WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) says it has entered into an agreement with Netflix to promote skills-learning and growth of the entertainment Industry in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).
It said that the streaming entertainment service giant will help promote the development of 21st century skills, including in the digital and creative economy in the LAC.
The IDB said that Netflix will leverage its expertise to help address skills shortages in the region’s entertainment industry and to develop new opportunities to improve education and increase job creation and growth.
The 21st Century Skills Coalition is a multi-sector partnership that supports a new generation of education and training policies in the IDB’s 26 borrowing member countries.
It brings together the public and private sectors and supports the development of transversal skills that are critical for success in the rapidly changing 21st-century labor market.
The IDB said Netflix will be sharing its broad experience and expertise, collaborating with it to generate knowledge and better identify the competencies required to boost the region’s creative industries, or “orange economy.” The organizations will also support development of skills in film and entertainment.
“This partnership with Netflix will help the region’s youth press play on new opportunities. Together, we can leverage Latin America and the Caribbean’s creative talent and potential, giving workers 21st-century skills and tools to thrive, and giving local economies a jumpstart,” said IDB President Mauricio Claver-Carone.
“In supporting job creation, small businesses and digital-skills development, this collaboration furthers the fundamental goals of Vision 2025, our blueprint for post-pandemic economic recovery and growth,” he added.
In 2019, approximately US$5.7 billion was invested in audiovisual production in Latin America and the Caribbean, driving the creation of more than 1.6 million direct and indirect jobs.
A forthcoming IDB-Netflix study, “Behind the Camera: Creativity and Investment for Latin America and the Caribbean,” will highlight the challenges and untapped opportunities available to take this and related industries to the next level, the IDB added.
Launched by the IDB in October 2019, the 21st Century Skills Coalition now counts 45 public- and private-sector partners with the addition of Netflix.
