PSJ opens new call for women with sewing experience
PSJ Cobre Mendocino opened a new call for applications aimed at women from Uspallata with sewing experience who want to continue their training and join a textile production initiative. This is the second stage of a company program called Pazandino – Hilos de Montaña, which PSJ has been developing together with the organization Xinca in the area for some time.
What is Pazandino?
Pazandino is a community industrial textile development initiative led by PSJ Cobre Mendocino, aimed at strengthening local production capabilities in Uspallata through industrial garment-making training. The goal is not only to teach a trade, but to consolidate a production workshop with a strong sense of local identity, one that provides work tools, fosters the development of small businesses, and remains established in the community beyond the program's duration.
This new call for applications — which the company calls "Pazandino 2" — seeks to build on the process begun with the first cohort, expand the skills of the group already trained, and bring in new participants who can join the Pazandino Industrial Textile Workshop.
Sewing workshop promoted by PSJ Cobre Mendocino.
What the training involves
The training will last three months, with two sessions per week, and will focus on developing and improving garment-making skills and workshop-based work habits.
To take part, applicants must:
be of legal age and reside in Uspallata;
have sewing experience;
be able to operate a sewing machine, at least at a basic level;
have the time available to attend for the full three months;
be interested in learning, working as part of a team, and joining a production-focused environment.
The selection process begins with registration through a form. Those who meet the requirements will be invited to an in-person interview, where their experience, availability, and interest will be discussed in more detail, and a brief sewing machine test may also be given. Spots are limited, and completing the form does not guarantee selection.
PSJ's perspective
“Pazandino is an initiative that brings us a lot of satisfaction because it combines training, productive development, and skills that remain in Uspallata for good. A particularly valuable aspect of this second cohort is that members of the workshop itself are joining as trainers, now able to pass on to other women the knowledge and experience they have gained. That creates a virtuous cycle of local training, strengthens leadership, and allows the program to keep growing from within the community itself,” said Valentina Cassino, PSJ Cobre Mendocino's Manager of Community Relations and Communications.
Why it matters for mining sustainability
What sets this kind of program apart from a one-off social responsibility gesture is precisely the point Cassino highlights: women who went through the first cohort are now training others. That shift from beneficiaries to trainers is one of the strongest indicators that a program driven by a mining company is generating genuine ownership within the community, rather than mere dependence on the company. It is also the variable worth tracking closely over time: how many participants maintain their connection to the workshop, what level of productive and commercial autonomy is achieved, and whether the model can scale up without losing training quality.
More information and registration: https://psjcobremendocino.com/pazandino-hilos-de-montana/