Apprenticeship in Honduras

The Bachillerato Técnico Profesional (BTP) is the main formal technical pathway in Honduras. It normally follows Educación Básica and lasts three years. Its curriculum combines scientific-humanistic subjects, diversified technological studies and specialised technical training in areas such as administration and services, agroforestry and industry. Students complete supervised and assessed professional practice in a company. The BTP certificate can support entry into work, entrepreneurship or further study, but it does not guarantee a job or create an automatic occupational licence. The Instituto Nacional de Formación Profesional (INFOP) provides non-formal technical training through regional centres and mobile, in-person, virtual, synchronous, asynchronous and blended formats. Its fields include vehicle mechanics, refrigeration and air conditioning, carpentry, construction, electricity, electronics, information technology, hospitality, agriculture and business. Courses can last from about one week to one year; examples in the available offer include five-week and twelve-week courses as well as short 20-hour modules. Course certificates and separate competency certificates do not all represent the same qualification level. INFOP access normally requires Honduran nationality, an age of at least 15 and documents specified by the course, such as identification or a birth certificate. Virtual courses also require a device and internet, and the available offer depends on the department, municipality and training centre. A learner may generally enrol in up to three courses, while advanced modules can require approval from a lower module. The offer and available places vary by department, municipality and training centre. The Secretaría de Educación provides a national offer portal that can be filtered by level, modality, administration and location. Formación Dual is an established local term for alternating between an educational centre and a company. It combines instruction with real-work practice, but nationwide intake numbers, standard duration, stipends, assessment rules and employer duties were not consistently published in the reviewed evidence. Current cooperation between INFOP and OEI and related policy activity show a growing model, not a universal default. A Contrato de aprendizaje is a written fixed-term labour contract in which an employer teaches an agreed trade and uses the apprentice's work. It states the parties, trade and tasks, time and place, pay and benefits, and any lodging, maintenance or off-site instruction. The contract can last up to one year; the Secretaría de Trabajo y Seguridad Social (STSS) may grant a written extension of up to three years. A trial period can last up to 60 working days, and termination normally requires seven working days of notice. An unjustified dismissal can lead to compensation of one month's salary. The employer must teach the agreed trade, avoid unrelated harmful work, support compatible general or technical instruction and prefer the apprentice for an equal vacancy. The apprentice must perform the agreed work carefully, follow instructions and protect confidentiality and the employer's property. Apprentices receive labour benefits except the legal minimum-wage protection, and the applicable pay scale depends on the contract and training situation: the STSS text refers to 60% for up to six months, 75% after six to twelve months and 80% for non-INFOP or self-trained apprentices or extensions beyond one year. Employers generally need at least 5% apprentices per trade, or one apprentice when they employ fewer than 20 workers. The employer should report the apprenticeship to INFOP and the labour inspectorate and keep the written conditions verifiable. If an employer refuses to issue a certificate, an Inspectoría aptitude examination can provide a certification procedure; after a successful examination, the certificate should be issued within 24 hours. BTP completion, INFOP course certificates, competency certificates and employer apprenticeship certificates document different kinds of learning and should not be treated as interchangeable. Public INFOP courses are listed as free, although learners can still pay for transport, materials, equipment, device access or internet. INFOP is financed through employer contributions, including 1% of private payroll and 0.5% of permanent central-administration wages according to the cited official labour and government references. BTP fees vary between public and private institutions, with no uniform national fee established in the available evidence. Adults seeking a first vocational qualification can use INFOP's flexible courses, including virtual options, because no general maximum-age barrier was identified; each course can set its own prerequisites. Informal workplace learning can build practical ability, but it does not automatically produce a recognised certificate.