The Organization of American States (OAS) and the NGO Ayuda en Acción have signed a strategic collaboration agreement aimed at strengthening youth employment in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Through technological innovation and technical training, this new international alliance prioritizes the labor inclusion of vulnerable youth across the continent. This alliance focuses on two fundamental pillars for reducing inequalities: access to quality inclusive education and the creation of sustainable and equitable economic opportunities for new generations.
The agreement, framed within the OAS's Educational Portal of the Americas, responds to a critical diagnosis presented to the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI). In turn, Jorge Cattaneo, general director of Ayuda en Acción, highlighted that inequality is fought with training directly connected to the challenges of digitalization and real employment.
A priority point on the roadmap is the transition from education to employment, considering that technological and demographic transformations are altering the labor landscape. The objective is for technological innovation to serve as a tool to democratize opportunities under an approach of justice and equity.
Currently, the region faces a double educational and digital gap that more severely affects vulnerable communities. This initiative aims to highlight experiences that improve learning and strengthen the technical competencies necessary for the current market.
The alliance will work hand in hand with the education and labor ministries of the member countries to identify projects that reduce existing social gaps.
As part of the innovative contributions of the agreement, the execution of a regional contest of best practices on the use of educational resources with generative artificial intelligence was announced.
It is estimated that by the year 2030, 70% of youth will enter the service sector, which demands a restructuring of technical-vocational training. According to data analyzed by Ayuda en Acción and ECLAC, the youth unemployment rate reaches 17%, surpassing the adult population by 11%, added to the fact that more than half of young workers are in the informal sector.
Barbara Kotschwar, the official in charge of the OAS Executive Secretariat for Integral Development, stated in the third person that this commitment seeks to expand access to opportunities and lay the foundations for prosperity in the Member States.
