Safran renews European framework agreement to support the employment of young people

Paris, September 19, 2017

Safran and IndustriAll Europe, the European trade union federation, today renewed for five years the original European framework agreement on the professional inclusion of young people. Through this latest accord, Safran establishes a sustainable framework for the employment of apprentices and interns, while also continuing its policy of hiring young people initially welcomed via training programs.

Safran is fully aware of its corporate social responsibility in this matter, and is therefore supporting all solutions that enable young people to build up concrete experience in the workplace.

Professional training for young people

The terms of the agreement stipulate that all of Safran’s European facilities should welcome, annually, a number of apprentices and interns (including on work-study programs) equal to 10% of their total workforce (5% interns/5% students on work-study program). From 2013 to 2016, Safran welcomed more than 24,000 young people within the scope of the initial agreement. Each country will publish guidebooks intended for both the young people being trained at Safran and their mentors. The agreement also recognizes the role of employees who help these young people and liaise with schools, universities and training centers. The guide to best practices will be updated in line with the results of the first agreement, and will also incorporate the commitments made in this latest agreement.

Recruiting and integrating young people

Some 40% of the positions at Safran open to recent graduates are filled by young people who were already welcomed through a training program. Safran fully intends to maintain this priority for new hires. All of the Group’s European entities have a single hiring site, so they can advertise job openings and manage candidates using this shared application. All future graduates, after completing a work-study program at Safran, can also receive a personal interview three months before the contract at Safran ends, to help their job search.

Promoting diversity and gender equality

Safran will create a European network of employees to promote science & technology vocations for both high school and college students. In addition, Safran pledges to support actions that will publicize these professions for youngsters who have no connection with the world of industry, as well as young disabled persons.

According to Jean-Luc Bérard, Executive Vice President, Human Resources at Safran, “This agreement clearly reflects Safran’s commitment to helping schools, which cannot assume the responsibility of preparing students for employment on their own. In addition, it spotlights the importance of apprenticeships at the European level. Providing training for everybody is a key driver for Safran’s competitiveness. In fact, many of our 42,000 European employees provide mentoring for one of the young people being trained at Safran. This initial European agreement, now renewed, was also followed by a second agreement to plan ahead to meet skills requirements. Through these multiple negotiations, we have placed our relationship with IndustriAll Europe on a sustained basis.”

“Professional training is still a favored channel to help young people build up real experience in the workplace and facilitate their employment,” noted Luc Triangle, Secretary General of IndustriAll Europe. “By extending and strengthening the commitments made in the 2013 agreement, Safran and IndustriAll Europe confirm the importance of this arrangement, and the central role played by unions in implementing the agreement. Everybody must step up to fight against all forms of discrimination and social exclusion. IndustriAll Europe and Safran also show, through this agreement,that they fully expect to assume their responsibilities in this area. Now we have to make sure that the agreement is duly applied at all Safran sites, and in close collaboration with employees.”