Renault and the French government extend their partnership to provide skills development and training for 800 unskilled young people

• On February 14, 2014, Renault and France’s Ministry of Labor, Employment, Training and Industrial Relations extended their framework agreement to train unskilled young jobseekers.
• Under this sixth extension of the agreement, Renault agrees to offer capacity for hosting, supporting and training 800 young people experiencing difficulty entering the workforce by 2016.
• Since the agreement was initially signed in 1992, it has benefited 3,850 young people, most of whom earned a qualification and found employment.

The extension to the framework agreement was signed by Marie-Françoise Damesin, Executive Vice President, Human Resources, at the Renault group, and Emmanuelle Wargon, Delegate General for Employment and Vocational Training from the Ministry of Labor.

Marie-Françoise Damesin , Executive Vice President, Human Resources, at the Renault group, commented, “ We believe that corporations have a role to play in training and improving the employability of young people in the labor catchment areas where they have business operations. On behalf of Renault, I am proud to sign this sixth extension to the agreement, which will enable another 800 unskilled young people to benefit from the program between now and 2016 and to find their way into the workforce .”

Emmanuelle Wargon , Delegate General for Employment and Vocational Training, added, “ The involvement of corporations alongside public and private employment agencies is crucial to developing the skills of young people with no qualifications, by giving them an opportunity to improve their employability and find jobs. On behalf of the Ministry of Employment, I am delighted to sign this sixth extension, which is fully in line with the government’s policies on promoting youth employment .”

A PROGRAM THAT WORKS

The agreement between Renault and the Ministry of Labor in 1992, renewed since that date, is designed to enable young people with few skills to earn a qualification and find employment.
 

Young people experiencing difficulty entering the workforce, selected and identified by local branches of the public employment agency, spend approximately two years at a Group plant (Cléon, Douai, Flins, Grand-Couronne, Sofrastock or Maubeuge).

Throughout their placement, they are supported by volunteer tutors.

After an internship of three or four months to learn basic workplace behavior, they are integrated into production teams and train on work/study programs for 12 to 24 months.

After their work/study contracts, they receive support to find a job from Renault, the public employment service and private staffing agencies.

Over the past 22 years, the program has delivered compelling results, which demonstrate the value of corporate work/study programs:

- 3,850 young people, mostly aged under 26, have benefited, roughly 25% of them women;
- a 90% pass rate in examinations, enabling them to earn an interprofessional qualification, such as a vocational certificate or a vocational baccalaureate, which is recognized by manufacturing firms from all sectors in their labor catchment area;

- 70% found a job within six months of completing their training.

This workforce integration program is part of a broader proactive youth policy, despite the difficult economic environment in the past several years.

In 2013, more than 3,500 young people of all levels were hosted by the company (Renault sas): 1,930 on apprenticeship contracts, more than 170 on skills development contracts, almost 1,500 on internships, 50 international corporate volunteers and around 100 researchers in industry.