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"Great stories are written with values in the hearts of men"
Explore our values...
Photo by Luís Pinto, finalist of the Emergentes dst Award 2011.

Respect. (from the lat. respectu) n. 1. respect; 2. consideration; high regard; 3. deference; compliance; veneration; 4. honour; worship; 5. relation; refererence...

We believe that everyone should be respected for their work, for their attitudes, opinions and options.

Photo by Mila Teshaieva, finalist of the Emergentes dst Award 2011.

Rigor. (from the lat. rigore) n. 1. harshness; strength; 2.fig., severity; punctuality; accuracy.

There is no "more or less levelled", "more or less upright”, "more or less clean" or "more or less safe", but rather “levelled”, "upright”, "clean” and “safe". The rigour is reflected in our procedures, in time and in the rules to follow. In the light of moral and principles, being severe means being rigorous.

Photo by , finalist of the Emergentes dst Award 2012.

Passion. (from the lat. passione) n. 1. intense and usually violent feeling (affection, joy, hate, etc.) which hinders the exercise of impartial logic; 2. derived from a feeling; 3. great predilection; 4. partiality; 5. great grief; immense suffering...

Under the sign of passion – a text of the Portuguese poet Regina Guimarães – is our icon. Passion is to reveal great enthusiasm for something, favourable encouragement or opposite to something.
It is the sensibility transmitted by an architect or engineer through work.
Passion is the dedication to a project. Passion is a state of warm soul.

Photo by Jakub Karwowski, finalist of the Emergentes dst Award 2012.

Loyalty. (from the lat. legalitate) n. the quality of being loyal; fidelity; sincerity.

Respect for the principles and rules that guide the honour and probity. Faithfulness to commitments and agreements undertaken, staunch character.
To remain loyal to the business partners because we depend on them and they depend on us.
Being trustworthy for being loyal.

Photo by Ian Lieske, finalist of the Emergentes dst Award 2011.

Solidarity. (from the lat. solidare) n. 1. the quality of being solidary; 2. reciprocal responsibility among the members of a group, namely social, professional, etc.; 3. sense of sharing another’s suffering.

Being solidary is being a friend, offering our hand with genuine generosity and bringing joy and human warmth to those who, somehow, are marginalized. Being solidary is being more human. A solidary company is recognized as a fair and non-selfish company. A solidary company is a preferred choice in business. It is a more competitive company. Volunteering is a vehicle to solidarity. It is modern, fair, cultured, friend, it is a noble gesture of moral elevation.

Photo by Clarence Gorton, finalist of the Emergentes dst Award 2012.

Courage. (from the lat. coraticum) n. 1. bravery facing danger; intrepidity; to have audacity; 2. moral force before a suffering or setback; 3. [fig.] to input energy when performing a difficult task; perseverance...

Courage is essential in our life. Courage to face less pleasant situations when complex issues come up, not expecting random resolutions.
It is a value that we must highlight as opposed to the fearful, cowardly and laziness.
The courage to react to criticism not with an attitude of demotivation or sadness, but rather to search for the means and the action to overcome its own reason. This kind of courage, which is also an intellectual courage, is highly recommended.

Photo by Filipa Alves, finalist of the Emergentes dst Award 2011.

Ambition. (from the lat. ambitione) n. 1. vehement desire of wealth, honours or glories; 2. expectation about the future; aspiration; 3. lust; greed…

Vehement desire to achieve a particular goal. Ambition not to resign ourselves. Ambition to take the best potential from ourselves. Ambition to deserve ourselves. Ambition to be athletes in our top-level competitive jobs. Ambition to beat our brands. Ambition to get the best deals with the maximum value, due to the high levels of proficiency and efficiency.

Photo by Scarlett Coten, finalist of the Emergentes dst Award 2011.

Esthetics. ESTHETICS (from the Greek aisthetiké, "sensitive") n.f. 1. Philosophy branch of philosophy that studies the beauty and nature of artistic phenomena; 2. author's own style, time, etc.; 3. harmony of shapes and colors, beauty; 4. set of techniques and treatments that aim to beautify the body.

We decided to build the company's economic foundations under a cultured, cosmopolitan and cool image. Because it is a charming state of being. Good taste because we are sustainable and we respect the planet. Good taste because we are sensitive. Good taste just because.

