Abstract:

An energy reform has been carried out in Mexico. All of the most important businesses of the Mexican electric and petroleum sectors have been privatized. The main Mexican electric and petroleum companies, Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) and Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) respectively, have been fragmented and private companies are buying their actives. The Mexican Government no longer invest substantially and continuously in PEMEX which has caused that a few towns in former petroleum production regions are being impoverished; the low oil prices aggravate the financial situation of the Mexican Government. So far, most of the new private petroleum companies are Mexican, new in the petroleum business and have not invested as much as it was expected. Oil production is decreasing and Mexico is importing more fossil fuels like gasoline, as well as petrochemical products. In the electric business private companies will mainly focus on the generation and commercialization of electricity. The new Energy Transition Law announces huge opportunities for private companies because Mexico has a commitment to produce 35% of its electricity from clean sources by the year 2024; clean sources include renewable and nuclear energy sources. This will require new careers in renewable energy sources, demand and supply energy management, energy risk assessment and even in energy efficiency among others. It may also be necessary to modify the curricula of some existing careers to have enough human resources to meet the established goals. We will review the experience of Mexico and those of other countries in education and research in order to advance towards a more sustainable world, and propose some possible strategies to follow in the future, for Mexico.

Keywords:

Education, research, globalization, policies, strategic planning.