Back in 2002, in the midst of the economic and social crisis in Argentina, Techint created ProPymes, which aimed to support its suppliers and customers in a difficult scenario and strengthen the competitiveness of its industrial value chain. A fundamental aspect of the program is the training offered to participating SMEs, middle managers and operators, enabling them to move forward on a path of continuous improvement. However, today the commitment to develop skills goes beyond their organizations and many small and medium businesses are involved in training and technical education in the communities where they work.

Welding threads

One successful example of this is the Welding Themes project, which offers welding seminars and courses for people interested in learning the trade. The offer came from Tecpetrol, a Techint Group gas and oil company, and has been implemented since October 2021 in the provinces of Neuquén, Salta and Chubut, where it has deposits. With this initiative, participating SMEs from all oil and gas services sectors and Tecpetrol suppliers will open their doors to teach courses in the cities of General Moskon (Salta), Neuken and Commodore Rivadavia (Chubut). The second edition is underway this May.

Luis Lanzian, Tecpetrol’s Supplier Development Manager and one of the project managers, emphasizes the importance of promoting the welding profession due to its relevance to the oil and gas world, in the context of productive expansion and growth in this field. From the unconventional deposits of Vaka Muerta. “At Tecpetrol, we work on the ProPymes program, prioritizing not only the development of our suppliers’ management capabilities, but also our technical capabilities,” he explains. “We believe in the concept that a company can not develop if the surrounding society does not develop with it,” he added, adding that the call is aimed at both training people in the community and providing employment opportunities. Promote public relations and identify talent that may eventually be involved by these participating SMEs.

Many times this activity is attended by people who have nothing to do with the industry, for example, in Salta, where members of the aboriginal communities participated, or in Commodore Rivadavia, where people went to attend a technical night school. “Our goal is for up to 50 workshops to open their doors to train more people and give them a job horizon,” Lanziani said.

On the experience, Juan Carlos Travisani, Geocor’s Managing Partner at Salta, part of ProPymes, said: “It has been absolutely enriching and innovative for our company. In addition, we were surprised by the response and how the participants were involved in the four-day training, showed interest and ability to apply and master what they were taught. ” Travisian also highlighted a variety of topics, some of them Aboriginal gratitude for the opportunity young people had to go through this training.

Commitment to the future

Education at Techint is a strategic axis and that is why it works with a variety of support programs to enhance the training of high school students and prepare them for entry into the world of labor and industry. Erika Bienek, Public Relations Officer at Grupo Techint, explains that the company has a direct presence in 15 locations across the country and that educational empowerment programs represent 70% of the company’s social investment.

“The impact is reaching nearly 20,000 people, including students and teachers, and last year our social investment exceeded $ 1,000 million,” Bienek said. One of the longest-running programs is Technical Gen, which provides infrastructure improvements, equipment, and training for technical school teachers and students in communities where Tech has factories. “The goal of the General Technician is to promote technical perfection, to offer tools that will equalize the future opportunities of young people. “Through the practice of professionalization, students get closer and learn about different productive realities, especially with the technological transformation that these industries bring together,” Bienek said. Technical genes are also offered in the value chain to achieve greater capillarity in the industrial network. In this way, the client and the supplier SME interact with the technical schools in their area, with the support of the Propimes program. To date, 58 small and medium-sized businesses affiliated with 45 technical schools in 43 locations across the country are participating in this initiative. More than 6,800 students and teachers were trained by these SMEs, and more than 1,100 students underwent internships in their factories.

In Cordoba, Akron, an agricultural machinery company based in San Francisco and a Ternium client, is also part of ProPymes. “The program plays a fundamental role in the development and growth of the company,” said Natalia Perlo, Akron’s human resources manager. “Over the years, we have received financial and industrial assistance, training and logistics for our staff. “Everything is aimed at continuous improvement, which is a very important value for us,” he added.

Acron has a training program focused on the San Francisco community, which has its roots in the ProPymes Technical Gen program and was created in agreement with the San Francisco Regional National University of Technology (UTN). “This project was born as a social responsibility initiative and its main goal is to train in specialties such as CNC (computerized numerical control), MAG-MIG welding and robotic cell operator for young people who are interested in learning the profession and getting involved in work. “The world and the region of San Francisco,” he assures us.

Welding and CNC courses are taught at Akron School, which are free for students, with a total duration of 40 hours and are held simultaneously in different production plants of Akron. “They are responsible for UTN professors, with the support of the company’s staff. Among those registered in the first two editions are students of technical schools, workers interested in the specialty and without experience in the above fields. “Today we can say with great satisfaction that we are proud that schoolchildren are part of our team,” he concluded.

The Akron School and Soldando Comunidades project are two very important achievements of the ProPymes generation, a generation that has been involved, developed and committed to being an active actor and working for community development through the eyes of the people for 20 years. .

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