APC 2009 Annual Report Download - page 71

2009 REGISTRATION DOCUMENT SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC 69
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
2
SOCIETAL PERFORMANCE
The Schneider Electric/Square D Foundation
One of the Schneider Electric/Square D Foundation’s headline
actions is the matching gift programme , through which the Company
matches employee donations to the association of their choice. In
2009, the Company matched 2,578 donations in North America.
Example in 2009
In late 2009, Stuart J. Thorogood, Southeast Asia Senior
Vice-President, and Manish Pant, Country President for Thailand,
participated in a Habitat for Humanity project in Thailand alongside
Schneider Electric employees. The goal was to build 82 homes for
underprivileged families in Nong Kon Kru, a village in the country’s
northern Chiang Mai province. Schneider Electric was a Silver
sponsor for the event, which was part of the Jimmy & Rosalynn
Carter Work Project: Mekong Build 2009. The Group also donated
sockets, switches and circuit breakers for the homes.
Impact on regional development and community relations
Wherever it operates, the Group makes a strong commitment to
community partners. This is indispensable for a global enterprise
that wants to keep in touch with real-life conditions in its local
markets. Numerous projects under way and on the drawing board
demonstrate Schneider Electric’s desire to be engaged, notably in
the area of employment, and to contribute fully to local economic
development.
Business creation
For more than 15years, Schneider Electric has supported employee
projects in France to create businesses or buy going concerns
through Schneider Initiatives Emploi (SIE)—a dedicated structure that
allows the Group to address its mobility, employment and regional
development responsibilities.
SIE also illustrates Schneider Electric’s efforts to encourage the
development of entrepreneurial values within its units.
The association provides confi dential support for Schneider Electric
employees during all stages of business creation, as well as
afterwards, with a follow-up period of three years.
SIE’s dedicated team of seasoned managers is responsible for
reviewing the fi nancial, legal, technical and commercial aspects of
business creation projects to ensure they are viable and sustainable.
SIE is represented directly or indirectly in local business networks. To
enhance the quality of services offered, it has teamed up with various
local associations involved in job and business creation.
Facts & figures
•More than 800 project sponsors (including 90 in 2009) have
gone on to head their own businesses in a variety of professions
(electrician, baker, consultant, graphic artist, asset manager, fl orist,
etc.), daring to innovate even when the road was rough.
Specifi c assistance is available for projects related to energy, which
accounted for more than 20% of the total in 2009.
•After three years, SIE boasts a success rate of 90% for the
projects it supports.
•In all, 1,600 jobs have been created, as each new business has
generated two jobs on average.
•For the past two years, SIE has organised a national competition
among project sponsors. In 2009, the jury headed by Henri
Lachmann, Chairman of the Supervisory Board and Frédéric
Abbal, President of Schneider Electric France, honored two
participants who created new businesses and two who took over
existing business for the high quality of their work.
One of the winners, Anjou Plaquelec, was also recognised in a
contest organised by Boutiques de Gestion.
Youth opportunities
Schneider Electric has been involved in helping young people enter
the workforce for many years. Team members’ involvement in these
programmes has been a key success factor.
In each host country, the Group looks for the most effective way
to make a difference, from apprenticeships and partnerships with
schools and associations to fi nancial support for young students
and participation in technical or general training courses. These
programmes dovetail with the partnerships forged through the
Schneider Electric Foundation (see page 67 ).
Example in 2009
In France, the annual “100 opportunities - 100 jobs” campaign
targets low-skilled residents of depressed neighborhood, aged 18 to
30, who are motivated to take part in a job opportunity programme .
The objective is to open the door to long-term employment within
a period of 36months by offering personalized skills-qualifi cation
paths with the help of 30 companies brought together and led by
Schneider Electric.
A positive outcome target of 60% has been set, meaning that
participants obtain a fi xed-term contract of more than six months,
an open-ended contract or a skills-qualifi cation training contract.
The French government launched the fi rst “100 opportunities - 100
jobs” campaign in January2005 in Chalon sur Saône, in partnership
with Schneider Electric subsidiary SFG (2005-2007).
Results
As of end-2009, more than 250 participants had obtained a fi xed-
term contract of more than six months, an open-ended contract or
a skills-qualifi cation training contract. More than 200 other young
people are involved in the programme .
In 2009, the “100 opportunities - 100 jobs” campaign targeted the
cities of Chalon- sur- Saône , Grenoble, Chambéry, Dieppe, Le Havre,
Lyon, Nice and Rouen.