On 23 January, at the Porto Innovation Hub, the Engineers’ Association, together with more than 20 companies, public and private institutions and higher education entities, formalised the creation of the Forum for Attracting and Retaining Talent in Engineering in Portugal. The session was chaired by the Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, Fernando Alexandre, and marked the start of a nationwide project aimed at attracting young people to the fields of engineering and technology and combating the brain drain.
The highlight of the ceremony was the signing of a memorandum of understanding, which formalises the cooperation between the entities involved, which until now had been developed informally. The commitment involves the implementation of concrete initiatives to increase demand for engineering courses and create conditions that encourage qualified young engineers to remain in Portugal.
Portuguese companies are currently facing a critical shortage of human resources in the engineering field, a situation that compromises their operations and jeopardises the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) and structural projects for the country. At the same time, the decline in demand for some engineering courses exacerbates a structural problem, with direct impacts on competitiveness and national innovation capacity.
For the Order of Engineers, this reality requires an integrated and concerted response, involving higher education institutions, policy makers, students, companies and entities in the sector. The objective is a systemic and multidisciplinary approach that ensures the training, development and retention of qualified talent in Portugal.
In addition to Minister Fernando Alexandre and the President of the Order of Engineers, Fernando de Almeida Santos, the event was attended by several prominent figures, including Miguel Cruz, President of Infraestruturas de Portugal; António Martins da Costa, President of Proforum; Arnaldo Figueiredo, Director of Mota-Engil; Emídio Gomes, president of Metro do Porto; Ana Marques da Silva, deputy director of COTEC; Miguel Fontes, partner at Deloitte; and Vladimiro Cardoso Feliz, director of CEiiA.
The Forum aims to establish itself as a platform for institutional cooperation dedicated to attracting young people to engineering, enhancing technical and scientific skills, and creating conditions for their integration into the national economic and social fabric. Measures are planned to be implemented in educational institutions and participating companies, with a view to strengthening qualified technical staff and building a more sustainable socio-economic future for the country.
Partner entities include, among others, AIP, APCER, Brisa, Casais, CEiiA, CIMPOR, CIP, COTEC, Deloitte, EDP, FEUP, ISEP, Instituto Superior Técnico, Infraestruturas de Portugal, Metro do Porto, Mota-Engil, Siemens Portugal, and the School of Engineering of the University of Minho.
SOURCE: Jornal Construir
