Nervousness and enthusiasm reached the Taguspark campus in force on May 5. With a sharp focus, more than 200 students spent the day learning and training how to make a two-minute presentation about themselves to companies – a pitch. Everyone knew that the real challenge would begin the next day, when the 185 companies would go there to meet and listen to them. The 18th edition of the Talent Bootcamp at Técnico (and 3rd at Taguspark campus) brought together almost 200 students and 185 companies, during two days.

The lessons learnt from the Talent Bootcamp vary a lot from student to student. On the one hand, Filipe Leal, a Mechanical Engineering PhD student, explains that he is “a person who finds it difficult in giving an impromptu speech” so he needs to determine the main topics and structure his speech around them. On the other hand, Daniela Muntean, Biotechnology Master’s student, confesses that she is quite good at improvising: “I start speaking and then I lose track of time. Two minutes would end very fast. The best tip I got about my speech was try to answer three questions: who am I, where did I come from and where am I going. It is going well so far!”.

For two days, the students practiced their speeches and listen to that of the companies, either in pitch sessions, through informal conversation, or in panels made up of sponsors and CEOs. The aim was to anticipate what the job market holds for them and which companies are available.

This was the first edition of the Talent Bootcamp at Taguspark campus after the pandemic, and it turned out to be the most popular edition so far. “I think it is a sign of the extraordinary work we have been doing, in partnership with Magma, and it is an opportunity to fulfill our mission as a higher education institution: to put the Técnico talent at the service of the country, the companies and the economic fabric”, said the President of Técnico, professor Rogério Colaço.