In an innovative initiative to encourage professional development in the port sector, Brasil Terminal Portuário (BTP), one of the largest container terminals in Latin America and a reference in port operations at the Port of Santos, contributed to 92 professionals already working in the sector achieving their long-awaited undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. An achievement that also marks the graduation of the first class of BTP Corporate University, considered the first corporate university dedicated to the port sector in Brazil.
The initiative, result of a partnership established three years ago between BTP and Santa Cecília University – Unisanta, provided port sector professionals who also work at BTP with access to undergraduate and postgraduate courses certified by the MEC in various fields of study.
BTP's Chief Executive Officer, Cláudio Oliveira, emphasizes that education incentives are among the company's greatest legacies of positive social impact. "A competitive port is made up of efficiency, infrastructure and qualified professionals. At the same time we are preparing our terminal for the next decades of operations at the Port of Santos, we are also training our employees for these new technologies, skills and competencies of the port of the future and strengthening the port-city relationship," he states.
The educational purpose is corroborated by BTP's Administrative Director, Joel Contente, who highlights the dedication of professionals in returning to studies. Of the 92 professionals who graduated, 53 work in areas related to container terminal operations. "The pursuit of knowledge and development has always existed for these professionals; what they needed was just an opportunity. We provided this possibility with great pride and with the objective of contributing to raise the level of education of employees working at BTP and, consequently, at the Port of Santos," he emphasizes.
Dreams Fulfilled – Daniela Caetano dos Santos has been an equipment operator at BTP for ten years and, after 15 years away from studies, earned her undergraduate degree in Systems Analysis and Development through BTP Corporate University. "The scholarship was not just a benefit; it was a door that opened to new dreams, paths and a future that, for many of us, seemed a bit distant. In graduating, we gained much more than a diploma; we gained knowledge, experience and the certainty that we are capable of going beyond," she shares.
For Pedro Henrique Santana de Lima, the postgraduate degree in Reliability Engineering completed through BTP Corporate University will complement his first degree completed in 2015. "The entire BTP education program is incredible, from a complete platform with multidisciplinary courses that all employees have access to, to undergraduate and postgraduate programs for employees. I believe this will reach people who previously never imagined they could pursue an undergraduate or postgraduate degree," details the Maintenance Engineer who has worked at BTP for nine years.
The formal graduation ceremony of the first class of BTP Corporate University was held on March 30 at Unisanta's auditorium and included representatives from both institutions, maritime and port sector authorities, and family members and friends of the graduates.
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