GLOBAL: Schneider Electric Partnership Has Provided Training to More than 10,000 Students and Supported Infrastructure Projects
(MissionNewswire) Schneider Electric, a European multinational corporation that specializes in electricity distribution, automation management and the production of installation components for energy management, is providing electrical training and equipment support to Salesian programs around the globe as a result of a long-term collaborative partnership with Salesian missionaries.
Recently, Schneider Electric donated an entire electric management system that will power Casa Don Bosco, a facility that will host Salesian participants and projects from May through October at the 2015 World Expo to be held in Milan, Italy. The pavilion will be an agile and multifunctional space able to host conferences, events, exhibitions and shows. The electric system that will be utilized for Casa Don Bosco is an interactive and intelligent system that allows energy consumption and saving to be monitored in real-time.
The Salesian Family which includes the Don Bosco Network and the International Volunteers for Development, is one of 13 civil society organizations participating in the World Expo Milano. The event, with a theme this year of “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”, is expected to attract close to 20 million visitors. Salesian missionaries will highlight projects and initiatives, many in collaboration with Schneider Electric, that focus on feeding the body, educating the person and cultivating the dream.
“Collaborative partnerships between Salesian missionaries and corporations are essential to help us meet our mission to provide education and social development programs to poor youth around the globe,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian missionaries provide technical and professional training for future electricians in many Salesian schools. The Schneider Electric partnership allows us to have up-to-date training materials and equipment available for our students along with professional training support in our classrooms.”
Through the Schneider Electrical Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Schneider Electric, more than 10,000 students have received electrician training in Salesian programs in India, Latin America and Europe since 2009. In addition to providing education, Salesian training programs help students connect to internships that allow them to apply lessons learned in the classroom to real-life work environments. Successful gradates of the electrician programs are provided assistance with resumes, interviewing and finding and retaining stable livable wage employment.
“Salesian programs educate poor youth who would otherwise have few opportunities for education and employment,” adds Fr. Hyde. “Having access to professionals in the field gives our students an advantage not only in the classroom but in the workforce as well.”
Salesian missionaries are also actively engaged in building hospitals, schools and youth centers as well as other community infrastructure in more than 130 countries around the globe. Schneider Electric has assisted in the implementation of many of these projects by providing both the equipment and professional support.
In addition, a Schneider Electric project focused on managing energy helps Salesian missionaries increase energy efficiency in Salesian houses and program buildings. This allows for a utility cost savings that is reinvested back into Salesian programs.
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Sources:
ANS – RMG – Ten Years of Active Collaboration between Schneider Electric and Salesians
