- The first phase of this new initiative kicked off with the first-year engineering students visiting the industrial center
The Fundación Cepsa Chair at the University of Cadiz (UCA) has launched the Training Paths program at the Polytechnic School of Algeciras. Its aim is to ensure that students have a point of contact with the energy sector, specifically Cepsa, throughout the entirety of their studies. This educational program will give students additional training on the environment, safety, operations and engineering.
The initiative consists of four phases, the first of which sees first-year engineering students visiting Cepsa facilities in San Roque. This phase took place in December 2019 and February 2020. The other phases include lectures at UCA given by Cepsa professionals, guided tours in small groups of the Company's facilities, a remotely taught seminar in refining, and a specialization in oil refining training program.
The director of the Fundación Cepsa Chair, Francisco Trujillo, believes that the Training Path program is "a very ambitious project to implement due to its innovative and comprehensive nature. We are not aware of a project like this anywhere else in Spain." One of the initiative's objectives is for "students to know Cepsa as the leading industrial company in Andalusia and the region. From there, they can acquire skills that allow them to grow professionally throughout their careers," said Trujillo, emphasizing that the activities included in the program “begin with first-year students visiting the facilities and can continue through to their fourth year with the opportunity to study the specialization in oil refining training program for academic credit, clearly showing this to be an innovative project.”
Since its inception in 2005, the Fundación Cepsa Chair has focused on promoting and encouraging aspects related to education, research, technology transfer and dissemination. The relationship between the University of Cadiz and Cepsa dates back to the founding of the Algeciras University School of Technical Industrial Engineering, and gained momentum when the School became the Polytechnic School in 1988. Since then, the two institutions have collaborated on numerous occasions, and now with Fundación Cepsa, have signed a wide range of specific agreements.
Fundación Cepsa Chairs of Andalusia
Fundación Cepsa continues to work alongside academia. The Fundación Cepsa-managed chairs at the universities of Huelva, Seville and Cádiz are growing thanks to the contributions and dedication of professionals from all these organizations to help improve training, innovation and research.
The Fundación Cepsa Chairs in Andalusia have allowed thousands of students to gain first-hand experience of a real working environment, while bringing university professors closer to the reality of industry in Andalusia. Exchanges between technicians and professors have allowed them to hone their skills and apply their newly gained expertise in their daily work. For all these reasons, today Fundación Cepsa is a great ally of universities in Andalusia.
