The sixth year of the popular TecnoAventura, an initiative originally designed to bring school leavers closer to industry in the energy segment, attracted more than 500 participants, including fifth-year students and their teachers from state technical schools in Neuquén, Rincón de los Sauces and Añelo.

The latest round of TecnoAventura events, held on August 13 and 17, saw hordes of fifth-year students from technical schools descending on the DUAM Center in the city of Neuquén and the Municipal Sports Center in Rincón de los Sauces, respectively. This year, the events took place as part of the GenEra Neuquén program, a partnership between Tecpetrol, Vista Energy and the Neuquén Ministry of Education devised to strengthen quality technical education.

In both editions, around 450 students from Neuquén province immersed themselves in a morning packed with more than just games and entertainment. They seized the opportunity to explore the inner workings of the energy industry and discover the diverse career paths that Vaca Muerta offers for the labor market. Both in Neuquén and Rincón de los Sauces, where students from that town and the city of Añelo gathered, they toured various stands showcasing key sectors of industrial activity, including geology, drilling and fracturing, production, plants, and safety and environment. At each stand, Tecpetrol's Vaca Muerta experts were ready to engage with them, offering interactive and dynamic experiences designed to spark learning and encourage reflection on their future within the industry.

For example, Gregorio and Tomás, from the Technical School (EPET) No. 2 of Centenario shared that, “We had no idea that the area we’re specializing in, Electricity, was relevant to Vaca Muerta.” Surely, that night. their dreams were filled of lights turning on and off at a site! Something similar happened to Samuel, Lucía, Zoe and Walter, from EPET N° 22 (also in Centenario), who were able to learn about the number of mechanical processes involved at each well.

Joaquín Piloni, Young Professional in Development Engineering at Tecpetrol, welcomed the students from Neuquén with a motivational talk: “I told them about my experience at university and at work, and I explained how important it is to study something we enjoy, that we need to make mistakes in order to learn, and of course, the value of effort.”

A room full of teenagers is not a quiet place. Amidst the noise and excitement, Andrea Fernández, Community Relations Manager at the Neuquén Basin, smiled with satisfaction: “This year is special because, as we have experts from Tecpetrol and Vista, the kids are getting two different perspectives on each topic. GenEra Neuquén springs from the Roberto Rocca Technical Gene program: it’s all about technical knowledge, mathematical thinking, teacher development and industrial safety,” she said. With an eye on the future, like everything at Tecpetrol, she explained that: “Now that we’ve joined forces with Vista, we want to reach 19 schools throughout Neuquén within the next three years, starting with this brand new edition of TecnoVentura in Rincón de los Sauces.”

At the Neuquén event, Martín Bengochea, Tecpetrol’s Vice President of the Neuquén Basin and Vaca Muerta, took part in the closing ceremony and shared some words with the students. “I’ve been working at Tecpetrol for more than 20 years and I’ve rarely been in a place that has so much potential, so many opportunities for growth and challenges as the Neuquén Basin. I can’t emphasize enough the opportunity that Vaca Muerta represents, not only for the province and the country but, especially for each of you and your future.”