The panel agreed that the declaration reaffirms that vocational training is a tool for inclusion, social cohesion and democracy, and that the next step is to translate it into concrete action.

The second day of the 47th Technical Commission Meeting (TCM) was a space of intense exchange, marked by reflection on how vocational training can become a strategic tool for inclusion, equal opportunities, productive transformation and democratic resilience. Through panels, presentations of good practices and testimonies from young people and women workers, the strength of regional cooperation and tripartite dialogue was highlighted as guiding principles for the future.

Vocational training as a lever for social cohesion

The day began with the panel “Moving forward together: Inclusion strategies for lifelong learning”, which addressed the challenges of social and labour market inclusion in a context of technological, environmental and demographic transitions.

Sonia González Fuentes, coordinator of the EU Regional Programme Inclusive Societies in Latin America and the Caribbean, situated the debate in the framework of a “polycrisis” of overlapping crises, presenting the European approach to the triple transition: green, digital and social. She stressed that the social transition cannot be understood merely as compensatory, but as a necessary condition for the sustainability of the others. “Vocational training is a strategic lever because it connects productive development and social cohesion, reduces inequalities by giving access to excluded groups and strengthens competitiveness by anticipating change,” she said.

For his part, Pablo Egaña del Sol, academic at the Adolfo Ibáñez University, warned that “the future is already here” and that the impacts of artificial intelligence are already affecting Latin America. He explained that automation has a stronger impact on developing countries and that education is no longer a guarantee against automation: what provides protection is creativity, lifelong learning and autonomy. He shared the results of the Talento Digital programme, which through short bootcamps improved employability and wages, especially for women, although with limits for retraining. He warned that AI could polarise employment and weaken low wages if inclusive skills development policies, adaptive social protection and tripartite dialogue are not designed.

The debate concluded with agreement on the need to strengthen collaborative governance models, reduce gender and territorial gaps and understand vocational training as a tool for democratic resilience.

Training and certification: equal opportunities in action

The third Exchange of Good Practices brought together representatives from Guatemala, Argentina, Panama and Uruguay, with experiences showing how training and skills certification can open effective pathways to inclusion:

• Oscar Stuardo Chinchilla Guzmán (INTECAP, Guatemala) presented a training offer targeting women, young people and indigenous peoples, including dual training, international certification and reintegration programmes for returning migrants and persons deprived of liberty.

• Diego Maza (Fundación UOCRA, Argentina) highlighted the “triple inclusion” – educational, social and occupational – generated by vocational training, with innovations such as courses in neighbourhoods and prisons, the incorporation of women into construction, and sectoral certification systems responding to new demands such as those of Vaca Muerta.
• Viviana Caballero (INADEH, Panamá) stressed the role of strategic communication in breaking gender stereotypes and presented INADEH’s Comprehensive Transformation and Improvement Plan, with an entrepreneurship lab, childcare centres for mothers and a majority-female board.

• Fernando Ubal (UTU, Uruguay) referred to the “double tension” between meeting productive needs and ensuring social inclusion, and highlighted the example of the National Integrated Care System, which made visible and professionalised feminised tasks.

The final round concluded that certification is key to dignifying work and facilitating labour mobility, and that regional cooperation should move towards borderless certification systems that guarantee inclusion in contexts of migration.

New voices: training that changes lives

The “New Voices” panel gave centre stage to those who experience training and certification first-hand.

• Sandra Ganga Rodríguez (Chile), a worker and gastronomy student, explained how ChileValora certification enabled her to enter higher education and plan a family business, showing that it is possible to combine motherhood, work and study.
• Tally Arriagada (Chile), founder of Red Egresa, shared his journey from the protection system to social action, turning his experience into a driver for supporting young people in transition to independent living. He emphasised the importance of continuous public policies and an intersectoral approach.

• Silvia Hernández (Costa Rica), graduate of INA and software developer, broke gender stereotypes in STEM fields. She valued certification as validation of effort and called for more opportunities for rural youth, stressing that “there is talent waiting for opportunities in every corner”.

Their testimonies demonstrated the transformative power of training when it connects with real life, breaks down barriers and opens doors to new life projects.

Labour market intelligence and skills

In the fourth Exchange of Good Practices, institutions from Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and Spain discussed advances in labour market intelligence systems capable of anticipating trends and guiding policies.

• Gustavo Leal (SENAI, Brasil) presented an innovative career guidance system, compared to a “Waze for industrial careers”, combining prospective data and artificial intelligence.
• Nicolás Ratto Ribo (Chile) described the National Labour Market Foresight Strategy, which coordinates regional and national observatories to provide useful information to institutions and workers.
• Miguel Venturiello (Uruguay) underlined the importance of tripartite dialogue and warned that foresight studies must translate into concrete productive decisions, including for marginalised sectors such as waste pickers.
• Gerardo Gutiérrez Ardoy (España) presented technological tools such as LEO, which translates job offers into standardised classifications, and AI systems validated in bipartite structures.

The panel agreed that information is not an end in itself, but a tool to connect training with employment, reduce gaps and ensure just labour market transitions.

Training strategies for productive transformation

The fifth Exchange of Good Practices illustrated how different contexts are advancing in linking training with productive development policies.

• Henderson Eastmond (Barbados) explained how his country is diversifying its economy with new creative sectors and curriculum digitalisation, supported by CARICOM regional qualifications to ensure labour mobility.
• Antonio de Luis Acevedo (FUNDAE, España) described the role of training in the recovery plan, with 1 per cent of GDP allocated to human capital and programmes such as Digitalízate, which has already reached 8.9 million workers.
• Alfredo Mongelós (SINAFOCAL, Paraguay) stressed the role of tripartite dialogue in aligning training with the goal of creating 500,000 jobs, advancing in skills certification and foresight studies.

The session underlined that vocational training is consolidating its position as a strategic pillar of productive development, and that regional cooperation is key to building more agile and tailored systems.

A historic milestone: the Declaration of the Ibero-American Tripartite Social Dialogue

The day concluded with the presentation of the outcomes of the 2023–25 Ibero-American Tripartite Social Dialogue Process, culminating in the signing of a historic declaration.

Governments, employers and workers agreed that this is a starting point for consolidating tripartite dialogue as a pillar of the governance of vocational training. Among the interventions were:

• Alejandra Aguilar (Gobierno, Guatemala), who defined it as a roadmap for harmonising strategies.
• Florencia Suau (Argentina), who stressed its character as a historic precedent and proposed creating national promoter groups.
• Rosane Bertotti (Brasil), who recalled that social dialogue is a practice won, not just a concept.
• Isabel Guzmán (Panamá), who defended trade union legitimacy and the need for inclusive dialogue.
• Juan Arturo González (Colombia), who defended trade union legitimacy and the need for inclusive dialogue.
• Gemma Torres (España), who positioned training as a fundamental right.
• José Miguel Guerrero (España), who warned of the risk of imbalances and called for investment in guidance and the inclusion of migrants
• Amparo Burgueño (España), who spoke of shared responsibility in transitions.
• Juan Carlos Tejeda (España), who described the declaration as a historic milestone and urged participants to “make the road by walking it”.

The panel agreed that the declaration reaffirms that vocational training is a tool for inclusion, social cohesion and democracy, and that the next step is to translate it into concrete action.

The second day of the 47th TCM confirmed that vocational training is not only a tool for employability, but also a pillar for social justice, productive transformation and democracy. From local experiences to regional declarations, the message was unanimous: inclusion, innovation and dialogue are the keys to facing transitions and ensuring opportunities for all in Ibero-America.