“A dream come true”

 

 

For Wallace Prado Bastos, working at STX is a dream come true.

Five Dream Learn Work-students have been hired by STX, and had their first week at the shipyard in Niterói last week. “I’ve always wanted to work here, and the first week has been great”, says Wallace Prado Bastos.

Wallace is one of the five Dream Learn Work-students who graduated from a DLW course in Mag6g welding in September, and was offered a job at STX shortly after graduating. On November 7th,  the group had their first day at work as trainees at the STX shipyard in Niterói.

“They start on the floor, as esmerilhadores, meaning that they are preparing the units for the welders. They are refining, correcting errors and making smaller adjustments on the pieces before they are assembled”, says João Ayres Cantalego, the supervisor of the group.

“In the beginning it’s all about adapting, We’re taking it slow and security is our highest priority at this point. Their preparation is good, but they are new at it, and their attitude and discipline is equally important in the beginning”, says Mr. Cantalego.

A variety of courses
The Dream Learn Work program (DLW) emerged 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.

The very first students graduated in February, as technicians in oil and gas. Today a variety of courses is offered through the DLW program. In December, 12 new students are ready to start another welding course, and at the moment, Dream Learn Work is also sponsoring two students of industrial automation and one student in administration. Another 40 students are taking a course to become technicians in security work.

The STX trainees spent three and half months at Senai, taking the very first welding course offered through DLW. At STX, their days are going to be quite different.  This week a new vessel, the Sea Brasil, is being launched. The workers at the busy shipyard enter at 7.30 am. They have one hour lunch break and at 17.30, the day is over. The five trainees are earning a reasonable and fixed salary, and also receiving health insurance and food coupons.

“They are taking their very first steps, getting to know the equipment, and gaining experience while we’re orienting and supervising them closely. This is the phase where they learn to fix the mistakes made by others, it is their first contact with the occupation. They will probably spend about a month and a half doing this kind of preparatory work on the pieces. Who shows talent, professional capacity and productivity, will move on, and they will all have the opportunity to climb the professional ladder internally at STX”, explains João Ayres Cantalego.

Quit his job
This is exactly what Wallace is going for. His goal is to become a professional welder.

“I live nearby and I always wanted to work at the shipyard. I didn’t expect to reach that goal so fast though”, says Wallace Prado Bastos (24).

He used to work the night shift cleaning buses in a garage and quit his job when he was offered to take the DLW course.

“I was working nights and had no opportunities to advance. Now I’m very happy, he says.

His colleagues couldn’t agree more.

“We have the opportunity to evolve professionally. It’s great here, and the first week has been very interesting. I would like to spend my whole career, my whole professional life here, says Rogério Neves da Costa (26), who had taken two mechanical courses earlier, but was working in the postal service when he entered the DLW course.

A sixth DLW student is also about to be hired by STX, and he is moving from Saquarema to Niterói to start working. One of the three girls in the class is working at the Estaleiro Mauá, but unfortunately, finding a job has been more challenging for the girls, as some shipyards lack female wardrobe facilities.

By Runa Hestmann Tierno, NBCC journalist