Antwerp container terminal shows youngsters what it means to work as an engineer or technician at the port
Today the technical service provider Antwerp Terminal Services (ATS) led an interactive workshop at the MPET container terminal in the port of Antwerp, to show 15 youngsters what it means to work as an engineer or technician in this highly mechanized sector. This hands-on event is part of the collaborative Repair Teens project that encourages youngsters between the ages of 12 and 14 to study STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects and seek careers in related sectors.
At MPET - a joint venture between the terminal operator PSA and Terminal Investment Limited (TIL) and one of the largest container terminals in Europe - ATS engineers introduced youngsters to what it means to work as a technician or engineer at a container port. The tour included a visit to the straddle carrier garage, where these large vehicles (also referred to as ‘Elephants’) that move individual containers around the terminal are serviced and repaired, and the quay with its massive quay cranes.
At the garage, the youngsters got to try some interesting activities such as tuning a six-cylinder engine and measuring and reporting the resistance box.
The Repair Teens project organizes workshop series, individual sessions and camps across Flanders in which youngsters learn how to solve problems in topical areas such electricity, mechanics and programming. Moreover, it introduces them to the corporate world and the technical services that support companies such as MPET and Volvo Car Gent and the food producer Vandemoortele.
Repair Teens is a collaboration between ‘the Technical Academy’, which is an initiative of Vives college, and the project partners BEMAS vzw, POM, Repair Share, Thomas More College, PXL college and a group of industrial partners. The project also receives active support from VLAIO, the Flemish Agency for Innovation and Enterprise.
I’ve already made a hydraulic line, and soon we’ll be taking a look at the straddle carriers from above. I can see myself working in the port one day — my grandfather does, and he always talks about it, and I think it’s really interesting.
Koen Vansteelant, Senior Officer Training at PSA University Antwerp Campus, believes that Repair Teens plays an important role in today’s society: “By participating in this project, we want to show young people that if they choose a STEM path now, exciting careers like these could be waiting for them in the future.” Noë Huybrechts (12) from Wilrijk says: “I found the visit really interesting. I’ve already made a hydraulic line, and soon we’ll be taking a look at the straddle carriers from above. I can see myself working in the port one day — my grandfather does, and he always talks about it, and I think it’s really interesting.”
