Derestricted
FTAA.sme/inf/88
August 12, 2003
Original: Spanish
Translation: FTAA Secretariat
FTAA – CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON SMALLER ECONOMIES
CARICOM AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
HEMISPHERIC COOPERATION PROGRAM
PRESENTATION OF PROJECTS
Introduction
- Project title
Training and retraining through scholarships and foundations to enhance
competitiveness
- Background
The FTAA poses a major challenge to smaller economies, which must integrate into
a highly competitive international trade environment where efficiency is key to
sustaining small production businesses—the majority in our countries—, which
struggle to compete in foreign markets and participate in new markets.
- Rationale
In light of the low levels of competitiveness that characterize the export
production of smaller economies and their need to increase revenue through
foreign sales, CARICOM member states and the Dominican Republic must ensure
their effective participation in international trade flows by producing goods
and services at the required levels of international competitiveness.
- Objectives of the Project
- General
To develop job training and retraining programs in selected areas that are
directly related to the production of quality goods and services at a high level
of competitiveness
- Specific
- To make available assistance to create and provide technical-vocational
training programs
- To make available scholarships for advanced training of technical personnel
in selected areas
- To make available financial and technical resources for developing job
retraining programs geared towards a flexible, high-quality production system
- Inputs: resources needed for the project
- Scholarships for the advance training of selected technical personnel
- Financial resources for developing job retraining programs
- Technical assistance for developing training programs
- Expected results
- Improvement in the supply of services related to foreign trade
- Workers and technical personnel with better skills and greater productivity
or with new skills in areas not currently offered in the country
- Higher level of competitiveness of goods and services destined for
foreign markets
- Increased capacity of the productive sectors to respond to changes in
foreign demand
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Other relevant information
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