Chile's Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX), met with the Director of the National Training and Employment Service (SENCE), and part of his advisory team, in order to publicize the association's activities in the workplace and training of workers in the national fruit sector.
The meeting was held on Monday, May 19, and was attended by the SENCE's National Director, Head of Programs, and Head of the Evaluation Department and Agencies, Julio Andrés Salas, Sixto Carrasco, and Marcia Pardo, respectively. ASOEX's President, General Manager, Director of Development, and the General Manager of the OTIC Agrocap, Ronald Bown, Miguel Canala-Echeverría, Sergio Maureira, and Rodrigo Lopez, also attended the meeting.
"It was a very interesting meeting. Speaking with the representatives of ASOEX is always instructive. They have a new, different view of how the training market should evolve. That's why we were interested in getting together with them so we could integrate their view to the policy's assessment that we hope to develop," said Julio Andrés Salas.
The National Director of SENCE also said they expected to work closely with ASOEX. "We have invited Ronald Bown to participate in the workshops that will take place in this area, and he has pleasantly accepted."
In this regard, Ronald Bown said, "It's very positive for our sector to be able to present our work and the initiatives we are undertaking to improve and recognize our workers' skills and that it can lead to the generation of public policies. We will actively participate in all the instances in which our view is required."
Representatives of ASOEX highlighted the training activities carried out by OTIC Agrocap, the first organization of its kind in the agriculture and forestry sector, which, to date, has trained some 217 thousand workers.
ASOEX representatives also said that the Association had created a Centre for the Evaluation and Certification of Labour Competencies, the first to be accredited for the fruit and transverse agriculture sectors in Chile, which has certified the labour skills of 12 thousand workers in key areas of gardening, packing, refrigeration and preharvest to date.
Finally, ASOEX highlighted the work they do to promote productivity and human development, via their SIMAPRO Program (Integrated System for Measurement and Improvement of Productivity), a management methodology that allows them to evaluate processes and innovate them when required.
The international Labour Organization implements this system internationally, and in Chile it is implemented through the training of middle managers as SIMAPRO training leaders; by training the operating staff using the GAEC (Self-training and Competence Evaluation Guide). Measurements and feedback meetings for improvements within the fruit sector accompany this process.
The implementation of SIMAPRO has managed to lower accident rates, where the system has been launched, and to improve productivity by reducing lost time and costs, by improving quality and sales, internal communications between employees and headquarters, salaries, and the workers' self-esteem and ability to take care of themselves, among other things.