Aide et Action: What are the main objectives of the professional training courses that will be offered to Haitians from September 2011?
These short courses (4 months), which we hope will lead to certification, cover the trades of masonry/brickwork, wood/carpentry and electricity. They are intended to give young Haitians the professional foundations necessary for their integration into the world of construction. They will thus make them actors in the reconstruction of their country.
AEA: Why did Schneider Electric engage in a vocational training project to help Haiti?
In 2009, Schneider Electric launched an ambitious energy access programme for the world's so-called Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP) populations (BipBop), details of which can be viewed on our website at www.schneider-electric.com/bipbop. Although we do not have any operations in Haiti, it seemed a priority for our company to contribute to the reconstruction effort in Haiti through this programme.
AEA: Do you think this is a key factor in reviving local economic activity after the terrible earthquake in January 2010?
In all BoP countries, vocational training is the most effective lever for economic development. Focusing on the training of appropriately qualified workers and technicians, it provides a country with a sustainable supply of quality labour and management, without which any hope of economic growth is an illusion.
AEA: What do you think of the quality of vocational training in France in particular?
In building vocational training partnerships on all continents, I have seen how much French-style vocational training is considered a reference. It is obviously distinguished by its ability to offer, in all fields, a judicious balance between theoretical and applied training, but also by the quality of the "school-company" relationship on which it is systematically based.
AEA: Do you have other initiatives in France and abroad to encourage young people to follow vocational training?
Through its BipBop programme, Schneider Electric is involved in the development of vocational training in the electrical industry in nearly 20 countries, including Chile, Brazil, Cameroon, South Africa, India, China, Cambodia, etc.
In addition to the Corporate Foundation's initiative, most of our country subsidiaries are themselves involved in developing apprenticeships. In France, for example, Schneider Electric has historically been one of the companies most committed to the development of apprenticeships.