Andrea’s Story: From Malta to Belgium – Building a Global Career with Dirextra

Today we are sharing the story of Andrea D’Oria, a Civil Engineering graduate from the Polytechnic University of Bari who decided to take his career to the next level through the Dirextra Industry Briefing & Placement Programme for Engineers in the Construction, Oil & Gas sectors.

After graduating, Andrea worked in Central Europe and England for two years in the GIS sector. By the age of 33, he realised that to progress further and reach a managerial role within a major construction company, he needed a new direction.

He had seen several of his friends take part in the Dirextra programme and later work for major multinational corporations on large-scale projects such as pipelines, bridges and dams. Inspired by their success, Andrea chose to enrol in the 31st edition in Malta, which began on 26 September 2019.

Through Dirextra, Andrea had the chance to interview with some of the most respected Italian construction and engineering companies, including Cimolai, Bonatti, Sicim, Salcef, De Sanctis and others.

He was selected by the Vassallo Group, the largest construction company in Malta, and joined the technical office for the construction of a multi-storey car park at Malta International Airport — a €20 million project.

During his internship, Dirextra received a request from another company looking for a highly skilled engineer with excellent English proficiency for a project in Belgium. Dirextra immediately proposed Andrea for the position.

Coincidentally, the Technical Site Manager for that Belgian project was another Dirextra alumnus, Engineer Tommaso Piizzi, who had completed the 28th edition in Manchester in 2018.

Andrea began working on the construction site of a Propane Dehydrogenation Plant in Kallo (Belgium) — one of the largest and most efficient of its kind in the world, with a total contract value of around €90 million. The new plant will use Honeywell UOP’s Oleflex™ technology, a sustainable and reliable solution for propylene production.

“Thanks to Dirextra, Andrea successfully transitioned from Malta to Belgium, expanding his international experience and achieving a significant step forward in his career.”

Dirextra once again proved to be a springboard for a professional participant aiming for a high-profile career in the international construction and oil & gas industry.

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