| | FEBRUARY 2024MANAGEHRMAGAZINE.COM8The opening of the refining market brings growth to the sector and increased competition in Brazil, but it imposes challenges on those entering this segment. One of them concerns the workforce because the operators in activity in Brazil are mostly Petrobras employees, i.e., public servants. In 2021, when the energy company Acelen took over the Mataripe Refinery in the state of Bahia, the Northeast region of the country, we spotted an absence of qualified labor for the private refining segment. The acquisition of the refinery did not contemplate Petrobras employees, and our own staff was limited to the administrative sector. As a result, our mission in the period of up to 15 months established for the transition was to attract professionals in the market to set up a team to operate the refinery: a mega-structure of more than 70 years that occupies an area equivalent to 900 soccer fields and has very specific characteristics. Putting together a team of more than a thousand professionals with efficiency and safety in a short time is certainly challenging in a country lacking sector qualification. In the petrochemical area, an operator has to study and train for an average of 16 months in order to be qualified for the job. At Acelen, we found the solution to train operators in-house. Starting from scratch, we designed a model for training new operators in record time. It uses learning agility and agile methodologies, among others, theoretical and technical rigor and practice as its main tools. That is how we designed and inaugurated Acelen Acender, an unprecedented training center in private refining that is training new professionals to work in this activity. The first unit of the center of excellence operates in the Mataripe Refinery, 60 km from Salvador, and includes, in addition to the theoretical content, such topics as safety, environment, and specific leadership and management skills. It also includes practical activities, exchange of experiences, field monitoring, and performance evaluation metrics. A NEW REFINING PROFESSIONAL IN BRAZILBy João Raful, Human Resources VP, AcelenJoão RafulIn MyOpinion
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