Ottawa, June 11, 2018 – Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) recently announced the launch of two new institutional alliances in Chile as part of the Sustainable Development and Skills for Employment in the Extractive Sector of the Pacific Alliance Program.
On June 7th, the regional government and the Regional Secretariat of the Ministry of Education in Antofagasta, CICan, and the Canadian government inaugurated the launch of a new institutional alliance in the region of Antofagasta. A partnership has been established between the Centro de Formación Técnica de la Universidad Católica del Norte de Antofagasta (CEDUC-UCN), the Instituto Industrial Don Bosco de Antofagasta and Calama and the Centro de Formación Técnica de Calama, and a Canadian consortium formed by the College of New Caledonia, Nova Scotia Community College and Niagara College Canada. Electricity and energy efficiency are the training programs that will benefit from this collaboration, and a program in entrepreneurship for women and indigenous populations will also be developed.
These Canadian institutions, that are all CICan members, will help improve the quality and diversity of the training offered by the Chilean institutions by providing technical assistance and training to directors, instructors and administrative staff, based on a competency-based education and training model. The Program will also promote gender equality and environmental sustainability approaches and will provide technical assistance for the acquirement of equipment and the development of services to businesses.
The overall aim of the Pacific Alliance (PA) Education for Employment (EFE) Program is to increase socio-economic opportunities for women and men in a sustainable and inclusive extractive sector in the PA countries. The program has two main components. The first concerns the establishment of institutional partnerships between CICan member colleges and technical institutions in the four PA countries.
The second pillar is aimed at supporting the governance of the extractive sector by strengthening the dialogue between private and public sector, and civil society stakeholders in the countries of the PA and Canada around sustainable and inclusive policies and best practices related to the extractive sector.
Quotes:
“We are thrilled to continue our engagement in Chile through the launch of the first wave of institutional partnerships for the Pacific Alliance EFE Program in Antofagasta and Coquimbo. We are very happy to see this new program take shape and cannot wait to begin working in close collaboration with our partners in Chile to help improve the employability of young people in the region.”
Denise Amyot, President and CEO, Colleges and Institutes Canada
“This collaboration between Canada, Chile and the Pacific Alliance aims to jointly build the capacity of future workers in the extractive sector to improve their employability in local communities. Canadian mining companies investing in Chile create jobs through their activities and contribute to economic and social development. Maximizing employment and local entrepreneurship is part of their goals in terms of responsible behavior.”
Patricia Peña, Canadian Ambassador in Chile
“This Program is an excellent opportunity to improve the skills and abilities of students and teachers from technical, intermediate and higher education, for the extractive sector in the region of Antofagasta. When there is an intention to cooperate based on experience, virtuous circles are created, and this is the case here, with the participation of Colleges and Institutes Canada and the funding from the Government of Canada.”
Hugo Keith Acevedo, Regional Secretary, Ministry of Education, Antofagasta.
“It is really important and a privilege to have representatives of Canada in Coquimbo to establish a three-year partnership with Canadian institutes, which will directly benefit our students from the UCN CEDUC and the Ministry of Education’s public technical training center. This is a source of pride for all of us and it meets the interests of the President, Sebastián Piñera, aiming to strengthen Technical Professional Education at all levels, while helping to create better job opportunities.”
Luis Tello González, Regional Secretary, Ministry of Education, Coquimbo.
About Colleges and Institutes Canada:
Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) is the voice of Canada’s publicly-supported colleges, institutes, cegeps and polytechnics, and an international leader in education for employment with ongoing programs in over 25 countries. CICan’s members add over $190B to Canada’s economy each year and contribute to inclusive economic growth by working with industry and community partners to offer more than 10,000 programs to learners in urban, rural, remote, and northern communities.
For more information:
Julien Abord-Babin
Senior Strategic Communications Officer
Colleges and Institutes Canada
jabord-babin@collegesinstitutes.ca
Tel.: 613-746-2222 ext. 3131
Twitter: @CollegeCan