The three Trades and Technical Program students went to Peru as part of a program with other participating post-secondary institutions to install solar panels in a remote Indigenous community. Rupert Love, Ivan Martinez Gonzalez and Jean-Samuel Bolduc went to work in Santa Rosa de Llillinta in February, marking the first time that NIC trade students have taken part in a field study program abroad.
The project, which helps ensure the local school has power and internet access, was organized by Light Up The World (LUTW), a Canadian non-profit group that helps brings energy to off-grid communities. It offers field school programs to students to learn about renewable energy and project management, while helping to create important infrastructure for the small communities. In this case, the school had no power or internet, so the work will make a difference for generations to come.
The NIC students were able to take part in this field school opportunity through Yukon University because the College is part of a collaborative consortium between rural and northern higher education institutions called “Passage from the Northwest,” which includes Coast Mountain College, Northern Lights College, Aurora College, as well as Yukon University and NIC. The funding that made this trip possible for the students came from a Global Skills Opportunity grant.
Love has finished his first year of the electrician foundation program at NIC and is looking for work as an electrical apprentice. This project provided the chance for him to learn more about his trade and alternative energy, as well as a chance to find out more about another culture.
“I’ve always been passionate about alternate energy. I enjoy learning about other cultures through immersion while travelling. I wanted a way to combine both of those,” he said. “I didn’t actually know much about Peru and thought it would be great to get to know the country and people in it while practising my trade. I've made some good friends for life and would like to go back there."
The village is a few hours by vehicle from the city of Ayacucho in south-central Peru. Arrival was delayed by a day because of heavy rain, and the altitude required time to acclimate, but they were able to accomplish their task.
For Love, it meant working on the power distribution box, which stored power from the solar panels and converted it to a voltage usable for lights and outlets in the school. This system will also allow the school to power Starlink satellite internet access—something that will promote more learning opportunities for students in the community.
Cheryl O’Connell, Dean of Trades and Technical, credits NIC’s Office of Global Engagement for connecting the students with the Yukon University’s Field School–Solar Project in the Andean Foothills of Peru. The students received Global Skills Opportunity scholarships funded by the Government of Canada’s Outbound Student Mobility Pilot Program.
“International field schools provide the opportunity for students to apply their technical skills while being mentored by service-oriented educators supporting capacity development and, in this particular instance, leading the installation of a small-scale renewable energy project in a rural off-grid region of Peru,” O’Connell said.
The project allowed the students to apply their technical skills to support the community and engage as global citizens by participating in cultural learning while being mentored by community-based leaders and Elders.
“We are grateful for this opportunity and are proud of NIC students who have shared their experience and passion for international engagement and sustainable development,” she added.
While the students were not in Peru long, they made their mark, and the community celebrated the project before they left. To the NIC students, it was clear how much the project meant to the people there.
For Ivan Martinez Gonzalez, the trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience—a chance to change the lives of many people—and he plans to do it again.
“The community was extremely friendly, and you can see how much they appreciate our work,” he said. “The gratitude from the community was so great … you want more and more to help more people.”
- April is Construction and Skilled Trades Month in B.C. For information about NIC’s programs, see the Trades and Technical webpage.
