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Thirty-five students from Tocopilla received certificates after successfully completing the Supplementary Training Program offered jointly by SQM, INACAP and the Municipality of Tocopilla. The purpose of the program is to enhance the training of vocational and technical education students from the Polivalente Domingo Latrille and Diego Portales high schools.

The agreement focuses on strengthening education, which is one of the key pillars of SQM’s community engagement work. SQM’s Director of Nitrates and Iodine Communities and Public Affairs Pablo Pisani noted that the program reflects the organization’s commitment to develop neighboring communities through actions such as training in welding, photovoltaic energy and operations and logistics.

“The important thing is that these courses were chosen because they align with the realities of this region and district. That is the virtue of this process, which equips this group of students with tools. The participants performed well in all areas, and many female students enrolled in the program. Those students now have skills that will allow them to better position themselves in an increasingly competitive labor market,” the executive explained.

Sergio Velásquez Díaz, INACAP’s Regional Manager of Continuing Education, spoke on the institution’s behalf on the importance of the agreement, which allows the institute to train young people, giving them new skills and increasing their employability so that they will be better positioned to join the workforce.

“It is a good opportunity for us to continue to train the city’s young people and workers in our fields. The three courses that we offer are highly focused on what the region needs today. As such, we are trying to provide the region’s companies with qualified labor,” Velásquez remarked.

New opportunities

The course participants described it as a positive experience and enriching space. For example, welding student Maura Cortés from Liceo Diego Portales said, “The teachers treated us really well, giving us a lot of information about welding. They were really patient with us, and there was no discrimination here in the workshop. They treat male and female students equally.”

Kevin Araya, a Photovoltaic Energy student at Liceo Diego Portales, said, “The course was very fun. I know that this workshop will be really useful to me in the future because I can work in this field.”

Josefa Segovia, who attends Liceo Domingo Latrille and was trained in Operations and Logistics, thanked the organizers and added, “I have learned a lot of things that I never thought I would learn at such a young age. I think it is really useful, especially now that I will be doing my internship at a mining company. I think this will really benefit me, and it is great that they are helping us.”

The municipality’s Communications Cabinet Director, Darío Rojas, added, “As a municipality, we are pleased that this program has graduated 35 students, training them and increasing their knowledge in various areas. We are grateful for SQM’s sustained collaboration and that of INACAP, which allows us to be able to equip more students with skills that allow them to perform better in the professional world.”

The results of the initiative were also highlighted by the principals of the beneficiary schools. The principal of Liceo Diego Portales, Yerko Echeverría, commented, “These types of agreements are key because they open up new opportunities for our children. We believe that this initiative will help our students acquire new skills and be better prepared when it comes time to join the work world.”

For her part, Rosana Montero, the principal at Liceo Polivalente Domingo Latrille, thanked the organizers of the initiative and congratulated the graduating students on their commitment and effort, which included giving up their weekends. “These young people from Tocopilla successfully completed a certification process that will help them have a more promising future,” she concluded.