Training with Impact: SQM Launches 27 Courses to Strengthen Employability in Communities Across Tarapacá and Antofagasta

Developed in partnership with OTIC SOFOFA, Fundación Chile, OTEC Dos Barbas, and SENCE offices in both regions, the program offers 560 training opportunities, with courses defined in coordination with local OMIL offices and tailored to the productive and labor needs of each territory.

Strengthening local employability and bringing training opportunities closer to communities are the main objectives of the training program led by SQM in partnership with other organizations, which is currently being implemented in different communities across the Tarapacá and Antofagasta regions. The courses aim to provide participants with skills and competencies aligned with the labor and productive needs of each territory.

In total, the program includes 27 courses and 560 training opportunities across both regions. In Tarapacá, 15 courses will be offered to 290 participants, while Antofagasta will host 12 courses with 270 available spots. Training is taking place in Pozo Almonte, Huara, Iquique and its coastal communities, Tocopilla, María Elena, Mejillones, Sierra Gorda, and Antofagasta.

Among the training opportunities is the CAEX haul truck operation course, a 120-hour program for residents of Pozo Almonte, where SQM carries out part of its operations. Abraham Díaz, Director of the Community Development Department of the Municipality of Pozo Almonte, highlighted the impact of this training on the community, “especially for our young people, who now have access to comprehensive training to operate large haul trucks.” He added that it is “a tool that opens the door for them to pursue opportunities in large-scale mining,” and emphasized the value of providing this training in the same area where the company operates, underscoring the importance of building local capabilities and developing the community’s human capital.

The program also includes courses in mining and plant operations, agricultural machinery operation, leaching, rigging, OS-10 security, warehouse and inventory management, SAP, plumbing, industrial cleaning, electrical work, welding, and photovoltaic solar panel installation. This broad range of courses responds both to the needs of the mining industry and to other productive activities across the regions.

The training portfolio was designed based on needs identified in coordination with the OMIL offices in each community, as well as findings from the Chilean Large-Scale Mining Workforce Study prepared by CCM-Eleva, with the goal of aligning training opportunities with the skills and professional profiles currently required by the industry.

Alejandro Fernández, SQM’s Productive Development Manager, noted that the company “is committed to developing local talent through courses focused on the skills currently demanded by the industry. We are proud to launch this program, which directly benefits local residents by strengthening the territory’s human capital and helping them become part of the mining value chain.”

Félix Rojas, a participant in the CAEX haul truck operation course, also highlighted the importance of these initiatives: “I think this is very positive for our community. Through this course, and with the support and training we are receiving, the company can see us as better prepared to join its teams. That is the goal, and it also motivates those of us who may have limited experience but are eager to learn and develop our skills.”

The program is being implemented through a coordinated effort involving SQM, OTIC SOFOFA, Fundación Chile, OTEC Dos Barbas, and the OMIL offices in each municipality, in coordination with SENCE Tarapacá, SENCE Antofagasta, and the respective Regional Secretariats of Labor and Social Welfare in both regions.

The courses began progressively in late August and will continue launching throughout September in the different communities. Through this initiative, the goal goes beyond simply providing training. The program seeks to offer relevant learning opportunities, strengthen local capabilities, and expand employment opportunities for people living in these territories.