Belén Valle is an aeronautical engineer working on the La Calera project in Neuquén. Although she admits that it’s quite a challenge to be uprooted, she’s quick to emphasize the unwavering support she got from the company as she began down that path.

Since she joined Techint Engineering & Construction in January 2020, aeronautical engineer Belén Valle has made it clear that professional growth is her number one priority. That’s why she didn’t think twice when it came to moving to the city of Añelo to work at the La Calera project in Neuquén, as part of the rotation included in the Young Professionals Program (YP).

“It’s a great experience, although also quite challenging, but I think that everyone here is working really hard and pulling together, which is very positive,” says the 30-year-old engineer assigned to the Project Planning and Control (PyCP, in Spanish) area.

Before she became a Young Professional, Belén was a summer intern for three months. She joined the company in 2020 to work in the Engineering, Mining and Steel sector at the headquarters in Buenos Aires. She found her experience of internship to be a major change as she moved from a university environment to the reality of work. “I think the process of adaptation and understanding how the company works make the biggest impact. It really pushes you outside your comfort zone and enhances your learning, so you can start to find your place,” she explains. Offering advice to newcomers, she expands on this concept. “You have to learn how to find the significance of your internship and what work itself is about. Sometimes this doesn’t have to do with how much knowledge you have, but about your attitude and how you deal with problems when you don't know what to do.”

In May 2021, she joined the same sector as a YP, but later, thanks to the Young Professionals Program, which lasts two years and requires a project rotation lasting at least six months to a project, Belén began working in the PyCP area.

Lessons learned

Belén highlights the raft of opportunities Techint offers thanks to its highly trained team of professionals. For her, the company’s experts have immense capacity and vision: “That is what internally fosters a desire to grow, to empower yourself and to learn. You see people around you with drive and ambition and it makes you want to join them and be a part of all that,” she affirms.

She adds that the company, "walks alongside you from day one until you become the best professional you want to be." Another key point for her is the spirit of camaraderie: “There is huge value placed on the transmission of knowledge from one generation to the next. It’s a place where the understanding that we must share what we have learned is implicit, as there are many things that you can’t learn from books. This is fundamental for personal and professional development,” she reflects.

For example, Belén shares her experience during the two weeks of training she received for the Build Professionals 2022 program: “Together with some colleagues, we proposed setting up a meeting with women leaders in the company so that they could share their challenges and leadership priorities with us. This was really well received on all sides, so we did it, and today it’s part of the 2023 training course.” She concludes that, “above all, what’s important is the freedom of being able to be part of a continuous improvement process that is imbued in every aspect of the company.”

The engineer admits that being uprooted is a challenge, but stresses that camaraderie and a good working atmosphere make the day more enjoyable. “What left the biggest impression on me about the work was how there is direct contact between all the disciplines and the people involved in the project. I think my biggest challenge is to adapt to my environment and ensure that the transition goes as smoothly as possible," she finishes.

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