As part of its commitment to female inclusion in the mining industry, Codelco launched a new version of the Apprenticeship program in the El Teniente Division. After a rigorous selection process, 47 women were chosen to join the training program. Recently, the applicants signed a 50-day training contract, marking the first step in their training.

María José Vega, Head of Training and Development at the El Teniente Division, explained that "the 47 participants began a training process and are now in the pre-apprentice stage. When they finish this training, a final evaluation will be carried out so that the women can finally become apprentices."

During this phase as pre-apprentices, they will receive training in basic mining and safety concepts, technical skills and knowledge of the mining value chain, among others. They were also given a tablet that will allow them to connect to the training sessions.

"After passing the final evaluation of the process, they will be eligible to officially become Apprentices, with a fixed-term contract of 6 months. Those who advance in the process will be able to continue a second period with a fixed term of another 6 months, to later be evaluated, graduate and, potentially, join the Division," added Carolina Marín, head of Diversity and Inclusion of the El Teniente Division.

Consolidating the Division's commitment to local development, the 48 participants in this training process reside in the O'Higgins Region and come from the municipalities of Rancagua, Machalí, Olivar and Coltauco.

Commitment to female labour inclusion in mining

Since 2017, the Codelco Apprentices program has focused on promoting the incorporation of women in the region into the workforce without the need for prior experience. Today, 46 apprentices are already carrying out the program, performing different functions within the Mining Management.

Currently, the El Teniente Division has its own staff of 551 women, who are added to 1,511 workers from collaborating companies. In total, more than 2,062 women are integrated performing various tasks in the El Teniente Division, 331 more than in October 2023.

These efforts are part of Codelco's commitment to achieve a 35% female workforce in all its operations by 2027.