Holcim Romania to pursue the Holcim Workshops program by revamping two practical training facilities

Bucharest, 16 February 2016: Holcim Romania will extend its Holcim Workshops program in support of vocational education among pupils in 2016, by revamping the practical training facilities of the Technical High Schools of Campulung and Alexandru Roman in Alesd.

The Holcim Workshops program is part of our corporate social responsibility activities in support of the vocational training of young people from Holcim communities. This complex initiative targeting high school pupils was launched in 2015.

Together with our partners, the technical high schools of Campulung and Alexandru Roman in Alesd, in 2016 we will be focusing on the training of 60 pupils from 9th and 10th grade specializing in mechanical and electrical engineering. By pursuing this project and by providing the state-of-the-art equipment that these young people need in order to acquire professional skills in technical fields, Holcim Romania contributes to their professional development facilitating their integration on the labor market.     

Revamping the practical training facilities in our partner high schools included remodeling the existing locations, arranging for the necessary health and safety conditions, providing hand tools, equipment, work benches and tool kits as well as repairing existing machinery. The company invested up to €110,000 into Holcim Workshops.

“Sustainable development is one of the key objectives in Holcim Romania’s operations and it is based on providing support to local communities and investing in better and safer educational platforms. We believe that Romania greatly needs to provide professional training to its future technical specialists, as it is one of the most important triggers of sustainable economic progress. This is why we decided to pursue our investments in this professional development program. The Holcim Workshops project supports the training of young people from technical schools at the highest available standards, as well as their integration on the labor market”, stated Madalina Craciunescu, Organization and Human Resources Director Holcim Romania.

The project supports the training of high school pupils as future professionals by providing them with the most recent and relevant theoretic information, by allowing them to use modern working equipment in the new practical training facilities and by offering them the possibility to observe and participate in the workflow of the various components of a cement plant.

We wish to support the professional development of these pupils but also to help them enhance their personal skills. This year’s Holcim Workshops will start in April when pupils of the two technical high schools will benefit from specific training sessions on communication, teamwork and accountability. Moreover, these young people will be given the opportunity to find out the main principles of cement manufacturing but also of health and safety and environment protection directly from Holcim specialists.

Further on the pupils will go through a selection process in order to integrate the practical module consisting of a three-week internship in one of Holcim plants in Romania (Alesd or Campulung) next fall. They will be able to see for themselves what it takes to be successful while practicing a safe profession at the highest level of performance.

A pilot of the Holcim Workshops program took place in 2015, both in Campulung, through the local Technical High School, and in Alesd (Bihor county), through Alexandru Roman Technical High School. During this stage, 88 pupils from both high schools benefited from specific theoretical training delivered by Holcim mentors, and 33 of them were selected for practical internships in Holcim plants.
 

Despre Holcim România

Holcim (Romania) S.A. owns 2 cement plants in Campulung and Alesd, one grinding station and a cement terminal in Turda, 13 environment-friendly ready-mixed concrete plants, 3 aggregates plants, 2 special binders plants and 5 cement terminals. Holcim (Romania) S.A. employs around 800 people. For additional information, please visit the company’s website at www.holcim.ro and on the official Facebook page: www.facebook.com/holcimromania

Holcim Romania is a member of LafargeHolcim group, which was born following the merger between equals between Lafarge and Holcim in 2015. With over 180 years of combined experience, the Group resulting from the merger aims at entering a new era of leading technologies and innovations in the building materials industry, in order to cope with the challenges of the 21st century.