As Vaca Muerta continues to grow, the energy industry needs young professionals ready to get involved from day one. Verónica Zárate, Operational Planning Specialist, talks about the opportunities and challenges involved in building a high-impact career in the energy industry.

Argentina’s energy industry is going through a period of major change. As activity ramps up in Vaca Muerta, the sector needs more than increased production and investment: it also needs young professionals who can bring fresh ideas and help drive digital transformation in the field. Speaking to MNews Radio (El Observador Mendoza), Verónica Zárate, Operational Planning Specialist in the Neuquén Basin, talked about what it’s like to start building a career at Tecpetrol—and the opportunities and responsibilities that come with it.

“At Tecpetrol, young professionals take on real challenges and responsibilities from day one. You go from zero to 100, but your team is always there to support you. After two or three years, you’ve built up a wealth of field experience, management skills and strategic know-how. You really get to know the industry from the inside,” says Zárate, who joined the company seven years ago.

Zárate, 34, is an industrial engineer and a graduate of the National University of Cuyo. She also points out that the industry needs people from a wide range of professional backgrounds. “It’s not just about field operations and production. There are also plenty of office-based and strategic roles for systems engineers, HR professionals and business administration graduates.”

The Young Professionals program: integration, real-world learning and mobility

To keep pace with the industry’s changing needs, talent programs like those offered by the Techint Group give young professionals the opportunity to learn on the job and explore different career paths. “I applied for the Summer Internship Program, but I wasn’t selected. At the time, I was just finishing my degree,” Zárate recalls. A year later, however, she was invited to join the Young Professionals Pool in Comodoro Rivadavia, which offers participants the chance to rotate through three different areas to gain broader understanding of the business.

This focus on professional development has gone hand in hand with the company’s operational expansion in the Neuquén Basin. Following strategic investments in Vaca Muerta through projects such as Fortín de Piedra and Los Toldos II Este, the company’s operations in Neuquén have entered a period of rapid growth.

How digital technology and AI are changing operations

Technology is reshaping day-to-day work across the energy industry. At Tecpetrol, artificial intelligence, process automation, advanced control rooms and remote field monitoring are helping people work more efficiently and take on increasingly analytical roles. “Over the past few years, technology and innovation have focused heavily on making operations safer,” says Zárate.

View the interview in full here.