More than 800 people trained through SQM’s Community Technical Training Program

The main objective of the Community Technical Training Program was to provide training tools to different communities in the regions of Tarapacá and Antofagasta. This is the second edition of the program, which has benefited more than 800 people, 67% of whom are women.

To celebrate, a closing ceremony was held in Antofagasta and Tarapacá with the graduates of the courses given this year. In this regard, the Antofagasta Regional Director of Sence (Chilean government job training program), Guido Muñoz, said: “The region needs to promote local labor, more certification, and SQM stands out in this regard because it has built a powerful program to train people who enter the labor market and improve their quality of life.”

This program is carried out by SQM’s Talent Attraction Department, which provided 37 courses in the municipalities of Huara, Pozo Almonte, Alto Hospicio, Bajo Soga, La Tirana, María Elena, San Pedro de Atacama, Tocopilla, Pisagua, Antofagasta, Calama and Taltal.

“Today we are closing version 2.0 of this program, which was carried out in different locations in the regions of Antofagasta and Tarapacá. This year we reached 850 people, of which 67% were women, who may be future candidates for our company. We also have students who continued with the Apprentice Program who are working at our different sites,” said SQM’s Deputy Manager of Talent Attraction and Diversity, Bárbara Blümel.

One of the students participating in this activity in Antofagasta was Bárbara Zapata, who completed the Lithium Plant Base Operator course and is currently part of the Apprentice Program at SQM. She commented: “This experience was very enriching since most of the participants are women. We learned a lot and the course was very demanding. It is very important for this type of opportunity to be provided. I have been working in the company for three months now as an apprentice and, thanks to the course, which was very comprehensive, I have been able to develop along with my colleagues in all the areas where they have placed us,” she mentioned.

During the ceremony in Tarapacá, Luz González, a regional government representative, highlighted the work carried out by the company, adding that “it is a joy to see how SQM continues to strengthen the inclusion of women in mining, especially in the Tamarugal Province, where several people have been certified in different areas.”

Felicinda Ruiz, beneficiary of the loom course in La Tirana, recognized the importance of what she learned, adding that “the teacher was excellent, as she was always attentive to all of us and we were very excited at the end of the course because of everything we learned. I make handicrafts using bottles and I am now complementing my business with what I learned in this course. It was great to have been integrated as a community into SQM’s initiatives. We are very grateful.

In this second year, the Community Technical Training Program implemented 37 courses in twelve towns between the regions of Tarapacá and Antofagasta, supported by organizations and technical agencies such as OTC Consultores, Cristo Vive, CEFOMIN, Utracción, Artikula HC, Fundación Chile and Automóvil Club, as well as the Municipal Job Placement Offices, the regional representatives from the Labor and Social Security ministries and SENCE.