Talent has no language and no colour.

They have travelled across borders and seas. They had a profession, an area of expertise and know-how. Why should they forgo them when seeking refuge in France? SUEZ has taken the initiative of training these women and men, then hiring them. It’s quite simply a win-win deal.

Since 2019, we have increased our actions to help refugees. Following the HOPE programme which saw 12 refugees become truck drivers, the LOTUS year group was created in 2021 in the truck mechanic category.

LOTUS offers refugees, people under subsidiary protection and stateless people a comprehensive course to integrate them socially and professionally with the aim of earning a professional qualification through a work-study scheme. Nine people came to work for 17 months in our workshops, and in December we made seven firm job offers. We are proud of the achievements of the people we have supported, and started a new group in September 2022 in pipe installation and maintenanc

SUEZ joins the collective Refugees Are Talent

A business collective working to help refugees into jobs in companies, Refugees Are Talent is associated with Tent partnership for refugees, an NGO that we also support. Our undertaking is to support 50 women refugees between 2022 and 2025. The purposes of the initiative are to share best practices, increase team awareness and facilitate the integration process of refugees.

No green transition without the inclusion of the most fragile

The major challenges of creating more employment and fulfilling the environmental transition require more efficient collaboration between public, private and non-profit players, prompting us to develop alternative and supportive economic models. This is one of the reasons that led SUEZ in 2019 to create a Social Innovation Department within its Human Resources Department, whose mission is to enable SUEZ in France to offer inclusive and low-carbon circular economy solutions by developing collaboration with organisations working in social integration, employment and the social and solidarity economy.

Within the Inclusive Recruitment unit of the SI Department, we have chosen to focus on operational professions offering a multitude of job opportunities (mains workers, maintenance technicians, truck drivers, etc.). All our actions are co-constructed with the Human Resource teams, the operations teams of sites, and with national or local employment, integration and training partners. The Antennes Innovation Sociale (Maison pour Rebondir¹) play a key role.

For 2023, three new year groups have been launched (pipe maintenance, waste recycling centre maintenance, truck maintenance) with 26 positions to be filled at the end. These new employees from distant horizons represent a powerful lever to enhance SUEZ’s positive impact. By training them, we offer them the chance to be effective from the outset and settle down for the long term.

1) Les Maisons pour Rebondir play the role of the “SUEZ one-stop shop” on issues relating to integration through work and the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) in their allotted regions. They deploy our social innovation policies on the ground. Their teams support our subsidiaries, mobilise our people in support of inclusion, and promote collaboration with the SSE.

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