The Dominican Republic’s national defense sector is forging a new collaborative alliance with global tourism bodies and national tourism authorities to address growing skills demand in one of the country’s most vital economic sectors. The Ministry of Defense (MIDE), working through the General Directorate of Vocational Schools of the Armed Forces and National Police (DIVEG), gathered this week with senior representatives from UN Tourism and the Dominican Ministry of Tourism (MITUR) to map out expanded cooperation in technical and vocational training for the tourism industry.
The high-level working meeting brought together three key stakeholders leading the initiative: DIVEG Director Colonel José Ramón Reyes Suárez, UN Tourism Executive Director Natalia Bayona, and Dominican Vice Minister of Tourism Carlos A. Peguero. During the discussion, the group centered talks on designing and rolling out targeted initiatives to cultivate a highly skilled workforce that can keep pace with the rapid expansion of the Dominican Republic’s tourism sector, which is a major driver of national economic growth and job creation.
Attendees explored a wide range of potential areas for collaboration, including joint academic programs that align training curricula with industry needs, projects focused on strengthening the institutional capacity of DIVEG’s training systems, and exchange schemes that facilitate increased mobility for both students and instructors across partner institutions. Following the formal discussions, the visiting delegation got an up-close look at DIVEG’s existing infrastructure, touring the organization’s hands-on workshops and modern training facilities to assess current capabilities and identify opportunities for upgrades.
Per DIVEG’s official statement on the new partnership, the collaboration is projected to deliver far-reaching benefits for the Dominican labor market and national economy. By enhancing the quality of workforce training programs, the alliance aims to improve employability outcomes for trainees, foster a new generation of tourism-focused entrepreneurs, and underpin the sustained expansion of not only the tourism sector but also other key productive industries across the country.