The Rexel Foundation funds energy transition training through France’s national federation of technical colleges
The Rexel Foundation has teamed up with the Fédération Nationale des Écoles de Production, France’s national federation of technical colleges, to raise awareness of energy transition challenges. Through this partnership, a first selection of four schools will prepare students to work as qualified electricians or boilermakers/solderers with an eye on eco-friendly solutions.
An urgent need to address the climate emergency with specific skills in the energy sector
The construction, renovation and maintenance sector is playing a key role in driving the energy transition by installing energy-efficient products and solutions. With the technology constantly evolving, installers need to understand the latest innovations, have the skills to install them and be able to explain the benefits to customers.
The Rexel Foundation was set up to meet this challenge. Created in 2013 under the aegis of the Fondation de France, this philanthropic body focuses on raising public awareness energy transition challenges and supporting skills training to help drive positive change.
A new partnership to raise awareness and train young people
In line with this commitment, the Rexel Foundation is proud to announce a new partnership with the Fédération Nationale des Écoles de Production, France’s national federation of technical colleges. This network of not-for-profit, government-accredited technical colleges aims to help unqualified youths from challenging backgrounds find work, often against a backdrop of poverty or learning difficulties. Its hands-on approach to learning, “Faire pour Apprendre” (“Learning by Doing”) prioritizes teamwork in real-life professional settings.
To kick off the project, the Rexel Foundation will support four schools from the network. One of them is Les Pros d’Avenir in Limoges, which is currently training around 30 students to become qualified electricians or boilermakers/welder. In total, the program should raise awareness among more than 1,800 students in three years.
This partnership illustrates the Rexel Foundation’s concrete commitment to contributing to a more sustainable society, by enabling future young professionals to gain the tools they need to succeed in promising careers.
Patrick Carret, General Director of the Fédération Nationale des Écoles de Production, commented, “Students who receive this training will be motivated to consider product life cycles, recycling and waste reduction in their future careers as independent or salaried contractors.”
Céline Coulibre-Duménil, Secretary-General of the Rexel Foundation and Rexel’s Global Sustainability Director, added, “Companies and consumers have woken up to climate change but still need to make the energy transition a reality. Everyone can play a role. Thanks to this partnership with Écoles de Production, we’re engaging students in this important challenge and enabling them to acquire the skills they need to drive sustainability in their professional and personal lives.”
