I heard about it from a sound truck and realized I had the wrong sort of job,” says Lucelma Binatti. “I wanted to get ahead.” ETH Bioenergy’s open invitation to the communities of Caçu and Cachoeira Alta, in the Brazilian state of Goiás, made Lucelma, who has a Nursing Certificate, apply for a place in the company’s training program in December 2009 and leave the profession she had followed for nearly 20 years at Caçu County Hospital. She was determined to join the class of 40 people taking the Training Course for Farm-Machine Operators, one of the professional education programs ETH is offering in its units’ local communities.

The program made available to Lucelma and her classmates took 500 class-hours, including theory and practice, and ended in June. Thirty-seven of the 40 students graduated and 34 are already operating harvesters in the cane fields near the company’s Rio Claro Unit. “The sugar/power industry is modernizing and growing very quickly, but it lacks skilled workers. We must help the community obtain the necessary job skills,” explains Cláudia Ajbeszyc, the ETH officer Responsible for People Development.

A month before the group graduated, the same story unfolded once again: ETH announced that there were 180 more openings for seven groups of students who would take courses totaling over 1,600 class-hours. This time, the invitation was extended to company members working at the Rio Claro Unit as well as the local communities. “It’s important to offer in-house growth opportunities and show our members that they have career prospects. We must ensure the continued growth of these professionals,” Cláudia observes.

One company member who seized that opportunity with both hands was Uilane Melo, age 22. Born in Mirangaba, Bahia, early this year she moved to Cachoeira Alta along with her husband and father, who roam Brazil in search of work, season after season, manually harvesting sugarcane. After weeding the fields for three months, she got a job directing traffic at the Logistics yard. The following month, Uilane signed up for and was selected to take the Farm-Machine Operators training course. She will soon be back in the fields, this time, at the wheel of a harvester.

The classes are being taught in partnership with the SENAI (National Industrial Apprenticeship Service). Students in programs like these do not just learn to operate equipment. “They learn about parts, the engine, mechanics and the cause of every problem that could arise,” explains Edson Silva, a student in the tractor operator class. “Even people who have been operating equipment for a long time should learn these things!”

Edson had been working as a cane cutter since he was 13 when he put down his machete and enrolled in the course. “After 120 hours of study and training, there’s no way you won’t become an excellent operator. I’m studying hard so I’ll be hired before the course is over,” he says hopefully.

Lucelma, Uilane and Edson come from different backgrounds but are on the same track. Driven by the courage to change their lives, they have found the career opportunities they needed in the cane fields.