Toyota addresses worker shortage with youth education program
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In Zárate, Argentina, Toyota responded to difficulty finding qualified workers by creating Educate, a program offering high school completion and stipends to young people aged 18 to 25.
The company discovered it struggled to hire individuals without completed secondary education for positions at its plant.
Educate provides students with the opportunity to finish high school while receiving a monthly payment equivalent to a minimum wage, with classes held at the Zárate Popular University and supported by the Buenos Aires Province Ministry of Culture and Education. The program began in 2018 and has since graduated 212 students out of 226 who enrolled, a 93.8% completion rate.
More than 40 graduates now work directly for Toyota or its supplier companies, representing one in five program participants finding formal employment. Toyota also shares lists of graduates with companies in its supply chain when they are hiring. Juan Núñez, a program graduate and now a Toyota employee, previously struggled to find stable work after leaving school. He began selling tortillas to support his family before joining Educate.
The program offered not just education but also personalized support, including mentorship and skills workshops covering topics like resume writing and financial literacy, as well as assistance with personal challenges like childcare and mental health. Toyota hopes the program can be replicated in other communities, as it leverages existing educational infrastructure and adds financial assistance and targeted training.
