Driving Shared Development
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Driving Shared Development
Providing Training and Support
Our efforts to deploy our local recruitment policy and implement our social and economic programs often come up against the problem of insufficient qualifications. We are therefore committed to education, training and skills transfer.
Educating and training
We are active in several ways. These include running literacy programs, funding university scholarships, supporting or establishing training centers and, in some countries, helping to consolidate the education system. The success rate of these initiatives varies depending on specific situations and projects.
Major projects implemented by our Exploration & Production subsidiaries in 2010 include:
- A seminar on international law and governance for local government officials, organized by Total E&P Myanmar in cooperation with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the Myanmar Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- Support for educational programs in Venezuela and Indonesia.
- Support for educational institutions in the Congo (Augagneur high school), Angola (Eiffel high schools), Nigeria (Institute of Petroleum Studies), Canada and other countries.
Feedback on "all-in-one" projects　-　specialized training followed by recruitment　-　is especially encouraging. In Yemen, for example, to ensure the operation of the Yemen LNG natural gas liquefaction plant commissioned in 2009, we set up our own training center with our partners. Some 300 local technicians, supervisors and engineers took part in an intensive training program focusing on English language proficiency and gas technologies, rounded off with hands-on, practical training. Thanks to the program, 80% of the permanent workforce of Yemen LNG, which operates the plant, are Yemenis. This is set to eventually rise to 90%.
But beyond hiring, training is another way to diversify our management. Our training initiatives, especially technical training, are sustained: our African employees complete more than 13 days of training a year, versus an average of just over six days for Total as a whole. In addition,　to make non-French nationals feel perfectly at home, we offer them English and French language classes and intercultural seminars. In 2010, 1,800 language learners (Oil France reporting scope) took more than 65,000 hours of language instruction.
Our training initiatives also extend to contractors. For example, in 2010 we allocated more than €500,000 to road safety training for our service providers.
Young Dealers Program
Launched in the 1960s, this unique internal promotion initiative allows the best pump attendants in Total's retail network to become service station managers. Candidates are trained and receive loans from Total. Young dealers only become independent dealers when they have repaid their loans, usually after a few years.
Today, 1,200 service stations are managed by young dealers.
Offering Technical support
We support businesses near our facilities aiming to enhance their skill levels and align with international quality, safety, lead time, cost control and other standards. This is their key to gaining a foothold in new markets.
To this end, Total Développement Régional (TDR), an in-house organization, makes our research and development potential available to entrepreneurs. Our support includes advice from experts at Total or partner companies. We can also provide small businesses with high-tech equipment and other technical resources that they cannot easily access.
In countries where we develop oil and gas projects, our subsidiaries also help local contractors to better comply with specifications and provide higher-value-added services.
In Nigeria, for example, 7,500 metric tons of equipment for the future Usan floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel is being fabricated at the Nigerdock shipyard in Lagos. The partnership includes 30,000 hours of training for yard employees.
Helping Small Businesses Expand Their Exports
Through Total Développement Régional's International Department, we help small French businesses tackle export markets and expand internationally. Our strategy is gradually being broadened to the rest of Europe and non-OECD countries.
