OREANDA-NEWS. Braskem, the leading thermoplastic resin producer in the Americas and the world's largest biopolymer producer, will begin training Team Members in May who will work at the Braskem Idesa plant in Mexico, which is slated to start operations in 2015. By then, a total of 400 industrial workers will have been trained to fill direct jobs at the new unit, which consists of a petrochemical complex producing ethylene and polyethylene in the Mexican state of Veracruz.

To train the Mexico team, Braskem will adopt the basis of the model already used in Brazil through its partnership with the National Industrial Training Service (SENAI). And to help develop the training programs for the region, the petrochemical producer will also work in conjunction with Universidad Tecnologica Del Sureste de Veracruz (UTSV). "Our goal is to develop local labor and in this way contribute to job creation in Mexico and help fully integrate the country into our operations," said Marcelo Arantes, vice-president of People and Organization at Braskem.

SENAI is responsible for developing the competency-development methodology to be adopted in the training program offered by Braskem. After visiting the Mexican university, the Brazilian institution will be responsible for preparing the teaching materials and coordinating the technical and teaching activities. The first class will have 140 students, who will be trained over a period of five months. Since the unit is still under construction, the program will feature specific training on plant assembly operations.

Industrial Worker Training Program

In Brazil, the Industrial Worker Training program that will be extended to Mexico already receives annual investment of BRL 1.2 million and trains workers to fill new jobs at 29 industrial plants located in the Brazilian states of Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Alagoas and Bahia. The program lasts 18 months and is divided into three phases that focus on building a theoretical and conceptual base that is further supplemented by practical learning experiences.

The first phase, which lasts five months and was strengthened by the partnership with SENAI, includes a post-technical program that trains students in the equipment and operations of each chemical and petrochemical production chain. The next phase, called Intern Industrial Worker, lasts six months and aims to expand workers' understanding of the production chain and to integrate the new workers into Braskem's values and Culture. The last phase, referred to as Trainee Industrial Worker, lasts seven months and reinforces the concepts learned earlier, consolidating them with the real-world experiences and routines of the industrial units.

Upon concluding the programs, the Industrial Workers receive a certificate and are ready to work at one of the industrial areas of Braskem.

Braskem Idesa

Braskem Idesa is developing a petrochemical complex that will produce ethylene and polyethylene in the Mexican state of Veracruz (city of Nanchital). With total investment of some USD 4.5 billion, the project's inauguration is scheduled for 2015. Once it starts operating at its annual nameplate production capacity of 1 million tons of low- and high-density polyethylene, the Braskem Idesa complex is expected to act as a driver of economic growth in Mexico's Southeast region.