As part of its drive to promote teacher training, Tecpetrol is partnering with the Neuquen Ministry of Education to launch the Second Training Update Course for teachers at technical and agricultural schools. The course is designed to help develop new tools to train young people in Industry 4.0 skills and tackle the challenges of digitalization.

New technologies have speeded up the transformation processes towards Industry 4.0, requiring the incorporation of new knowledge, trends and tools. The Techint Group and Tecpetrol, as part of their commitment to education, are deploying the Technical Gene program to enrich learning and training for students and teachers at technical schools, bringing their skills into line with the profiles demanded by the industry of the future.

Last year saw the launch of a training cycle for teachers at technical and agricultural schools, a program produced in partnership with the Neuquen Ministry of Education. This year, in 2021, the idea is to expand upon concepts such as automation, electropneumatics, PLC and sensors, and their uses in industry, among other new technological trends.

The Second Training Update Course was launched on Friday, August 13, at an online event attended by Martín Bengochea, director of the Neuquen Basin for Tecpetrol; Omar Gutiérrez, Governor of Neuquen, Cristina Storioni, Minister of Education of Neuquen and Ruth Flutsh, Vice President of the Neuquen Provincial Education Council.

"On behalf of Tecpetrol and the Techint Group, our intention is to continue with our commitment and vocation to strengthen technical education. Our aim is to help young people insert themselves into the world of work that awaits them," explained Martín Bengochea, welcoming the 60 teachers from 27 technical schools and 3 agricultural schools in the province who are taking part in the latest training cycle.

For his part, the Governor of Neuquen expressed his congratulations and thanks for the continuity of the program and acknowledged the contribution made by the articulation of the private sector with the public sector in their joint work: "For us it is an honor to have them accompanying us in our work to strengthen these vital processes of educational transition."

The program—which includes 196 hours of virtual training—has been custom designed by Festo, a world market leader in technical training and in the development of solutions for industrial education. The cycle has been specially adapted to the curricular requirements of the Nueva Secundaria Neuquina, the New Neuquen High School system.

"We understand that the need for Industry 4.0 training is a direct demand made by our technical school teachers and students," said Education Minister Cristina Storioni at the launch event.

It is undeniable that the process of digital transformation poses great challenges and is today a priority for the technical and professional development of young people. During the training course, there will be practical classes and intensive workshops to help teachers develop new technological tools for their teaching practice, which will benefit over 5,000 students in the province. Another key objective of this process is to develop technological projects that can be applied to different local industries and institutions. 

Training in numbers

• 60 teachers to be trained
• Direct beneficiaries: 5,000 students from 27 technical schools and 3 agricultural schools.
• 196 hours of online training

What do we understand by Industry 4.0, or the Fourth Industrial Revolution?

Industry 4.0 refers to the integration of all production management systems with new technologies to make them faster and safer. Driven by the arrival of new technologies and the expansion of the software-hardware interface, new materials are being developed, operating systems are becoming more powerful, and the process to digitalize industrial processes is accelerating.

In addition to robotics, the Fourth Industrial Revolution explores fields such as Big Data, Cloud Computing, 3D printing, virtual and augmented reality, simulation, and process integration among other areas.