The first graduating class of the Banana Technical Assistants program successfully completed their studies

On April 23, 41 young people successfully completed the Banana Technical Assistant (BTA) program after completing 450 hours of dual training: 50% theoretical and 50% practical. This initiative, carried out since 2024 by Reybanpac and the Wong Foundation with the invaluable support of the Albert Heijn Foundation, was born with the objective of strengthening the agricultural technical training of young people from rural areas between 18 and 29 years of age, thus facilitating their early access to the local labor market.

At the beginning, not all the trainees were employed. At the end of the program, we can proudly point out that 100% of the participants are currently working, successfully achieving the initial purpose of this initiative.

The BTA program also seeks to improve the professional profile of Reybanpac's young operators. This objective has also been achieved: our organization has progressively incorporated students to become part of its team. By the end of the program, the company had hired 83% of the participants.

Diogo Cedeño was one of them. The 19-year-old was unemployed and decided to take the program. When he was doing his internship at the company, his supervisor saw his potential and performance. Today, Diogo is part of Reybanpac's agricultural team.

“I was new to the banana world, but today I already know different specialized tasks, such as harvesting, leaf removal and I already have more experience, although every day is a new challenge for me. To the future students, I can tell them to take advantage of this opportunity, which is very good. What I value most is that if you demonstrate your abilities, Reybanpac gives you the chance to be part of the company,” said Diogo.

Rafael Wong Naranjo, vice-president of Reybanpac and president of the board of directors of the Wong Foundation, highlighted that the BTA program benefits the development of the communities in which its students develop and even those of all Ecuador.

“I know that many of you come from banana-growing communities. With your professionalism and dedication, you will be headhunted by many companies that need true collaborators to contribute to the development of their plantations” and added: ‘Our family legacy is to contribute to society: we not only want to make our company bigger and better, but also to have better days for our communities’.

Ricardo Romero, director of the Wong Foundation, also congratulated the graduates and remarked that honest work is good business because it builds trust, relationships and prosperity.

He also praised the effort shown by all the students. “We know that you toured the farms, faced real challenges, that you learned with discipline and passion, that you did internships in productive farms of Reybanpac, whose staff we thank for their support and the knowledge transferred in those spaces. You are the first generation of graduates of this program and you are the ones with whom we are sowing the future. Congratulations and thank you for believing in this program,” he said.

José Antonio Vargas, Reybanpac's general manager, urged the students to continue preparing, growing and learning: “I want to congratulate you because you have made an intelligent decision: you have decided to bet on the best asset you have, which is yourselves, with your knowledge and your preparation. Keep betting on yourselves, because you are the ones who can continue to grow and develop not only professionally, but also personally. I also invite you to continue to take advantage of all the opportunities that the Reybanpac family offers you”.

The Banana Technical Assistants program is part of the AGROFUTURO macro-project, with which Reybanpac and the Wong Foundation seek to develop productive skills in adolescents and young people, in order to promote the growth of rural communities in the country.