PAE is the main private producer, employer and investor of the energy industry in Argentina and a leader in the region.
The energy industry demands a specialized workforce, a qualification that was lacking in the communities near PAE's operations. In response, PAE established a scholarship program specifically aimed at supporting higher education. It is coordinated with public and private universities and with the Ministries of Education of the Argentine provinces of Chubut, Santa Cruz (since 2003), and Neuquén (since 2019), expanding to Mexico in 2024.
The Program aims to contributing to students’ access to quality education, offering financial support, personalized tutoring to support their academic path; mitigating the risk of dropout due to socio-economic issues; promoting local job opportunities for young people; paving the way for new generations of professionals to lead the energy transition.
The Program contributes to the SDGs 4, 5, 8, 10 and 17.
Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Program, PAE initiated a communication campaign. The objectives were:
-Enhancing the call to participate in the Program taking as the key date the registration for the 2023 cycle.
-Disseminating the history of the Program and highlighting its positive impact on communities.
-Communicating PAE’s work with the Scholarship Program in the provinces.
-Promoting the SDGs and emphasizing that education enables upward socioeconomic mobility and is key to overcoming poverty.
-Highlighting public-private collaboration as a generator of transformative changes.
-Strengthening PAE’s positioning as an active social actor that promotes sustainability in communities near its operations.
The campaign’s 360° claim was “In your career, your future is real,” which conveys to young candidates the opportunity to build a successful professional career based on personal commitment and with PAE’s support.
The campaign focused on promoting the scholarships as an opportunity for the potential beneficiaries’ professional development with the aim of making students and their families feel that being awarded a PAE’s Scholarship implies belonging to a community that promotes their comprehensive development in an environment of closeness and unity with a leading energy company.
KEY MESSAGES:
PAE is committed to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education, promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all, advancing gender equality, fostering inclusive and sustainable economic growth, creating employment and decent work for all, reducing inequalities, and revitalizing the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.
PAE Scholarships go beyond the traditional view of financial support that a scholarship has, the Program also promotes the comprehensive guidance of students, even after they have completed their higher studies.
The Community of Scholars receives guidance from third sector organizations, which train them in forming work teams to create projects aligned with the SDGs. These NGOs also provide them with tools to encourage the development of projects committed to making a triple impact and become agents of change.
LAUNCH:
The key date was the opening of the 2023 call for applications.
The creative style drew elements from the popular social network BeReal and its content proposition, which showcases real-life situations of its users.
The 20th anniversary of PAE’s Scholarships led to the redesign of the Program’s website https://becaspae.com and its content, which now features new informational updates, testimonials, and details of ongoing calls for applications.
The creative campaign was also used for internal recruitment within participating universities, which provided their own channels for dissemination while conducting activities among their students.
A film was created in ad hoc formats for each of PAE’s social media profiles and for five TV channels in Chubut, Santa Cruz, and Neuquén, as well as for cinema screenings. The film features the scholarship students and their inspiring stories under the slogan “What future do you dream of for your career?”
The radio spot, which followed the same creative line, was scheduled on stations in Chubut and in Neuquén.
Using the same visual style as the spot, 50 gigantographies of 9.7 square metres each were created to be installed in public spaces in Neuquén.
The graphic advertisement was featured in newspapers and was accompanied by press activities and engagement with media executives.
Posters at participating universities were strategically placed to promote the call for applications.
Videos and graphic pieces were adapted for digital channels, with advertising on online news platforms and social networks, including posts, stories, and geolocated reels.
The pieces were also extensively promoted during key dates on PAE’s social media profiles.
Engagement activities were carried out with the media and social representatives.
More than 370 young scholarship students in 20 years. 110 scholarship participants are now professionals in Program-related disciplines.
In 2023, 118 young people participated in the Program, of whom 54% were women (UNESCO estimates that only 35% of STEM students worldwide are women).
University retention rate is at 77%, surpassing by 15 points the national average published by the Argentine Ministry of Education.
90% of scholarship students showed faster progress in their degree courses thanks to personalized support and motivation.
It is an intangible asset of PAE and a unique resource for attracting, incorporating, and retaining qualified talent in the competitive energy market.
87% of graduates quickly entered the job market, with 16 now working at PAE.
The coordination among civil society actors, the Government, the 6 universities, companies, the educational community, and Program collaborators generates social and economic value and inspires similar initiatives.
Is a source of pride for PAE’s members, many of whom interact with the students and inspire them, it also drives the dissemination of PAE’s values among provincial governments, media, and NGOs.
RESULTS OF THE COMMUNICATION CAMPAIGN FOR THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PROGRAM:
Graphic advertising in newspapers (6 provincial newspapers and 1 national newspaper).
50 gigantographies in Neuquén for outdoor advertising.
11 organic impacts, derived from the press and media relations campaign.
Digital advertising: ads on 18 news portals.
Radio spot on 7 stations in Chubut and 13 in Neuquén.
On social networks:
854,968 impressions on posts.
193,562 users reached.
17,880 video views.
2751 interactions.