Photo by Karl Erik Brondbo, finalist of the Emergentes dst Award 2011.

Responsibility. (from the lat respondere) n. the trait of being answerable to someone for something or being responsible for one's conduct; a form of trustworthiness.

We must be certain that, before a choice, we chose what is best for both of us and not just the best for each one. Each employee is responsible for his negotiated activity and co-responsible if the co-worker does not fulfil his own task, thus preventing the common goal. A team is a set of individuals - is a whole. In the business game, as in social or family contexts, everyone must comply with their own relative position and we shall not permit that one of ours fails to be in our team.

EEUM 164
27/03/2019
Companies pay tuition for best Civil Engineering students

Last Monday, 32 Civil Engineering students were granted a scholarship that includes the tuition value for the five years of training. Ten companies in the region participate in the programme that was initiated in 2014.

José Teixeira, director of the Civil Eng. Department, Jorge Silva, 4th year student, and Eurico Soares, director of the DST Group, regarding merit-based scholarship.

A white envelope, with a paid degree inside. Since the 2014/2015 academic year that the best students of the Integrated Masters in Civil Engineering of UMinho are contemplated with a Merit-based Scholarship. The sponsorship comes from companies in the area that look at it as an “investment”.

This Monday, in the Azurém campus, 32 scholarships were granted, equivalent to the tuition amount for the entire course.

Granted by 10 partner companies in the area, the scholarships are part of a programme created in the 2014/2015 academic year to attract more students to the course, at a time when there were few students joining the course.

 

"There are not enough finalists to meet market needs”

Nowadays, the situation has reversed. Students’ averages have risen, as has the interest in the field.

This gift, as a reward for the excellent classifications, has helped to engage students and meet the objective of the programme.

“One of the scholarship’s objectives was to foster the presence of students, while having their tuition paid, and the company’s interest in them. Therefore, students will recognize that they are needed in the labour market, and that this is an incentive to remain in the course. It is a way of showing students that companies are committed to bringing them on board their management staff", explained José Teixeira, director of the Department of Civil Engineering.

If in 2014, the demand suffered a fall, in 2019, the director assures, “there aren’t enough finalists to meet the market needs”. “This year, we have a limited number of finalists that resulted from those who started in a year where we had very few admissions, but the market is lacking civil engineers and there is substantial demand. The continued support of the companies also shows the need to fill the gaps in the labour market", he added.

“Pleased” with the recognition on the part of the companies “of the value of civil engineers of the university”, José Teixeira is also “impressed by the fact that a large part of the industry players" have studied in the University. "It shows that there is demand for engineers and even a prospect of progress in the career". “It is reassuring for us to realize that there is this positive impact in the business life of people who were trained here," he said.

 

About "90%" of Civil Engineering interns in DST remain in the company

Jorge Silva, a 4th year student, had an internship in the DST Group, and he is back this year for another opportunity. The student praises the financial support, but also the contact with the labour market.  “We learn more work techniques and that is always important”, he assured.

The DST Group is one of the 10 partner companies who joined the programme, and it is the one helping the largest number of students. The company pays 9 scholarships in total. Eurico Soares, director, considers this support “an investment in the sense of having a return, which is bringing these young students, who are the best, into the DST group". Eurico Soares has no doubt that engineers with the UMinho stamp "are ready", since "the curriculum at the Minho Academy is very good compared to other universities. Of the interns who come to DST, about "90%" are hired. The Group's interest in UMinho graduates is not limited to Civil Engineering. "Every year we hire around 20 managers trained at the Minho University", assured the director.

 

Attending the session, the President of the Engineering School of the University of Minho, João Monteiro praised the academy’s connection with the corporate sector. “We have three times the number of job offers than graduate students”, pointed out the president.

João Monteiro would like to see the collaboration between academy and companies expanded to “the teaching activity, through modules taught by company technicians”. “These summer internship projects must continue, and we are also open to bringing in company proposals for master’s and doctoral thesis”. “Companies realise that they obtain a return on their investment when supporting UMinho students”, assured the president of the Engineering School.

João Monteiro also praised the work developed by the Civil Engineering department, which has “an excellent performance regarding their various master’s offer”.

The 32 Civil Engineering students will integrate a summer internship in the companies that signed the protocol, and there is now a second opportunity at the end of the master’s degree.

The scholarships were delivered last Wednesday in the Azurém campus.