Delft Career Days will be without Shell, BP and Tata Steel this year

The petrochemical industry: a client at the annual Delft Career Days (formerly known as De Delftse Bedrijvendagen) for years and still a major employer of TU Delft alumni. Despite this, the student Board took the decision that companies such as Shell, BP, ExxonMobil, Total and Tata Steel would not be on the list of participants this year.

There was plenty of discussion before this decision was taken, says Chair Bram Zijlstra. “Every year the Board looks at which companies would be of most interest to students. This year we chose to include sustainability too.” After many lengthy discussions, the five person Board decided that the companies named and others were not a good fit.

The most important reason was the outcome of an annual questionnaire among visitors to the career event. Last year it turned out that a group of students – the Board cannot say how many – would prefer to see fewer petrochemical companies at the fair.

Variation

Other companies that are recognised as polluters, such as RWE and Airbus, did make the selection this year. Zijlstra cannot say what the criteria were exactly, only that sustainability is only one of many factors that the Board took into account.

Shell or ExxonMobil were not present in some previous years

In other words, it is not unusual that a company has a place one year but not the next. Shell or ExxonMobil were not present in some previous years. Zijlstra emphasises that it is the variation that is important for the visitors. The next Board is thus free to invite the companies that were not selected this year.

Zijlstra says that the discussions about ties between TU Delft and the fossil fuel industry are unrelated to the decision. The Delft Career Days Board operates separately from TU Delft.

In a response, Shell states that it is of concern that Delft Career Days excludes ‘certain companies’. ‘They deny students the opportunity to enter into discussions and form their own judgement.’ A spokesperson for the oil and gas giant says that not inviting the largest investor in the country is to work against the energy transition.

Activists

The End Fossil pressure group sees the decision not to invite Shell, BP and ExxonMobil as a victory, they write on Instagram and in a press release. According to its spokesperson, Tom Twigt, this is exactly what the pressure group has protested for in the last few years. This is why End Fossil stood with banners at the entrance to the 2023 Delft Career Days.

He does note one thing. “While it is great that these three companies are not coming, less well known major polluters like Thales, RWE, Airbus, Worley and McDermott are still welcome.”

The pressure group thus does not exclude the possibility of more protests. The activists are also planning an occupation in the near future, such as the one that took place last year.