Our “Community of Women Electricians” program wins Sustainability HUB Award

 

• This initiative is a partnership between Madeco by Nexans, RedMaestra, Sonepar, and Schneider Electric, aimed at addressing gender inequality in the construction sector.

In an effort to narrow the gender gap in the construction industry and promote greater equality of job opportunities, the "Community of Women Electricians" was born. This initiative is driven by a partnership between Madeco by Nexans, RedMaestra, Sonepar, and Schneider Electric.

After two successful years of comprehensive training implementation, the "Community of Women Electricians" was honored with the "2023 Sustainable Initiative Award" in the Gender Equality and Inequality Reduction category, presented by Pulso's Sustainability HUB. The award was received by Alonso Fernández, Finance Manager of Madeco by Nexans and Sustainability Leader for the Andean Region of Nexans, accompanied by María Paz Achurra, Executive Director of RedMaestra.

Since its inception in July 2022, the Women Electricians Community program aims to provide vocational tools through comprehensive training and free certification to women in the construction sector.

The data is clear: female participation in this productive space has historically been low, not exceeding 7%, according to the Chilean Chamber of Construction. Additionally, according to the 2022 CASEN survey, households in multidimensional poverty situations have a higher proportion of women heads of households. The total poverty rate is 6.1% for men and 6.9% for women.

This program has trained 21 women in 2022 and an additional 60 women in 2023, with 22% of them already holding SEC certification. Technical training and job skills workshops have provided students with specific trade knowledge and tools to enter the workforce competitively.

The Women Electricians Community is a success story, offering two distinct training courses: one in advanced electrical installation, another in residential electrical installations, and a third in the installation and maintenance of photovoltaic panels. This promotes economic autonomy, job retraining, and the well-being of women. Moreover, this initiative is already being replicated in Peru, where it has awarded 20 scholarships under the "I am a woman, I am an electrician" program.

About the "Community of Women Electricians":

The "Community of Women Electricians" is an initiative led by Madeco by Nexans, RedMaestra, Sonepar, and Schneider Electric, with the primary goal of promoting gender equality and reducing inequality in the construction sector in Chile. Through technical training and workshops, this community provides women with tools to enter and excel in a sector historically dominated by men, contributing to closing the gender gap and empowering women economically.