In mostly male sectors, large industries increasingly open up space for women in all positions, including operational ones, traditionally occupied by men. Whether on the factory floor of an oil refinery, at an energy distributor or at a logistics terminal, to carry out functions considered “heavy”, they are gaining space and showing that a woman’s place is wherever she wants.
Acelen, the energy company that manages the Mataripe Refinery, has launched initiatives to contribute to this cultural change in the job market. In just over a year of management, the number of women on the factory floor already represents 18% of the workforce, a scenario still very uncommon in the sector. In the refining laboratory, they already represent 50% of the team, responsible for carrying out up to 16,000 analyzes per month.
In addition, the company has just opened a Young Apprentice program exclusively for women from the communities surrounding the refinery, in Bahia, which will offer a free two-year Petrochemical Technician course. There will be 40 vacancies for women residing in the cities of Candeias, Madre de Deus, São Francisco do Conde, Catu and Ilhas de Maré, Frades and Bom Jesus dos Passos. To participate in the selection process, you must be between 18 and 21 years old, have completed high school and live in one of these municipalities. Entries go until 03/15, sending an e-mail to [email protected]inserting “Young Apprentice” in the subject and attached CV.
“Acelen wants to be a protagonist in industry 4.0 and being an inclusive company is an essential part of this development. Committing to inclusion and gender diversity brings a gain in competitiveness to the business, in addition to benefiting the surrounding communities, our main objective. A woman’s place is wherever she wants, including in the refinery. They make the difference anywhere, with safety, quality and commitment”, commented HR vice-president João Raful.
The female presence at Grupo Energisa, the holding company for electricity distribution, is growing, including in the technical and operational areas. They account for 18.5% of the total number of employees, hundreds of them in traditionally male activities, such as distribution electricians, transmission line electricians, maintenance technicians and team leaders.
Ultracargo, the largest independent liquid bulk storage company in Brazil, aims to reach 30% of women in its operations by 2025 and surpass this percentage by 2030. To do so, the company has implemented a series of actions to professional training focused on women who live in communities close to the terminals, aiming to increase the availability of operators.
In January 2023, Ultracargo completed the second edition of the Operator Training Course, with the graduation of 25 students, more than half of whom were women. The course was offered in Bahia to candidates who live in municipalities close to the Port of Aratu. The proposal was to reserve half of the places for women so that, following the course, graduates can be hired both by Ultracargo and by other companies that operate in the Port of Aratu and in the Camaçari Complex. For three months, the group took classes on equipment, fluid definition and mechanics, management and sustainability, chemistry, mathematics and physics.
The first edition of the course was held in Barcarena, Pará, where the company operates the Vila do Conde Terminal, which opened in December 2021. Thanks to the course, which also reserved 50% of the spaces for women, the VDC Terminal was able to reach the rate of 30% of women in operational functions, a goal that the company wants to extend to all locations. By making the terminal more diverse, gains were observed, mainly in relation to efficiency and safety, values that are emphasized by the women who work at the terminal.
At Alcoa, 23% of employees who work in the company’s operational areas are women. From bauxite mining to aluminum manufacturing – at the mine, in the refinery and in the smelter – they perform roles once seen as “men only”. They are spread across the three units, in Juruti (PA), São Luís (MA) and Poços de Caldas (MG), in functions ranging from excavator operation to production and maintenance superintendence positions. Between 2020 and 2023, the presence of women in operational roles grew by 58%.
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