Enel Chile provides solar panel installation training for 130 people in Antofagasta and Copiapó

Published on Monday, 31 May 2021

  • On its way towards a fair and inclusive transition, Enel Chile starts its technology transfer program to 130 people in partnership with municipalities, INACAP, the Jesuit Migrant Service, and Colla communities.

 

Antofagasta/Copiapó May 31, 2021. "Energy with Local Strength" is a program promoted by Enel Chile that seeks to train men and women in relevant trades within the value chain of photovoltaic power generation. Our program allows local labor to meet the requirements for building new renewable projects in the country and have the skills for other solar installations.

The program's first course was training on the installation of solar panels. The class was carried out online for three weeks and ended with an internship in one of the solar energy projects in Antofagasta and Atacama. This initiative delivers opportunities emerging from the energy transition to neighboring communities' new projects, such as Domeyko, Campos del Sol, and Finis Terrae Extension in Antofagasta, Copiapó, and María Elena, respectively, all of them belonging to Enel Green Power Chile.

The course was taught by INACAP and designed in association with the company's contractor management, engineering, and construction area. Through the hours of training, students were able to acquire theoretical and practical skills and safety and sustainability standards necessary to qualify for a job in constructing a photovoltaic project, not only for Enel but also for the energy industry to have our standards in safety and sustainability skills.

"For Enel, it is crucial to create value around the projects under construction, and the value that we add today is that skilled labor can come from the same environment where these projects are located, thus generating employment and economic opportunities for local communities. This program promotes local labor with a gender focus. More than 50% of the participants are women. Our spirit encourages that no one is left behind during this energy transition process. Its purpose is to generate new opportunities for a better quality of life for people," said Leonardo Araya, Community Relations Manager for Enel Chile's Northern Zone.

Among the 130 participants are people of different nationalities, who joined this pilot project thanks to an alliance with the Jesuit Migrant Service (SJM) and the incorporation in Copiapó of a group of people from the Colla indigenous community.

Lizza Aravena, The Antofagasta Regional Director of the Jesuit Migrant Service, appreciated Enel's initiative and the fact that it keeps the region's migrants in mind. She commented that "this type of training is an example of how joint work between an important company, a study center and organizations such as ours, whose work focuses vulnerable people, such as migrants, opens the door to full inclusion. Thanks to the delivery of tools that will enable these women and men to access employment opportunities. For all these reasons, we hope that this type of collaboration will multiply".

This project seeks to contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal No. 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth. We are seeking to reduce multidimensional poverty gaps, mainly labor and social security. This project is developed in line with the Economic Development with Local Identity and Green Employment of Enel Chile's Community Engagement Strategy, following the company's vision of extending energy transition-related opportunities to local communities.