sain t-gobain annu al report 2008 annual report
sain t-gobain annu al report 2008 annual report
sain t-gobain annu al report 2008 annual report
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62<br />
Internships during a student’s fin<strong>al</strong> year of study are<br />
a particularly effective way of introducing our businesses<br />
and corporate culture to potenti<strong>al</strong> applicants, who can<br />
then be inducted more effectively into the Group upon<br />
completing their studies. Each year in France, for example,<br />
more than 1,000 interns receive training in programs lasting<br />
six months or more. The internships are government-regulated<br />
and remunerated according to a uniform recommended<br />
pay sc<strong>al</strong>e.<br />
In close cooperation with the French Agency for Internation<strong>al</strong><br />
Business Development (UBIFRANCE), Saint-Gobain offers<br />
assignments worldwide to French students as part<br />
of the country’s Volunteer for Internation<strong>al</strong> Experience (VIE)<br />
program. Some 30 contracts were signed in <strong>2008</strong>, bringing<br />
the tot<strong>al</strong> number of interns hosted since 2001 to more<br />
than 200. The United States, Germany and Britain were<br />
the top destinations for participants, followed by countries<br />
in Asia, Latin America and Centr<strong>al</strong> Europe.<br />
On average, over 30% of VIE participants are subsequently<br />
hired, princip<strong>al</strong>ly in the fields of industri<strong>al</strong> processes,<br />
finance and Research and Development.<br />
A core component of the Group’s strategy, innovation is driven<br />
by an extensive Research and Development commitment.<br />
As a result, particular care is given to recruiting researchers.<br />
Indeed, the glob<strong>al</strong> Research and Development workforce is<br />
steadily increasing, to support our major strategic initiatives<br />
and enhance Research and Development’s contribution to<br />
organic growth. In <strong>2008</strong>, more than 120 research managers<br />
were hired in the various Research and Development centers<br />
around the world.<br />
Saint-Gobain is initiating long-term collaborative research<br />
projects with top-ranked university laboratories,<br />
with the ultimate go<strong>al</strong> of hiring researchers in strategic<br />
countries to help drive our loc<strong>al</strong> growth. Universities<br />
<strong>al</strong>igned with this objective have been identified and grants<br />
are now being offered for post-doctor<strong>al</strong> theses and internships<br />
(see the article on the SUN network on page 31).<br />
Sustaining the Group’s long-term development<br />
The transfer of skills across countries and generations<br />
represents a critic<strong>al</strong> ch<strong>al</strong>lenge for Saint-Gobain,<br />
whose businesses rely on precise, complex skills<br />
and capabilities. This is an area where our Principles<br />
of profession<strong>al</strong> commitment and solidarity play a critic<strong>al</strong> role.<br />
In keeping with these v<strong>al</strong>ues, a Forward Management of Jobs<br />
ans Skills (GPEC) agreement was signed on March 19, <strong>2008</strong>,<br />
by Chief Executive Officer Pierre-André de Ch<strong>al</strong>endar<br />
and four French unions. The agreement is open-ended<br />
and was presented in detail to the works councils.<br />
The signatories emphasized their commitment to<br />
strengthening the role of collective bargaining, to defining<br />
a common base of Human resources planning procedures<br />
applicable to <strong>al</strong>l of our employees in France, and to giving<br />
employees a voice in building their career path. The agreement<br />
<strong>al</strong>so expresses our commitment to retaining older workers<br />
and to expanding work-study opportunities.<br />
For the first time, the Group has deployed an agreement<br />
that applies to <strong>al</strong>l of its subsidiaries in France, with the aim<br />
of developing a common skills management process:<br />
“While reflecting the specific characteristics and needs<br />
of each business, organization and company, this agreement<br />
is designed to make current policies and practices<br />
more consistent, as appropriate, and to point the way<br />
towards a more effective shared approach to Human resources<br />
planning and management in the various companies within<br />
its purview” (excerpt from the introduction to the agreement).<br />
Maintaining and passing on expertise is especi<strong>al</strong>ly<br />
important in glassmaking, where the gradu<strong>al</strong> transfer<br />
of acquired capabilities and skills poses a strategic ch<strong>al</strong>lenge.<br />
A number of retired engineers, for example, continue<br />
to teach and instill their knowledge, notably at the Glass<br />
University, a forum for interaction and di<strong>al</strong>ogue<br />
where skills can be handed on to a new generation<br />
of engineers.<br />
Another initiative designed to facilitate the transfer<br />
of expertise is the Manufacturing Know-How Transfer<br />
& Training project (MKT2), which is designed for operators<br />
in the Flat Glass and Insulation businesses (see page 64).<br />
THE FORWARD MANAGEMENT OF JOBS<br />
AND SKILLS AGREEMENT AND INITIATIVES<br />
TOSUPPORT OLDER EMPLOYEES<br />
Signed in March <strong>2008</strong>, the agreement comprises a large<br />
number of measures designed to retain employees<br />
who have reached the “second h<strong>al</strong>f” of their career:<br />
• A mid-career review with the employee and his<br />
or her manager, to discuss the employee’s skills,<br />
continued employability, training needs, person<strong>al</strong><br />
situation and career development.<br />
• A skills review and priority access to France’s V<strong>al</strong>idation<br />
of Learning through Experience (VAE) program,<br />
to encourage employees to map out a mid-career<br />
advancement plan.<br />
• Procedures for applying France’s Individu<strong>al</strong> Right<br />
to Training program to employees aged 50 or older.<br />
• Identification and transfer of critic<strong>al</strong> knowledge<br />
and experience.<br />
• An expanded tutoring program.<br />
Saint-Gobain - <strong>2008</strong> Annu<strong>al</strong> Report