IDEA gives young people in Calais a chance with SAS Coluche
Within the framework of SAS Coluche, an association backed by the city of Calais, IDEA’s teams at Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) recently integrated, on a temporary basis, six young beneficiaries disengaged from academics or the labour market. Let’s look back on this 100% local initiative.
The site’s high activity means that there is a constant need for team reinforcement. Helping at-risk youth in Calais was a chance to re-engage them through employment. It was also an opportunity for us to recruit new talent. This initiative perfectly aligns with our philosophy as a socially committed company looking for motivated people with values and personality. The partnership comes after several meetings with city and association representatives to agree on recruitment and support strategies for young people. SAS Coluche extensively works on building interpersonal skills, respect for rules, healthy habits, and self-confidence prior to employment. Young people must demonstrate their motivation and agree to personalised support in order to maximise their chances of finding and keeping a job.
Mutual enrichment
Interview sessions with IDEA led to six young people being hired on a temporary basis; they underwent site orientation in October. Orientation was standard, without “labels”, at the same workstations as the operators already in place, but with special SAS monitoring to help them succeed:
- Interview preparation
- Guidance for new hires
- Regular progress reports with IDEA
The young hires are highly motivated and grateful that they are being given a chance — the chance to discover a new profession and to gain new work experience. Though their backgrounds may be complex, they are a source of mutual enrichment and motivation among the teams. This is also a promising future prospect for them to build professional experience and develop skills at the site, in order to eventually apply for a permanent position at IDEA or find a stable job elsewhere.
