Trabajo decente y crecimiento económico

CONDUESPOL promotes training for women in the operation of heavy machinery and road construction equipment, strengthening their technical skills and opportunities for employment in the road sector through collaboration among academia, the public sector, and vocational training programs.

Civil engineering students enhanced their practical training through a technical visit to a high-rise construction project, where they learned about structural systems, geotechnical solutions, and construction processes, linking the knowledge they acquired in the classroom to real-world engineering challenges.

The Mining Program at FICT-ESPOL held a training session on the 1Mentor by QS platform, aimed at strengthening its students’ professional profiles and aligning their education with the current demands of the mining industry. During the workshop, participants used tools based on artificial intelligence and labor market data to explore career opportunities, identify required competencies, and recognize skill gaps. The event was organized by the Mining Coordination Office, with support from Nadia Lagasca, M.Sc., and the SME-ESPOL Student Chapter.

A study conducted in Santa Rosa, El Oro, assessed the quality of agricultural soils and irrigation water in areas affected by mining. The results identified elevated concentrations of arsenic, chromium, and copper in the soils, providing evidence to strengthen environmental monitoring, protect the health of the agricultural population, and promote sustainable management in areas where mining and agriculture coexist.

The Mining program at FICT-ESPOL participated in an outreach event for Lundin Gold’s Young Professionals Program, an initiative aimed at strengthening the technical and leadership skills of emerging talent in the mining sector; this collaboration strengthens ties between academia and industry and creates professional development opportunities for students and recent graduates.

The SPE–ESPOL student chapter ushered in a new era of leadership at FICT with the election of a new executive board for the 2026–2027 term, highlighting its members’ commitment to academic excellence, collaborative work, and engagement with the energy industry; the event also reaffirmed the institution’s support for student training and leadership opportunities.

Students from the SPE–ESPOL Student Chapter took an international technical field trip to YPF’s La Plata Industrial Complex in Argentina, where they learned about the refining and operational processes at one of South America’s most important energy complexes; the experience strengthened their practical training and exposed these future engineers to high-tech industrial environments.

The ESPOL SPE Student Chapter represented Ecuador at the PetroBowl Regional LACSS 2026 international competition in Argentina, where petroleum engineering students demonstrated their technical knowledge and analytical skills against teams from across Latin America; the experience strengthened their professional training and reaffirmed the international presence of FICT and ESPOL in the energy sector.

FICT welcomed the non-tenured adjunct faculty members joining the faculty during the 2026 IPAO period at an orientation session designed to facilitate their academic and administrative integration. During the session, institutional processes, support tools, and work guidelines were presented, strengthening the bond between the new faculty members and the faculty’s academic community.

The Faculty of Geosciences Engineering held a follow-up meeting on the 2026 innovation indicators, in coordination with the Office for the Transfer of Research Results, with the aim of identifying projects with the potential to be registered as intellectual property. As a result, five initiatives and actions were identified to strengthen innovation management and advance progress toward meeting institutional indicators.