OSX, an EBX Group company focused on offshore naval industry, signed a partnership with SENAI (National Service for Industrial Apprenticeship) from Rio de Janeiro to train 3,100 people for its Shipbuilding Unit (UCN Açu), to be built in the Açu Superport Industrial Complex, in the northern part of Rio de Janeiro state. The goal is to train skilled manpower that may work at the Shipbuilding Unit. The initiative, which has an investment of $13 million, will primarily benefit residents of Campos dos Goytacazes and São João da Barra, where the Superport is being installed.
The agreement with SENAI, considered the leading institution for professional education in Brazil, is the first step in structuring OSX’s Naval Technology Institute (ITN, in Portuguese), which aims to become a benchmark for the industry in Brazil, in partnership with recognized institutions in the country and abroad. It is expected that, by 2013, 7,800 people will be trained to act as technical specialists in production, inspection and supervision. "Besides qualifying manpower to a booming industry, ITN also seeks to promote research in new technologies in the area. With this, we can not only contribute to the development of the region where UCN Açu will be implemented, but also to Brazil’s development in a whole,” says the CEO of OSX, Luiz Eduardo Carneiro.
In the first phase of the agreement, SENAI will be responsible for preparing the courses, organizing the recruitment process and develop the lessons, scheduled to begin in November. A total of 185 classes will be divided into 23 professional activities, including welders, structure assemblers, pipe fitters, mechanics, electricians and instrumentalists. The agreement may be extended according to OSX’s demand. When the entire Açu Superport Industrial Complex is ready, it will generate 50,000 jobs.