The steel industry experiences shortage of specialists

 “We need a specialized workforce, able to implement our new strategies. It is difficult to find sufficient skilled and experienced personnel on the Romanian market, ArcelorMittal Galati CEO, Augustine Kochuparampil, told Business Standard.

ArcelorMittal Galati is Romania’s largest player on this segment. The company’s solution is to employ young graduates who are later trained within the company, in one of the steel group’s units in emerging or developed markets.

ArcelorMittal Galati launched a campaign to employ 100 young graduates specialized in mechanics, electronics, metallurgy, automation and mining. Candidates must speak at least two foreign languages. Kochuparampil said the company will employ new staff every year, for both its local factories and to fill vacancies within the group.

The shortage of specialists will also affect Austrian Voestalpine group, if it decides to invest some €5.5 billion in a steel plant in Romania. The group’s spokesman, Peter Schiefer, told Business Standard that attracting a workforce would be a veritable challenge, if Romania is chosen for the investment.

The company plans to request the authorities to include specialized coursesin schools in southeastern Romania, where the plant could be built, to train future staff, according to Schiefer. It also intends to bring hundreds of skilled employees from Austria. “If we do not find enough staff in Romania, we will consider importing a workforce from Europe,” he added. Some 5,000 people are to be employed in the future steel plant.