Mexican manufacturer Metalsa helps youth learn science and tech skills
Mexican manufacturing company Metalsa’s commitment to Business Call to Action aims to provide specialized skills training to an estimated 7,600 new students by 2020. Photograph: Business Call to Action
By Valerie Medina, community development specialist at Metalsa
Science, technology, engineering and math skills are needed to keep up with advances in industry. And Metalsa decided to help prepare the next generation of workers
Growing numbers of working-age people in the world’s poorest countries continue to rise, says a recent study by the UN population fund (UNFPA) entitled The Power of 1.8 Billion: Adolescents, Youth and the Transformation of the Future. The report showcases opportunities to build new industries and expand economies – a concept that Mexican manufacturing company Metalsa has taken to heart.
Metalsa seeks to inspire young people to develop the skills and knowledge required in the manufacturing industry by promoting science and technology through its innovative sustainability model for youth employment.
Providing structural components for the global automotive and commercial vehicle industry, Metalsa’s sustainability model is focused on generating value in the economic, social and environmental areas. The company has also focused on quality of life issues – working to ensure that employees and their families are considered part of its value chain and fostering a corporate citizenship program that protects the environment and develops the communities in which it operates.
Community development represents a very important task for Metalsa. For this reason it created the “Spark: Inspiring Your Future” program, which encourages young students to develop technical and engineering skills and knowledge, while at the same time reducing dropout rates in low-income schools. Dropout rates are 18.2% in the state of Nuevo León, 11.2% in San Luis Potosi, and 17.2% in Coahuila, according to 2012-2013 data. In Mexico, many youth aged 15-24, and especially young women, lack formal job opportunities and pathways to much-needed jobs that provide access to gainful vocations. The school-to-work pathway is a critical component to improve the labor outcomes for young people. This is why the Metalsa program has been so successful in not only recruiting students for its Sparks program, but also in retaining them with viable work prospects.
The program is focused on providing necessary skills training, moving from “book to action” by incorporating key technical subjects into the program. This includes physics, mathematics and science. The training is then integrated into hands-on skills training and practice through methodologies such as Lego Education or Project Lead the Way, where the students are provided with the necessary tools to develop ideas the can be applied in the automotive industry.
In the first phase, guided by their teachers as facilitators, students build structures based on the principles of force and motion, measurement, energy and magnetism. Working in teams, students gain critical training in theoretical applications, including basic engineering and industrial processes.
In the second phase of the program, students apply their knowledge, generating proposals and participating in actual operations projects in a Metalsa facility. The students benefit by real life applications that allow them to problem solve and participate in the implementation of the actual design of projects.
The Spark program acknowledges and promotes young potential and places Metalsa as an occupational aspiration, guiding them towards a prosperous future in automotive engineering. For example, three students from high schools with the program obtained full scholarships in recognized universities in Nuevo León, México. Also a number of students have had the opportunity to do their internships as technicians in different areas of Metalsa, including maintenance. This provides a viable entry point for future positions within the company with opportunities for more responsibility and salary.
Currently, Metalsa has adopted 13 schools in four countries (Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and the US) impacting more than 5,700 middle and high-school students. Students participate in international competitions which are organized and supported by the Lego Foundation. Metalsa also offers learning workshops where students participate in programs that help guide and promote self-esteem, build teamwork and cultivate motivation.
Metalsa continues to seek out new alternatives to support community development and provide additional job opportunities. Metalsa joined the Business Call to Action and pledged to provide specialized skills training to an estimated 7,600 new students and employ approximately 130 trainees by 2020.
Content on this page is provided by Business Call to Action, and originally appeared on the The Guardian Business and the Sustainable Development Goals Hub