VINCI signs the "Charte Entreprises et Quartiers"

Copyright Luc Benevello - VINCI 2013

20 June 2013 - Events - France

Xavier Huillard, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of VINCI, signed the Charte Entreprises et Quartiers today together with François Lamy, French Minister of Urban Affairs, and representatives of 40 other companies, chambers of commerce and trade associations. In the document, the signatories undertake to contribute to the economic, social and cultural development of the neighbourhoods given priority in the government's urban policy, in close cooperation with the public authorities.

Since its inception, VINCI has applied a proactive labour and social policy based on strong commitments and action by its companies to promote employment, workforce development and training in city and neighbourhood issues.

In France, VINCI Group companies employ nearly 110,000 people. They recruited 9,899 new employees in sustainable jobs in 2012.

An example of the Group's projects is the SEA Tours Bordeaux high-speed rail line, which employs 7,000 people, of whom 1,500 were recruited locally, and provides more than one million hours of work under integration programmes. Overall, work integration accounted for four million hours at VINCI in France in 2012 and involved 6,000 to 9,000 people.

To implement the Charte Entreprises et Quartiers signed on 20 June 2013, VINCI will set out its contribution in an agreement that will define the Group's actions in the following fields:

· Employment / Integration / Training.
Via its ViE* structure, a one-of-a-kind system in France, VINCI will conduct an examination of feedback from integration clauses and regional employment and skills management programmes. A joint committee made up of companies, local authorities and training establishments will be set up to draw up proposals aimed at simplifying the system and making it more effective in helping people gain access to jobs.

· Economic development and urban innovation.
To better optimise the benefits of urban development projects, VINCI will track the social and environmental impact of such projects in three pilot neighbourhoods. VINCI will also enlist the City Factory, a fund set up by the Group to sponsor urban innovation, in an effort to expand "action research" in neighbourhoods. In addition, VINCI will work with the Chair in Eco-design of Buildings and Infrastructure In conjunction with Ecole des Ponts Paris Tech, Mines Paris Tech, Agro-Paris Tech. to launch an experiment in eco-rehabilitation of buildings and transport infrastructure in neighbourhoods.

· Support for local initiatives, solidarity sponsorship.
VINCI set up the Fondation VINCI pour la Cité in 2002 to foster social innovation by supporting such activities as Emmaus Défi and its own Cité Solidaire programme. Initiated in 2010, Cité Solidaire provides €100,000 in funding and sponsorship by VINCI company employees to assist small civic associations working in underprivileged neighbourhoods. Cité Solidaire is a forceful and innovative regional sponsorship programme. It will be focusing on Toulouse, French Guiana and Reunion Island in 2013.

* VINCI set up ViE in 2011 for the Group's companies and subcontractors. ViE is a hybrid commercial company whose purpose is to foster a return to long-term employment for people in work integration programmes. One of the main objectives of the structure is to support implementation of social clauses. In 2012, ViE provided 1,350,000 hours of work integration, which also involved more than 1,200 subcontractors. It supported 710 people enrolled in work integration programmes, of whom 12% women and 2.8% disabled workers.