Building Freeport Skilled Trades Pipeline, One Intern at a Time

September 2, 2026 - When Paul Pedrego flipped open an eyewash cover in the company’s Chino mill in New Mexico, he found water but no pressure. He didn’t hesitate. He stopped the work.

Pedrego, a Process Automation intern, and his mentor and co-worker, Jose Pacheco, Instrumentation and Control System Electrician, had eight transmitters to calibrate near a bank of reagent flow meters. But as they filled out their job risk assessment, that faulty eyewash station changed the plan.

“We both felt it wasn’t safe to continue, so we stopped,” Pedrego said. “This internship taught me a safety culture that’s distinctly Freeport, being your brother’s keeper. It’s not a rule we follow; it’s a responsibility we carry.”

Pedrego’s emphasis on safety, and his work the entire summer, didn’t go unnoticed.

“I was really glad to have the opportunity to work with Paul,” Pacheco said. “He brings a great attitude to the job, he's a hard worker, and he picks things up incredibly fast. I honestly couldn't ask for a better guy to have on the crew. I'm hoping I get to work with him again soon, and I really hope he decides to bring his talents to Chino operations.”

That talent, a summer intern recognizing a risk and willing to stop work, reflects the type of safety-first mindset Freeport strives to foster across its workforce. Freeport recently celebrated and reinforced that commitment at its second annual Skilled Trades Intern Summit in Phoenix.

A deliberate strategy

Every mill, shop and haul truck at Freeport relies on skilled trades professionals, and the company knows it will need more of them. Launched in 2025, the skilled trades internship program was modeled after Freeport’s university internship program but built for a different purpose: filling the pipeline of frontline talent the business will rely on for decades.

“Skilled trades employees are a critical part of our business, and the need for that talent is only growing,” said Alisa Wren, Senior Manager-Talent Acquisition. “This program is about intentionally building that pipeline, investing now in the people who will keep our operations running for years to come.”

That strategy already is scaling. In its second year, the program grew to 50 interns from 35 and reached nearly every Freeport operation in the United States, targeting five critical business roles: fixed-plant mechanic, process automation technician, electrical and instrumentation, heavy equipment mechanic, and boilermaker/welder.

Many interns come through Freeport’s partnership with Education Forward Arizona, whose Guarantee Your Future program funds scholarships in a designated trade. From last summer’s inaugural class, the company extended offers to eligible interns, with roughly a third converting to full-time employees.

Values in the field

Rather than the project presentations that anchor the University Intern Conference, the summit was built for connection, pairing interns with the mentors and subject-matter experts who help shape careers in the trades. It’s where strategy meets culture: the pipeline Freeport is building isn’t just technically skilled but grounded in the company’s values.

For Wren, the goal is for that momentum to become the norm. “As our sites see the value year over year, my hope is that they’ll fully leverage this program the same way we do for our university interns, a proven pipeline for skilled talent who can build a lasting career with Freeport,” she said.

Photos (top and middle): Paul Pedrego (far left), a Process Automation intern at Chino, shares his summer experience alongside fellow interns during a panel at the Skilled Trades Intern Summit in Phoenix; Alisa Wren walks attendees through the program’s reach across Freeport’s United States sites.