Volvo to train service technicians in Zambia
To increase job opportunities and improve the general level of education for service technicians, the Volvo Group is initiating an apprenticeship training program in Zambia together with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). The program will be run in collaboration with local authorities and a total of 140 students will be trained every year.
The need for practical vocational expertise is very high in Zambia. The existing training does not meet the demand from the industry, which has resulted in companies sourcing labor from other countries. In Zambia, this pertains largely to workshop mechanics and service technicians for the key mining industry.
To increase job opportunities, the Volvo Group, together with Sida and UNIDO, has initiated apprenticeship training programs for 140 students starting in January 2015. A total of 420 students will be trained over a period of three and a half years and the objective is that at least 75% of the students will obtain work as service technicians or similar after completing the program.
“Trained mechanics will have the opportunity to work in countries with high unemployment, while Volvo will gain access to the trained personnel that we need in order to expand in Africa,” says Malin Ripa, Senior Vice President, CSR Management. “By training local manpower, we will contribute to sustainable growth in the countries in which the Volvo Group operates.”
The training will be conducted at Northern Technical College in the city of Ndola. It has been adapted and planned to meet the needs of the industry and contains both practical and theoretical courses such as mechanics, service and maintenance of vehicles. English will also be included in the program.
“Together with the Volvo Group and UNIDO, we want to create a vocational training program that corresponds to the demand for qualified vocational training programs existing in the mining industry. There is major demand for locally trained personnel,” says Charlotte Petri Gornitzka, General Director of Sida. “Through our partnership, we will be able to jointly generate jobs with proper conditions and an inclusive business concept. Today, the key to employment and development is education.”
Last year, the Volvo Group announced that it would establish apprenticeship training programs in ten African countries. Similar programs were recently started in Morocco and Ethiopia. The programs are prioritized areas in the Volvo Group’s long-term sustainability work. Improved traffic safety, fewer accidents and lower carbon-dioxide emissions are other prioritized areas. The Volvo Group is the only automotive manufacturer in the world included in the WWF’s Climate Savers program aimed at reducing carbon-dioxide emissions from both vehicles and production.
On March 25, the Volvo Group will publish its sustainability report for 2014. It describes the Group’s extensive sustainability effort and the initiatives and projects that the Group conducts.
Watch UNIDO´s video from Ethiopia where the vocational training school has been in operation some years in partnership with the Volvo Group, UNIDO and Sida.
March 21, 2015
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The Volvo Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of trucks, buses, construction equipment and marine and industrial engines. The Group also provides complete solutions for financing and service. The Volvo Group, which employs about 100,000 people, has production facilities in 19 countries and sells its products in more than 190 markets. In 2014 the Volvo Group’s sale amounted to about SEK 283 billion (EUR 31 billion). The Volvo Group is a publicly-held company headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden. Volvo shares are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. For more information, please visit www.volvogroup.com or www.volvogroup.mobi if you are using your mobile phone.
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