A group of fourth-year students from the Universidad Europea del Atlántico (European University of the Atlantic, UNEATLANTICO) of the degrees in Business Administration and Management (ADE), Industrial Organization Engineering (IOI), and Psychology attended a meeting organized by the Asociación para el Progreso de la Dirección (Association for Management Progress) (APD).
The objective of this experience, within the framework of the Strategic Management course taught by the Vice Rector for Academic Planning and Faculty, Silvia Aparicio, was to put students in direct contact with top-level managers and help them find their first job.
The conference was held at the Palacio de La Magdalena (Palace of La Magdalena) and was attended by two prominent port sector managers: Cesar Díaz Maza, the new President of the Port Authority of Santander, and Jaime González, his predecessor. This meeting has offered students the opportunity to network and learn from the experience of these professionals.
Under the title “The future of multimodality in Europe,” the conference addressed the issue of driver shortage in road transport and how multimodal transport can offer solutions to this problem. Experts from the logistics and transport sector shared their knowledge on the efficiency and sustainability of the logistics chain, environmental regulations, and the challenges to be overcome by rail and maritime transport.
Among the personalities of the logistics sector, Ramón Valdivia, executive vice-president of Astic, emphasized the importance of multimodality to guarantee efficiency and competitiveness in the transport of goods. Also present was Pedro López, executive director of the southern region of Ewals Cargo Care, who emphasized that although there is still a long way to go, the future of multimodality is already a reality. In addition, Samuel Nevado, general manager of the Transport Business Unit at Transfesa Logistics, emphasized the need to establish alliances between road and rail for sustainable transport.
On the other hand, among the conclusions of the conference, the need to encourage multimodal transport and the renewal of the truck fleet to achieve greater efficiency and contribute to the decarbonization of the sector was highlighted. Experts have also called for increased support for the renewal of the heavy vehicle fleet as a way of complying with environmental requirements.
This experience has provided the students of UNEATLANTICO practical learning opportunities and connect them with top professionals in their field of study.