New ‘Atelier La Lorraine’ project kicked off in Romania
LLBG is proud to announce the launch of a new ‘Atelier La Lorraine’ project. Together with La Lorraine Romania, we set up a collaboration with two high schools, complementing their existing educational programs with an LLBG specific curriculum. Through Atelier La Lorraine, we want to shape the bakers of the future and attract new talent, by creating access to quality education for all youngsters – especially the less privileged.
Sidonie Descheemaeker – Program Manager Sustainability
“LLBG wants to give back to the local communities it operates in. We believe that sustainable companies deliver both profit & purpose and we want to increase our societal impact by excelling in our core activities. The first program focuses on bakery skills, while the second program focuses on technical skills which are necessary in the bakery industry. Both are three-year programs, in which 42 students are currently enrolled. The kick-off of the project was done through an inspiring and interactive ‘World of Bread’ training, during which the youngsters were introduced to the ins and outs of baking bread.”
Sorina Crisan – HR Manager La Lorraine Romania
“In Romania, the vocational educational system has suffered a lot during the past decades due to a lack of investments and qualified teachers. We see that a lot of youngsters drop out of school before graduating, especially youngsters living in underprivileged areas with a long commute. There is an urgent need to invest in education and help those underprivileged youngsters dream of a better life through quality schooling. That was our motivation for setting up our first Atelier La Lorraine initiative. Besides sharing hands-on knowledge, we also provide the students with a first working experience through summer internships at our production plant and jobs at the end of the program.”
Bart Buyst – Chief HR Officer
“Nothing more important than investing in young talent. At our production site in Romania, which is growing strong in the next few years, these are not empty words. We put this into practice with a concrete programme. Local youngsters learn about ‘The World of Bread’ and LLBG's industrial bakery process in detail. These young people do not have an easy life trajectory behind them and we feel it is our social responsibility to provide each of them with maximum support during their learning journey. We had a first inspiring session about what concerns them, how they can further develop their skills and how they can boost their self-esteem, as a basis for a happy adult life.”