On November 12, 2019, the USAID/El Salvador Mission Director, David Gosney, leaders of the plastic sector training center Fundación para el Desarrollo Integral de los Trabajadores de la Industria del Plástico (FUNDEPLAST), representatives of the national vocational training institution Instituto Salvadoreño de Formación Profesional (INSAFORP), the plastics industry association Asociación Salvadoreña de la Industria Plástico, and leading plastics company Termoencogibles celebrated a key USAID Bridges to Employment (Puentes) milestone: the installation of new specialized plastics machinery and equipment at FUNDEPLAST. This modern machinery will allow vulnerable youth participating in plastics training courses to benefit from hands-on experience, learning how to properly operate the state-of-the-art machines to produce a variety of rigid and flexible plastic products, such as labels, bottles, and caps, and then utilizing the laboratory equipment to test the quality of the products.

Through a grant of nearly $3 million to FUNDEPLAST, USAID Bridges to Employment is making significant and long-lasting strides in improving the quality and relevance of technical training offered to youth in El Salvador, ensuring they gain the particular knowledge and skills demanded by plastics companies. The provision of these machines substantially contributes to the long-term institutional capacity of the training center FUNDEPLAST, making it possible for the training center to offer market-relevant skills to increased numbers of vulnerable youth for careers in a high-growth industry for years into the future. 

 

Contact: Caterina Valero, cvalero@puentesempleo.com