With 4,652,512 inhabitants according to Dane, Valle del Cauca is the third most populated territorial entity in Colombia. This demographic factor is an educational challenge, since the country’s third-largest economy demands high-quality human capital. According to the Ministry of Education, in this department 307,792 students were enrolled in primary school, 268,995 in high school and 124,946 in secondary education. The insertion of this population into the labor market, with the necessary skills to successfully face the digital and automated environment, is the mission led by Comfandi.
This family compensation fund, with a 55-year tradition of training the people of Valle del Cauca, created ‘Learning for productive life’a commitment that, among its objectives, seeks to strengthen the physical and technological capabilities of its schools through STEM+ projects, bilingualism, development of a learning mentality, business training and support in the development of skills.
According to Alejandra Jaramillo, director of Social Development at Comfandi, “By providing comprehensive training and connecting education, employability and business development, we become a platform that will connect opportunities and will provide thousands of people with the necessary tools to enter the labor market or start a business.”
The project will require an investment of more than 150,000 million pesos in the next five years, and is expected to impact 20,000 people who will receive support to materialize their life project. It is also estimated that 12,000 students will benefit from acquiring the skills demanded by the labor market.
The directive pointed out that, thanks to this model, 98 percent of school graduates will move towards post-media training, employability or entrepreneurship routes, and 75 percent of students from post-media training programs will access formal jobs or create business units.
That its students have a bright future is the result of the experience of the family compensation fund in the educational sector. Last year alone, 246 young people from their schools achieved results greater than or equal to 300 points in the Saber Tests, and 174 grade 11 students obtained study scholarships at the best universities in the region.
