Baja California Sur Governor Víctor Manuel Castro Cosío inaugurated the third CROC tourism training school in La Paz on Friday, backed by a 13.5 million peso (approximately $675,000 USD) investment from the labor confederation.
The Confederación Revolucionaria de Obreros y Campesinos (CROC), one of Mexico’s largest labor unions, already operates tourism schools in Cabo San Lucas and La Ribera. The new La Paz campus will offer two- and three-month courses in food and beverage service, pastry arts, English, French, room service, massage, and other hospitality disciplines.
New Facility Features Teaching Kitchen and Practice Rooms
The school includes language classrooms, a teaching kitchen, a bar area, a restaurant, and hotel-service practice rooms. Castro Cosío called education and workforce training essential to the well-being of workers and the development of the state.
CROC national leader Isaías González Cuevas, La Paz Mayor Milena Quiroga Romero, and CROC state leader Francisco Javier Vargas joined the governor at the ribbon cutting. Nohemí Valdez, director of CROC’s tourism schools in Baja California Sur, was recognized for her role in developing the project.
Expanding Hospitality Workforce Training in BCS
The first stone for the La Paz campus was laid in April 2025 during a ceremony with González Cuevas and Castro Cosío. Construction took roughly 13 months.
Tourism is one of Baja California Sur’s largest economic sectors. La Paz, the state capital, has seen steady growth in hotel and restaurant development in recent years. The city’s malecón district, historic downtown, and proximity to Isla Espíritu Santo draw both Mexican and international visitors year-round.
The CROC schools are designed to give workers, including those already employed in the industry, access to formal training that can lead to better positions and higher wages. Courses cover front-of-house skills like bartending and table service as well as back-of-house specialties such as pastry and kitchen work.
Castro Cosío noted the ongoing coordination between the CROC and the state government on initiatives aimed at economic and social development across Baja California Sur, according to reporting by the BCS state government and La Polaca BCS.