Every 15 minutes, the timer runs out, prompting participants to move to another table for informal discussions with representatives from companies in the naval engineering sector. These roundtables were part of the 13th Naval Engineering Conference, held on February 24 and 25 at the Alameda Campus of Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa.
Diogo Nunes, a Naval Architect at the British company Tadek, was one of the speakers. He left Funchal, where he grew up “seeing cruise ships arrive every day”, to study at the University of Southampton, “influenced by his family”. However, he assures, “I could have studied at Técnico, as there would surely be career opportunities available”. “Técnico is internationally renowned as a top-tier institution for Naval Engineering” and “there is interest from international companies to establish in Portugal”, he says.
“Humanity depends almost entirely on the sea for global trade, energy exploration (offshore, wind, oil), autonomous underwater vehicles and seabed mining. Being an engineer in this field means being at the centre of all this”, explains Jessika Costa, coordinator of the 13th Naval Engineering Conference and a student of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering.
Jessika Costa and Diogo Nunes agree: The career opportunities in this field are abundant. “The demand for naval engineers remains steady, with the job market in Portugal boasting a 100% employability rate”, says the student. Diogo Nunes, who works in the offshore renewable energy sector, has been present at various events held at Técnico. He intends to “build relationships for hiring”, noting that Tadek has a long-standing tradition of maintaining a “strong presence in universities”, to facilitate the “transfer of knowledge to industry”.
According to the organisation team, this year’s edition “exceeded expectations”, with “significant participation from both undergraduate and postgraduate students”, as well as professors.
