Seven months after Haiti was struck by an earthquake Schneider Electric Foundation commits to supporting professional training for young Haitians

Rueil-Malmaison (France) - Schneider Electric has signed an agreement to support professional training in construction within the framework of the post-emergency rebuilding of Haiti following the earthquake which hit the country in January 2010. The agreement was signed on July 1, with the French Ministry of Education, the Haitian Ministry of Education and professional Training, the NGO Aide et Action and Quisqueya private university.

The agreement includes founding three Centres of Professional Excellence and an Educational Reference Centre, to provide training in professions related to electricity, woodwork, building and public works. This construction school will train over 2,000 youngsters over 2 years, as well as local teachers. Schneider Electric’s contribution in energy management careers consists in supplying energy to training laboratories, allowing equipment of 20 satellite centres and one complementary mobile unit, providing technical support and expertise, mobilizing its network of technical and financial partners to raise funds for educational equipment and study grants. Schneider Electric’s total contribution represents around € 500,000 over three years.

“This project is carried out within the framework of French aid to Haiti following the earthquake on January 12, 2010, and fits perfectly with our own BipBop¹ programme for access to energy,” explained Jean-Pascal Tricoire, President & CEO, Schneider Electric. “To meet these emergency aid and training challenges, Schneider Electric believes that it is crucial to share its skills. Through giving young Haitians the chance to build a future for themselves in the field of electricity, we are offering them an opportunity to support their families and are actively contributing to assembling a workforce within the country to help it rebuild.”

As a global specialist in energy management, Schneider Electric wishes to play a key role in developing sustainable access to energy for everyone. Schneider Electric is committed to providing professional training in the field of electricity, and is developing innovative partnerships with players in education, industry and NGOs in order to put training programmes in place and make tailored and long-lasting provisions for communities at the base of the pyramid. The Group is currently working with Management for European and International Affairs and Cooperation within the French Ministry of Education and has already inaugurated training programmes in Chile, Colombia and Kazakhstan.

¹Standing for Business, Innovation & People at the Base Of the Pyramid.

About Schneider Electric
As a global specialist in energy management with operations in more than 100 countries, Schneider Electric offers integrated solutions across multiple market segments, including leadership positions in energy and infrastructure, industrial processes, building automation, and data centres/networks, as well as a broad presence in residential applications. Focused on making energy safe, reliable, and efficient, the company’s 100,000 plus employees achieved sales of more than 15.8 billion euros in 2009, through an active commitment to help individuals and organisations “Make the most of their energy”.
www.schneider-electric.com/bipbop

About Schneider Electric Foundation
From transmission of knowledge to sharing energy, the Schneider Electric Foundation is involved in undertaking sustainable development of Schneider Electric. Created in 1998 under the aegis of the Foundation de France, Foundation Schneider Electric is committed to projects that emphasize sustainable and practical training and integration of young people, primarily for energy related careers, education for sustainable development through innovative projects and support for emergency operations following natural disasters, always with a sense of personal involvement and promote sustainable use of its employees worldwide.
www.foundation.schneider-electric.com