With the goal of strengthening the workers' level of qualification in the fruit tree nursery industry and improve the sector's professional recognition, the Fruit Nurseries Association (AGVF) and the Agency for Intermediate Technical Training (CAPFRUTA), announced the signing of a strategic alliance, which will enable their members to make use of Sence (the National Programme for Scholarships and Tax Exempt Training) for the improvement of the workforce's labour skills.
Jorge Valenzuela, president of AGVF, stressed the relevance of this agreement, which will directly benefit close to 80% of the production of fruit trees, including stone fruit, grapes, pome fruits, kiwis, olives, walnuts, almonds, strawberries, pomegranates, hazelnuts, berries, avocados and citrus, while strengthening Chile's position as a key supplier of quality fruit trees, both nationally and internationally.
"Our nurseries sell more than 100,650,000 fruit trees and are recognised as a key link and foundation for the national fruit industry; therefore, it is absolutely essential that our workforce has the right tools to undertake their tasks," stated Valenzuela, who added that "through initiatives like this one, not only do we support the development of the workforce in the sector, but we also help strengthening competitiveness and the quality of our products, allowing us to turn Chile into a big player in the production and export of fruit trees worldwide."
For her part, the Executive Director of OTIC CAPFRUTA, institution under the National Fruit Producers Federation (FEDEFRUTA), Ximena Parraguez, invited the entrepreneurs partnered with AGVF to make the most of the agreement, which enables them to make use of tax exemptions to train their workers through a wide range of courses on technical, administrative, accounting, computing and human resources subjects, among others.
"With this alliance between AGVF and OTIC CAPFRUTA we wish to grant the workforce with the many benefits of training, advice entrepreneurs in their search for the right training institution, giving them precise information about training possibilities. This year we have imparted more than 370 courses, and more will be made available to meet the sector's needs, which we know are quite specialised. We will also work to improve the workers' professional recognition, enabling us to give recognition to the skills and abilities needed to satisfactorily perform their duties in this sector," said Parraguez.
To participate in the initiative, you can call (56-02) 2585 45 20 or send an e-mail to [email protected].
Source: FEDEFRUTA