firm Manpower interviewed more than 40,000 employers across 39 different countries, 57% of employers in Brazil are unable to find the skilled workers they need to operate their businesses. Claudio Lampert, chief legal officer of Brazilian logistics firm Grupo LLX, is one these employers. "Lack of qualified labor isn't a problem for the future; it's a problem we're facing today," he states. "At this very moment, we're in need of an additional 3,000 employees." This acute labor shortage has dramatic implications for Brazilian citizens, Brazilian firms, foreign job seekers and the future of the Brazilian economy in general.What explains Brazil's lack of qualified labor, and what are the historical underpinnings of this modern-day problem? While the answers to these questions are highly nuanced, many observers begin by pointing to Brazil's historical underinvestment in education as the primary culprit behind today's labor shortage. For example, Roberto Civita, chairman and editorial director of Grupo Abril, Brazil's largest media conglomerate, states that the country lacks qualified labor because "Brazil basically ignored education during a large portion of its history." In support of this thesis, many academic specialists on the subject state that, beginning in the colonial era, the Brazilian elite deliberately neglected education because their productive assets (which, until the latter half of the 20th century, were focused primarily on the production and export of primary goods) did not require the use of skilled labor. This historical legacy contributed to the formation of an educational system ill-equipped to meet the needs of a fast-growing and diversified economy.Most experts agree that the solution to Brazil's labor shortage is a long-term one that involves broadening access to education, building more schools and improving the quality of existing educational institutions. But what can be done to address the issue in the short term? How are Brazilian companies coping with the shortfall? Can and should highly skilled foreigners be used to fill the gap? And what are the long-term implications of a prolonged labor shortage?Corporates Enter the StageFacing an ever-widening gap between healthy growth projections and qualified talent supply shortages, Brazilian companies -- such as mining giant Vale (fomerly Companhia Vale do Rio Doce or CVRD), Petrobras and Schincariol -- have taken on the talent gap proactively by establishing their own corporate universities. While not intended to replace conventional education systems, corporate universities increasingly resemble them. They seek to accelerate the acquisition of academic knowledge and immediately facilitate practical, on-the-job application through short-term immersion courses such as those found in academic settings.Vale's Valer University spent US$34.7 million in 2010 on its educational programs across the value chain -- from operational and specialist technicians to management leaders -- even reaching suppliers that have difficulty providing high-quality service due to poor management skills.Valer University trains employees in mining, port operations and railways, among other fields. In 2010 alone, it produced 60 railway engineers who would not otherwise have had the skills necessary for Vale's operations. It is also considered the unparalleled leader in producing talent specialized in extracting ore from the Amazon rainforest. Although focused on particular technical skills for the