23/09/2020
TITAN and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) signed a renewal of the academic Cooperation Protocol
The Protocol will provide specialized training and internships to students of the University
TITAN's Efkarpia plant and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki have signed a renewal of their Cooperation Protocol, confirming their close and long-standing collaboration for the education and skill development of undergraduate students. The Protocol was signed by Professor Nikos Papaioannou, Rector of the AUTH, and Mr. Kostas Nikolaou, Manager of the Efkarpia plant, in the course of an event held at the plant on Monday, 21 September 2020.
The collaboration, which took a more institutional form in 2015 on the initiative of the Efkarpia plant, aspires to bridge theoretical learning with on-the-job training in order to help students enhance their knowledge, acquire practical and work experience, and strengthen their skills, thus providing them with more assets for their future professional development. TITAN is the first private host organization to sign such a protocol with the University and, to this day, has provided internship opportunities to over sixty young scientists.
The Cooperation Protocol extends to students from six schools of the AUTH: Geology, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Economics, Chemistry, and Chemical Engineering. The programme's special structure was designed by TITAN staff with deep technical knowledge and has been approved by the AUTH. Students spend a period of two to three months working in the field of their studies as fully integrated members of the teams within the plant and undertake to implement a specific project or a practical technical solution.
In his brief speech, the Rector of the AUTH spoke about the importance of establishing and building on material synergies between the university community and businesses. The Rector highlighted the benefits from such initiatives as the Cooperation Protocol with TITAN, both for the young scientists who are given the opportunity to become acquainted with the job market, implement their knowledge and gain experience, and for the company, which “opens a window” into modern ideas and expedites change. In his concluding remarks, Mr. Papaioannou expressed the wish for the cooperation to be further expanded with more actions that provide young people with a sense of perspective.
The Manager of the Efkarpia plant focused on TITAN's long-standing commitment to supporting the youth in successfully managing the challenge of the transition from education to employment. Mr. Nikolaou pointed out that, through the initiative “TITAN Youth Matters”, the plant has built a very constructive collaboration with academia and the scientific community, implementing actions that are aimed at enhancing inclusive employability among the youth in the context of the company's sustainable development strategy.
The event held to celebrate the signing of the Protocol was also attended, on the University's part, by Professor Antonis Koroneos, in charge of the “AUTH Student Practice” programme, and Vasso Papageorgiou, Contact-Project Management Counsellor, and, on TITAN's part, by Anestis Selengidis, Head of the Economic and Administrative Services, and Thalia Vourou, HR Supervisor of the plant. The event closed with a presentation of the projects undertaken by three students of the School of Mechanical Engineering in the course of their internship; these projects have been included in the plant's investment programme and shall be carried out.