Vestas has piloted two programmes in Tamaulipas, Mexico, aimed at inspiring the next generation of engineers in the wind energy sector.
The projects – Fueling Wind Education and Turbine 350W – were driven by the Vestas LATAM CSR team in collaboration with the State of Tamaulipas and educational institutions in the region.
The programmes that were developed provided technical and vocational training designed to meet the needs of the local labour market, with a primary focus on wind energy.
In the case of Turbine 350W the small-scale turbine provided useable energy to power a local school.
The Fuelling Wind Education programme was proposed to over 16 specialised schools within Tamaulipas and initiated across multiple schools and universities in the state including Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM) and Victoria Polytechnic University.
Programmes ranged in size from 20 to 60 students and exposed the students to a wide-ranging set of topics around wind and renewable energy.
At the Tampico campus of ITESM the Semester I programme focused on inspiring the students through technology and robotics with a chance for the young engineers to show off their skills at the end of the year through an interactive robotics challenge.
The project was aimed at addressing real professional challenges, giving the students the opportunity to develop their disciplinary skills and strengthen their skills.
Victoria Polytechnic University introduced a Diploma in Maintenance of Wind Generators, providing a new generation of experts to support the Tamaulipas energy industry.
The first graduating class of this new programme heard a commencement address from Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca, the governor of Tamaulipas.
The programme’s success has garnered it attention from other municipalities and is expected to be expanded to Reynosa, Altamira and Nuevo Laredo with the participation of technological and polytechnic universities, technological institutions, CONALEP, COBAT, and ITACE.