Translations

CEMEX – Training and empowering youth for building a sustainable future

7. Community involvement

Community development

Sector Construction / Estate Agency

Year 2020

Country Mexico

Transmitter

Context

CEMEX is a multinational based in San Pedro, Mexico, founded in 1906. The building materials company has grown from the local level, to being one of the top companies in the industry globally. It provides employment to more than 40,000 people worldwide. Their purpose is to “build a better future”, and in addition to delivering the materials, they are highly committed to achieving the SDGs for 2030 and engaging the youth to participate in the 2030 agenda for sustainability.

Objectives

Strengthening its commitment to youth and communities in which it operates
Participating in a global alliance of like-minded organizations
Helping youth find employment and improve family incomes
Closing the gap between youth’s skills and employer demands for a qualified workforce

APPROACH

In order to implement the practice, CEMEX followed some steps:

Launch and formalize partnerships between academia, technical institutions, NGO´s, and companies
Carry out study on the needs of the industry to identify the skills in demand to prepare the youth
With the findings, develop workshops to fill gaps in: Ability to acquire and apply new knowledge; Teamwork; Computer skills; Effective use of time; Writing reports and documents

Through New Employment Opportunities (NEO), a multi-stakeholder alliance involving government, civil society, academia, and the private sector, CEMEX is offering employment and training opportunities to close the gap between youth’s skills and employer demands for a qualified workforce in Mexico—providing high-impact, market-relevant training and guidance and employment services to disadvantaged youth and mobilizing companies’ support. They reinforce the quality of upper secondary technical education programs and comprehensive courses.

In 2019, CEMEX joined the Global Alliance for YOUth (All4YOUth), a global business alliance of more than 200 companies that seeks to strengthen the capabilities of young people aged 18 to 29 to enter the professional world.

All for YOUth aims to reduce school dropout rates, contribute to young people’s employability, and allow them to develop skills for the workplace of today and tomorrow, thus contributing directly to SDG target 8.6.

CEMEX’s participation in this alliance is expected to enable more than 65,000 young people by 2022. Until now, the company’s employability programs have already reached more than 45,000 youth, mainly through New Employment Opportunities (NEO), as well as other programs across our worldwide operations such as a practice site for natural science and forestry students in Spain and a driver apprenticeship program in the UK, among others.

CONTRIBUTION TO COMPANY PERFORMANCE

The external advisory panel highlighted the NEO alliance and excellent results on the CEMEX Integrated Report 2019
Connected young adults with better employment opportunities, 74 % placement rate
Reduced employee turnover at companies because of the training in soft skills
The graduates, from which 50 % are women, earn three times the state’s average salary

Benefits

Reached 45,000 youth through employability programs, mostly with New Employment Opportunities (NEO)
Enhanced the local economy through a greater purchasing power
Strengthened alliances between government, civil society, academia, and private sector