE) programs are designed to support the development of communities and local economies in ways that are environmentally sound, gender equitable and inclusive. By integrating labour market needs into applied education, EFE programs, together with regional partners, contribute to demand-driven technical and vocational education and training (TVET) systems that increase the employability of graduates.
The key factors in the EFE approach are partnership, mutual trust and the involvement of all parties. It is primarily about bringing together peer institutional partners—i.e., teachers with teachers, directors with directors, etc. —who work in pairs and share their knowledge to strengthen programs so that they are adapted to local realities. Colleges share proven Canadian expertise in higher technical education, as well as in competency-based approaches (CBAs), applied research and business relations.
International institutions choose their partners from among CICan’s member colleges and institutes and work together to design training programs that meet local needs and support equitable and sustainable development.
Telling the story of the Porgram through the voices of its players
The content of this site is the result of a rigorous process of gathering experiences, monitoring and evaluation of the EFE-PA program. The aim was to capitalize on the results, best practices and lessons learned in order to formulate recommendations for the sustainability of the activities, while at the same time preventing the loss of information as the program drew to a close.
The approach involved collecting testimonials from key players and beneficiaries in order to measure the impact of the program beyond the quantitative results. To this end, 185 people from Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Canada were interviewed. These interviews were systematized to identify main ideas, which were grouped into four key themes:
– Theme 1: Collaboration and harmonization in the PA region
– Theme 2: Recognition, access, academic success and employability
– Theme 3: Quality of technical education and training
– Theme 4: Business and community services
– Theme 1: Collaboration and harmonization in the PA region
– Theme 2: Recognition, access, academic success and employability
– Theme 3: Quality of technical education and training
– Theme 4: Business and community services
These same themes guide the structure of this website and the book, which are part of the products planned to share the memory of the program with a wider audience. The results were also presented at the program’s 5th forum, held in January 2023 in Mexico City.
The Pacific Alliance Countries
Our partnerships in the Pacific Alliance
Come and discover the partnerships created in each of the PA countries.
