The 14th edition of the „Careers in the Energy Industry” Forum, organized together with the Association of Energy and Electrical Engineers, will take place from 8 to 14 May 2023, at the Faculty of Energetics, part of the Politehnica University of Bucharest. This event offers the possibility of interaction between students and companies, through presentations, technical visits and workshops. This year's edition also includes the launch of the first Energy Exploration Center in Europe, which also includes the NuScale small nuclear reactor simulator.
At the event, young people learn about the energy sector - its current situation, prospects for development, areas where there is a shortage of specialists - and companies can present their offer and attract young specialists. This will make it easier for young people to enter the labor market, to the benefit of interested companies and the development of the energy sector.
This event is one of the ways in which the private sector is involved in supporting Romanian education. As the distinguished speakers emphasized, companies are also supporting the Faculty of Energetics and the Polytechnic University of Bucharest by developing laboratories or supporting conferences and other scientific events.
Mr. Horia Necula, Vice Rector of the Politehnica University of Bucharest, The Energy Transition is a concept that has marked the industry for a long time and is now becoming more prominent than ever. He gave some global figures on current trends: 84% of the world's energy comes from oil, gas and coal, and 97% of fuels come from oil. Globally, the reduction in the use of conventional fuels is only 2-3 percent. In Europe things are different, but at very high costs. Electricity consumption is significant, for example the cloud system alone consumes double the consumption of a highly developed country like Japan. Data centers consume the equivalent of 10 million electric cars. Meeting this extraordinary demand is a challenge, especially in the energy sector. The steps are significant and require the involvement of more and more specialists, which is why continuous interaction between students and the economic environment is necessary to ensure the continuity of this field.
Mrs. Diana Robescu, Dean of the Faculty of Energy, expressed his confidence in the current generation of students, who are heading for a career in one of today's most important fields. Their choice is a good one as the sector is always „in the process of building something new”. Energy engineering is important for all fields of activity, civilization itself, as the Dean said, needs energy to develop further.
The partnership between the private sector and the Faculty of Energetics was underlined by His Excellency, who thanked the companies for their involvement in the development and equipping of laboratories, in the organization of scientific events and in the development of the curriculum.
Mr. Cătălin Niță, Executive Director FPPG, he urged students to pursue their professional development path in energy with perseverance, with commitment, using the resources that the University has at their disposal and asking questions and companies. He emphasized that young energy professionals are „in the right place at the right time” as the energy field is going through a transition and is an area full of dynamism and opportunities. This is because, from now on, everything will be based on electricity, from the most varied sources, gas, oil, air, geothermal, etc.
People are innovating and finding new and new sources of energy and thereby furthering the energy field, of which the FPPG is a part. But, emphasized Mr. Cătălin Niță, although 100,000 employees work in FPPG member companies, that number is insufficient. Quoting Mr. Necula, he pointed out that Romania produces 35% fewer engineers than it needs. Therefore, the need for fresh manpower is also felt among FPPG companies.
In closing, Mr. Cătălin Niță reminded the students that the energy industry is capable of offering financial rewards commensurate with training and beyond: „The next 30 years are yours and you will have the opportunity to do what you love.”
