- As part of this program, since 2019 the energy company has delivered 58 scholarships to young people in Oaxaca to study STEM careers, half of them to women.
Mexico City, January 09, 2023.- The Ibero-American Foundation for Quality Management (Fundibeq) granted the Golden Award to Best Practices on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to Iberdrola México for its Impulso STEM program, which since 2019 promotes the study of degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in Oaxaca, mainly among women.
This recognition is in addition to the success already achieved by the energy company in 2021, when two projects -Luces de Esperanza (Lights of Hope) and the Pandemics Mitigation and Safe Return to Work Plan- were recognized as Best Practices on SDGs.
“At Iberdrola México we have a strong social commitment to the communities where we have a presence, especially with most vulnerable people and women. Therefore, through programs like Impulso STEM (STEM Boost) we seek to have a positive impact on and contribute to the development and welfare of the population through quality education,” stressed Enrique Alba, CEO of Iberdrola México.
The aim of this Fundibeq award is to reward companies or public institutions with good practices that help achieve the UN SDGs. Since its implementation in 2020, this award has been granted to nine organizations.
This recognition will be presented at the Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government to be held in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) on next March 23 and 24, as well as the 23rd Ibero-American Quality Award for companies and public administrations in the region that excel in their commitment to excellence and competitiveness, which Iberdrola México earned in 2021 and 2019.
FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
Impulso STEM (STEM Boost) is a program of Iberdrola México that started in 2019 and seeks to encourage young people in Oaxaca, mainly women, to follow STEM careers by granting scholarships to study degrees such as Sustainable and Protected Agriculture, Information Technologies, Renewable Energies, and Mechatronics.
After conducting a selection process from among hundreds of candidates based on academic merit and the student’s socioeconomic level, the company has awarded 58 scholarships during three invitations.
Furthermore, the program includes working hand in hand with vocational counselors and high school teachers to channel students’ talent towards university studies in these fields. Also, specific STEM subject programs provided by the UNAM’s Renewable Energies Institute.
Impulso STEM, which has been developed in alliance with the Technological University of the Valleys of Oaxaca (UTVCO), STEM For Kids, and the UNAM’s Renewable Energy Institute (IER), seeks to positively impact 12 thousand students in the Central Valley region and the Isthmus of Oaxaca.
With this initiative, Iberdrola México strengthens its commitment to the communities in which it operates and helps to achieve the SDGs: quality education (4), gender equality (5), and Partnerships for the goals (17).
