Dr. Reynaldo (Rey) Martinez, Jr. is an Emeritus Professor in the Department of Adult and Career Education at Valdosta State University in Valdosta, GA. He has been involved in higher education for 27 years.
Rey communicated a story from the year 2000, where he was involved with a $16.5 million workforce education project in Honduras. The goal of the project was to rebuild and build new technical education centers following the destruction realized as a result of Hurricane Mitch. Rey met with the Minister of Education to discuss the pilot program he was proposing.. The Minister replied that he wanted the plane, not just the pilot!
So, they embarked on a systematic approach to improving workforce education in Honduras. They brought in partners to discuss ways to redesign workforce education (aka human resource development). Rey knew that the quality of the workforce and workforce education has a direct impact on the health of the economy of any given country.
Workforce education enhances human capital in three areas: intellectual, social and emotional capital. This is particularly true for women, the disadvantaged and the illiterate. Workforce education helps to raise them from their situation. Numerous agencies are involved in workforce education:
- The International Labor Association
- World Bank (provides capital assistance)
- UNESCO (out of the United Nations, helps in the understanding of other cultures)
- USAID (programs to assist countries in need)
- CETAPHOP (European Union organization)