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The Projet Employabilité Jeunes (Youth Employability Project, PEJ) was the first social inclusion programme undertaken by the Fondation Espoir Développement Beachcomber (FED) in furtherance of the Group’s corporate social responsibility policy and has provided vocational training to 2,000 out-of-school boys and girls aged 16 to 22 years old in the last 15 years.
In 2001, the FED set itself the objective to create a structure to support and assist the social and vocational integration of out-of-school youth from economically-depressed neighbourhoods. That is how the PEJ came into being.
Certificates were presented to 191 young people from the 2016 cohort on Monday 31 October. The ceremony was held at the Octave Wiehe Auditorium of the University of Mauritius in the presence of their relatives, the FED team, the Beachcomber Resorts & Hotels management team and the CEO, Gilbert Espitalier-Noël.
“Success is more meaningful when it requires considerable effort. Sustained long-term efforts bring tangible results,” said the Group’s CEO in his speech. He also stressed the FED's belief that it is better to give a fishing rod than a fish. “This motto is the underlying basis of all the work carried out by the FED. The proper way to empower people is to teach them to fish,” said Gilbert Espitalier-Noël.
The PEJ is an excellent example of the Beachcomber Group’s commitment to put people at the heart of the business. The CEO added that, “A company’s purpose is not solely to build hotels and generate profit. The bottom line is not measured only in figures, but also in terms of team spirit and the pleasure of working for a company.”
The Chairman of the FED, Malenn Oodiah, also addressed the young audience. “I appreciate your determination and efforts. It is now up to you to maintain the same level of determination. Your certificate is the passport for the professional and personal journey that awaits you.” He also acknowledged the tremendous work undertaken by the programme manager for the PEJ, Frédéric Augustin, and the project’s trainer, Carole Thomas.
The PEJ based its work on the observation that each year, a significant number of young people find themselves outside the education system, some of them as young as 12 years old. Without any paper qualifications, they find it difficult to enter the labour market. For the last 15 years, a helping hand has been providing them with the opportunity to shape a better future for themselves through a programme that will give them back a taste for learning, teach them discipline, restore their confidence and provide them with vocation training.
The PEJ curriculum includes topics that aim to raise the learners’ self-esteem and self-confidence as well as enable them to develop social values such as the courtesy, respect for others and punctuality. Other modules also help them better master English and French, as well as acquire basic concepts in mathematics.
The theoretical training is supplemented by work placements to familiarise the trainees with the world of work. Frédéric Augustin and Carole Thomas support them throughout their internships in order to help them adapt to the work environment and monitor their progress.
The PEJ has crossed a new threshold this year, from employability to workplace integration. The trainees are coached by a mentor who supports them during their work placement and helps them in their integration process. It has also the possibility, at the end of his training, to integrate the courses leading to the national certificates of levels 2 and 3 (NC2 and NC3), offered by the Mauritius Institute of Training and Development and the Training Academy Beachcomber.