ACCIONA has supported the training of women in the Coquimbo Region in order to integrate them into the construction of La Serena Hospital, which is being carried out by the company.

As part of this project, last November ACCIONA gave two training workshops in Masonry and Plumbing Techniques, enabling a group of 64 women to receive their certification today in a ceremony attended by the regional secretary of the Ministry of Labor, Francisco Brizuela, local authorities and company representatives.

“This initiative stems from the need to combat inequality and provide employment opportunities for women in the Coquimbo Region, through training in construction techniques that will prepare them to join the construction of the hospital in La Serena and project their professional development in this sector, which is making progress in terms of equity indicators thanks to this type of initiative,” said ACCIONA’s Building Manager, Bonifacio Salvador.

This activity replicates the successful model used in the construction of the Marga Marga Provincial Hospital, which ACCIONA is building in the Valparaíso Region, where an all-female team built the hospital’s nursery, making it the first infrastructure project in Chile to be built entirely by a team of women.

At the end of this project, a group of Marga Marga workers will join the construction site of La Serena Hospital as supervisors, sharing their experience with the women of La Serena who have received their certification.

JOINT WORK

The training process to facilitate the integration of women in the construction of La Serena Hospital was a joint effort between ACCIONA, the National Training and Employment Service (SENCE), part of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, and the Technical Certification Body ACONCAP.

The Regional Secretary of the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, Francisco Brizuela, highlighted the positive impact this initiative will have on local job creation. “We thank ACCIONA for making this training possible, because programs like this that help women find work in a male-dominated sector such as construction are very important, especially when they are based on public-private articulation through instruments such as the tax exemption for training.

ACCIONA will build and operate La Serena Hospital under the concession model of the Ministry of Public Works. This highly complex healthcare facility will have a surface area of 125,284 m2, with 668 beds, 15 wards, consulting rooms, 6 maternity and emergency rooms, and an oncology center, all of which will benefit more than 750,000 people in the Coquimbo Region, making it a reference healthcare center for the northern part of the country.