Chile certifies 14 new trainers on ILO Think.COOP and Start.COOP methodologies for aquaculture

SANTIAGO (ILO News) – As part of the International Year of Cooperatives 2025, Chile officially certified 14 professionals as trainers in the International Labour Organisation's Think.COOP and Start.COOP Aquaculture methodologies, thereby consolidating the strengthening of cooperatives in the country's aquaculture and fisheries sector.

The certification event, held virtually on 23 July, marked the conclusion of a training process lasting more than a year. This initiative was the result of joint efforts between the ILO, the Chilean Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism (MINECON) and the SalmonChile A.G. Association.

The process began already in 2022 with a regional workshop in Lima, Peru, which launched an ILO strategy to strengthen aquaculture cooperatives in the region. In Chile, the training phases took place between March 2024 and July 2025 and included workshops, technical advice, support for trainers and practical application with groups of producers and artisanal fishers from the Los Lagos Region.

© ILO

© ILO

Thanks to these efforts, 14 professionals from public, private, and regional institutions received ILO certification after successfully applying the methodologies in the field, contributing to strengthening local capacities.

The closing ceremony was attended by Efraín Quicaña, Regional Specialist in Rural Economy, Productive Development and Formalization at the ILO; Juan José Montes, Head of Division of Associativity and Cooperatives at MINECON; and Felipe Díaz, Director of Communities at SalmonChile A.G.

The ILO played a key technical role in the process, ensuring methodological consistency, providing ongoing assistance, and coordinating efforts with national stakeholders to consolidate a network of specialized trainers in aquaculture cooperatives.

At the ILO, we believe that strengthening local capacities is essential to generating sustainable opportunities, promoting inclusion, and moving toward more decent work in the country's fishing and aquaculture communities.

Efraín Quicaña, Regional Specialist in Rural Economy, Productive Development, and Formalization at the ILO

The ILO’s Think.COOP and Start.COOP methodologies promote cooperative education, associativity, business planning, and decent work, fostering sustainable, inclusive initiatives adapted to the social and solidarity economy.

The Associativity and Cooperatives Division of the MINECON emphasized that this certification constitutes a decisive step in strengthening the cooperative ecosystem in Chile and in promoting public policies aimed at the sector.

Within this framework, the certification also represents a milestone for the Chilean aquaculture sector, opening up new economic opportunities for artisanal producers and fishers, with a focus on formalization, inclusion and decent work.