In Macaé to dream and learn
A group of students from the DreamLearnWork initiative preferred visiting the Brasil Offshore expo in Macaé instead of throwing a graduation party when they complete their courses in August. The exhibitors spend a lot of time receiving and sharing information with curious students during trade exhibitions like Brasil Offshore.
Brasil Offshore is the third biggest event of this kind in the world, and in 2013, the event attracted more than 51,000 visitors and 720 exhibitors. Several Norwegian companies were among the exhibitors at the seventh edition of the exposition, that took place in Macaé from June 11-14.
On June 13th, a group of 13 students from DreamLearnWork (DLW) visited the expo. The DLW program emerged a few years ago as a desire from several Norwegian companies in Brazil to offer education to young Brazilians and at the same time, comply with their own need for qualified manpower.
So far, 108 students have graduated from different courses, while 72 are attending ongoing courses. The group that visited Brasil Offshore are studying industrial tubing and ship electrical systems.
At the Aker Solutions stand, the group was received by manager Ricardo Iocken, who gave a short presentation of the company. The group also visited the stands of other major Norwegian companies. Mr. Iocken talked to the students about the main business areas of Aker Solutions.
“In Brazil, drilling and subsea are the most important areas. Petrobras is our main client”, he explained.
The students asked several questions, and were especially interested in what kind of trainee programs the company is offering.
“I would definitely like to work for a company like Aker Solutions”, Antonia da Silva Souza (21) and Paulo Paz (24) said after the visit. Antonia is attending the industrial tubing course, and Paulo is studying to become a naval electrician. Both courses started in October 2012.
“I found the part on offshore riser installation and how they prepare for drilling especially interesting”, says Paulo Paz, who is from Deodoro, Rio de Janeiro.
“Advanced offshore operations like this is something I have only seen on TV. I had no idea how they do it, neither where the equipment come from. Now I know, and that makes it even more interesting. It makes me wanna be a part of it”, Antonia says. She is from Barreto, a part of Niteroi where several shipyards are located.
“Since I was a child I have been accompanying the workers assembling the structures of the vessels, and when I got the chance to enter the DLW course, I decided to give it a try”, she says.
Trainees
According to manager Iris Bente Frøybu, who was accompanying the group, the students themselves asked the DLW management to sponsor the 3 hour bus trip from Rio to Macaé.
“They preferred spending a day at the Brasil Offshore expo to having a big graduation party when the complete their courses in August”, Iris Bente Frøybu says.
When graduating, they have the qualifications to work as trainees, but according to Iris Bente Frøybu the program is struggling to find vacancies for all of them.
Waiting in line
The companies at Brasil Offshore and similar events spend a lot of time receiving students from universities and institutions in the region. Friday is considered the busiest day at Brasil Offshore.
“We have had groups like this at the stand every day this week. Aker Solutions has developed a folder for students, where we present the opportunities we can offer. For Aker Solutions it is a challenge to find qualified manpower, but still we are in a privileged position, as our main production facility is located in Curitiba, in the south of the country where the competition for people with these kind of qualifications is not so hard as in the southeast”, Michelle Tomé, communications manager at Aker Solutions, explains.
900 of the 1400 Aker Solutions employees in Brazil work at the facility in Curitiba.
At the DOF Brasil stand, lines were forming in front of the ROV simulator.
“A lot of students want to take try, but professionals from other companies are also curious”, Renan Viana explains.
A ROV is a remotely operated underwater vehicle, which is used in a variety of subsea operations, survey operations, repair and maintenance and inspections. The simulator is used in training of personnel, and in Brazil, the company has about 1400 employees onshore and offshore.
The ROVs are used in operations below 365 meters of depth, as a substitution of divers, and DOF has ROVs like this on 8 different vessels operating in Brazil.
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By Runa Hestmann Tierno, NBCC journalist
(runa.tierno@nbcc.com.br)
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