With the aim of strengthening students’ education and encouraging them to pursue opportunities in next-generation industries, the third career guidance talk of the Education and Skills Development Program for Young People in Mejillones (known by its Spanish acronym, PEC) was held at the auditorium of Complejo Educativo Juan José Latorre Benavente.
On this occasion, the presentation focused on the successful experience of a skills development program implemented by Methanex in Punta Arenas, which is very similar to the program NorQuim is developing in Mejillones. The session included testimonials from two graduates of these programs who now work for the Magallanes-based methanol producer.
The speakers — Cecilia Troncoso, Community Relations Coordinator; Diego González, Responsible Care Manager and former scholarship recipient; and Marcela Ardiles, a recent graduate of the Graduate Program and new Methanex employee — also explained how a methanol plant operates, helping students gain a closer understanding of this type of industry and encouraging their interest in pursuing careers within it.
Alongside these topics, the speakers highlighted the economic value and positive social impact these industries can generate through deep community engagement and Responsible Care. In this context, participants learned that 9 out of 10 Methanex employees currently come from the Magallanes Region.
According to the teaching staff at Complejo Educativo Juan José Latorre Benavente, the career guidance talks have been very positively received by the educational community because they provide students with additional tools to understand the challenges and opportunities offered by new energy industries.
This third PEC talk is the first activity of the Education and Skills Development Program for Young People in Mejillones in 2026. The first talk was held on May 20, 2025, and focused on e-fuels and their relevance to the energy transition in Chile and worldwide, as well as the opportunities they represent for local development. The presentation was led by the Energy Sustainability Agency (Agencia de Sostenibilidad Energética, ASE) and included a presentation by Dafne Pino, who was then the Regional Ministerial Secretary for Energy in Antofagasta.
The second PEC talk was held on July 29, 2025, and explored the soft skills young people need to enter the workforce. The presentations also covered some of the professional and technical roles that will be required by the next-generation industries planning to develop projects in Mejillones. The sessions were led by representatives of INACAP Antofagasta, school authorities, and NorQuim representatives.
