AES El Salvador, together with the Instituto Salvadoreño para el Desarrollo de la Mujer (ISDEMU) and the Superintendencia General de Electricidad y Telecomunicaciones (SIGET) graduated 116 women as fourth category electrical technicians. This new group of women is on track to transform the landscape of the country's electricity sector to accelerate the future of energy.

The graduates obtained the accreditation that enables them to perform reliable and safe residential electrical installations. Additionally, for the second consecutive year, they received a specialization in "Load Reading and Census" in order to have greater job opportunities in the electricity sector.

Of the total number of electricity professionals, AES stated that 43 come from the central region of the country, 39 women from the west and 34 from the east of El Salvador. Regardless of geographical differences, the new electricians share the vision of breaking schemes and stereotypes through quality technical education.

For Erika Coca, one of the graduates, this program promotes inclusion and economic development, especially for women living in rural areas of El Salvador. "This course will allow us to offer our technical services in the communities where we live. Now, we rural women are more empowered and ready to open spaces for ourselves in this profession where most of the people who work in it are men", said Erika.

Since 2016, the AES Mujer program represents AES El Salvador's commitment to inclusion in the salvadoran electricity sector. The success stories that precede this initiative inspire to continue betting on quality education for the benefit of ssalvadoran women and the whole country.

Eight years of inclusion and social development for salvadoran women

The technical training courses for electricians run by the AES Mujer program began eight years ago. Since then, 748 salvadoran women have been certified as electricians and many of them have been able to find employment in the electrical industry.

Pilar Sarmiento was able to start her own business thanks to the knowledge she received. She graduated as an electrician in 2022. That was the beginning of her path in the energy industry. She started doing residential electrical installations and later also became certified as a welder. The combination of these skills gave her the confidence and determination to start her own business.

"Thanks to the AES courses, I already have my electrician's stamp, which allows me to offer my knowledge to people living in the community. Many clients express admiration for what I do. I learned all this thanks to AES", said Pilar.

This is how the talent, the energy of these women and technical education are once again intertwined to promote their economic development and transform, with the light of their work, the electricity sector in El Salvador.

Translated by: A.M