Anthropology graduate student Fernando Lopez Vega was recently awarded a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant from the National Science Foundation in support of his project “Education and Vocational Training in the Energy Sector.” 

“This project explores changes in work and educational relationships within the youth labor market in a context of where biomass-based electricity development is being initiated to meet rapidly increasingly energy needs. The establishment of technical education programs in energy development, alongside the launch of biomass-based electricity generation projects, signals a significant shift in energy extraction strategies, and the vocational labor training that is necessary to sustain the sector. This study offers insights into the broader implications of energy diversification efforts, highlighting their impact on rural youth. In addition to providing training for a graduate student in scientific methods of data collection and analysis, the project also includes pathways for disseminating the data and results to improve the public’s understanding of the scientific analysis of rural educational and development practices. To examine how youth engage with the energy diversification, this project employs behavioral observation within a vocational educational setting, engaging teachers, administrators, and students, as well as interviews with bureaucratic functionaries, school administrators, and students, and teachers at the three municipal high schools within which vocational training is conducted. The study explores three areas: how young people are integrated into new energy projects, the challenges they face in pursuing vocational education in these fields amidst socio-ecological transformations, and how they navigate labor opportunities within this emerging sector. This approach contributes to scholarly discussions in the anthropology of energy, education, and labor. It provides an opportunity to explore whether changing educational practices that focus on environmental science and bioenergy impact labor relations and socio-ecological relations.”