Present in around 100 countries, the Group’s companies contribute to creating and maintaining local employment around the world. In emerging countries in particular, their contribution to training and improvements in local skills supports regional development.
As they are highly labour intensive, VINCI’s energy, road and construction activities have substantial direct, indirect and induced impacts on regional employment. In recruiting staff for its worksites, the Group encourages local employment, contributing to training efforts in the various regions. Furthermore, practices in the Group’s business sectors and the relatively short duration of projects encourage professional and geographical mobility. Accordingly, training efforts of VINCI companies address the needs and issues raised by these skills transfers. The mobility of VINCI employees benefits the entire industry and promotes regional development.
In Africa, Sogea-Satom (VINCI Construction), which systematically uses local human resources for its sites, favouring those located close to its activities, once again demonstrated its long-standing commitment to the training of local managers: in 2022, more than 80% of its managers and 98% of its staff were African. The year also saw further growth for Africa Pro, a corporate university created in Morocco in 2015 to expand training opportunities for Sogea-Satom’s employees on the continent and reinforce the company’s shared culture. Now located in Côte d’Ivoire, the university manages training for 19 subsidiaries in 18 countries. In 2022, 12,967 hours of training were provided for 536 participants (compared with 11,949 hours for 658 participants in 2021). Africa Pro is also continuing to develop its training programmes for new staff (Foundation – Onboarding) and the most senior employees (for each professional branch). In 2022, 165 participants and 23 trainers were involved in this training, with 18 different nationalities represented and a combined total of 5,775 hours of training for all of the participants. The training programmes focused specifically on the following areas: site/project management and organisation; quality, safety and environment; construction equipment and technical aspects. Africa Pro is also working to develop training programmes for site managers. A specific training programme on safety management for site managers was the first of these to be rolled out, with five sessions held in 2022.
VINCI Construction Grands Projets continued rolling out its Skill Up programme, which aims to develop the knowledge and skills of operational and supervisory staff (manual workers, team leaders and site managers) around the world by setting up training centres tailored to the requirements of each project. These centres are designed to serve local teams employed on the projects. With courses delivered to employees, subcontractors and partners, the centres help to improve their employability upon completion of work at the sites. All of the training programmes are covered by a final assessment, with a certificate for participants. Some employees may then be recruited. The HS2 project in the UK has a strong focus on providing training and developing the skills of its employees as well as stakeholders in the vicinity of the project sites: setting up a Skills, Employment and Education (SEE) programme, welcoming 950 young apprentices in 2022, establishing various partnerships with job centres and schools, organising open days, providing professional support for certain activities and groups of workers, etc.
Building on this approach, with the ambition to support local skills development, several of the Group’s subsidiaries are setting up their own networks of relations with educational institutions in the regions where they operate. Among the many initiatives carried out, Axians (VINCI Energies) assisted the government in Angola with the transformation of its public education system and recruitments in 2022. The teams have developed several training modules, as well as mobile solutions to be used by businesses to promote their employment offers and by job seekers to apply for these positions. In 2022, VINCI Energies was awarded a contract to build electric utility infrastructure in Benin, with more than 1,000 km of distribution networks. The company has made a commitment to train 300 young technicians in local communities.
Similarly, the Concessions business, which is present in communities over the long term, has set out strong commitments to local employment. Illustrating this, Vía 40 Express (VINCI Highways/VINCI Concessions) in Colombia ensures that 30% of employees come from communities along the route. Elsewhere, the Chambéry and Grenoble airports recruit seasonal staff during the winter season and focus in priority on people from the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Many airports open their doors to schools and universities and organise recruitment fairs in France and around the world. The aim is to enable job seekers from neighbouring communities to access all of the job offers available with the airports and the various companies operating on their premises. Interns and young apprentices are provided with both theoretical and practical training. In 2022, the eight airports in Brazil had 14 apprentices and 40 interns.
Wherever they operate, Group companies support solidarity and development initiatives. Tailored to address local challenges, these initiatives vary depending on the region and its socio-economic circumstances. They are also tied to the nature of the work carried out by Group companies (large-scale projects completed in short time frames or recurring work), as well as to the presence or not of Group companies over the long term, etc.
Vía 40 Express, a subsidiary of VINCI Highways (VINCI Concessions), which operates the concession for the Bogotá–Girardot motorway in Colombia, opened Vía Esperanza, a reception area for refugees fleeing the economic and political crisis in Venezuela. Supported by the Red Cross and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Vía Esperanza offers a place where around 100 migrants can rest, change their clothes, get something to drink and eat, and receive essential information about their journey. For the youngest refugees, this space also includes a baby section, a mobile library and even a colouring area. In addition, Vía 40 Express has created a sustainable trade guide to promote local entrepreneurs, producers, farmers and/or artisans who are located along this motorway and offer sustainable and responsible products and/or services. By showcasing them in this way, VINCI Highways is supporting and promoting local workers, contributing to the local economy, and raising awareness among users and communities on local and responsible consumption.
In June 2022, VINCI Energies signed a four-year partnership agreement with Unicef to support projects in Benin, Brazil and East Timor that will provide children with quality education through access to the digital world. Around 20,000 children will have better access to education and be able to build their own digital skills, which are essential for their future professional life.
Since it was launched 15 years ago, the Initiatives Sogea-Satom pour l’Afrique (Issa) programme has supported social entrepreneurship projects and access to essential services through both financial assistance and skills-based sponsorship by employees. It involves local projects initiated in various areas (education, health, energy, local crafts, food production self-sufficiency, etc.) with a special focus on female project initiators. To date, Issa has supported 334 projects for a total of more than €6.1 million in 22 countries. In 2022, 28 new economic and social initiatives were supported, for a total budget of €598,000.
