Neoenergia performance in contributing for the
promotion of gender equality in a profession where the presence of men used to
be dominant, through the exclusive classes for women at the School of
Electricians has been recognized internationally. A case study on the
initiative was published in WeEmpower, a UN Women program with the International
Labor Organization (ILO) and the European Union aimed at encouraging good
practices of the companies. The document points out the Brazilian company’s
project as a role model for one of the Women Empowerment Principles (WEP),
i.e., promoting education and professional development for women.
“This is a recognition for
our initiative that goes beyond inclusion, it fosters diversity and generates
income. The School of Electricians for women in fully aligned with Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) to which we are committed. In addition, this is a
great partnership between the company and Senai and the communities, which
assist us in selecting and contacting the students. Our goal is to enable them
to be hired once courses are completed”, says Bruno Coelho, Neoenergia’s Human
Resources officer.
In total, the School of
Electricians exclusive for women has 200 students in Bahia, Coelba‘s concession area, and Pernambuco,
where the group’s energy distributor is Celpe. The project was created in August
2019, when the company realized that classes with both genders did not have
sufficient adhesion by women and it decided to seek ways to increase their
participation. The first course, in Bahia, will be completed by late-November.
Due to covid-19 pandemic, during this part of the
year, theoretical classes were carried out on virtual format.
In order to encourage the
student engagement, Neoenergia showed real stories of women that
already joined the company. With that, as shown in the case study, they
realized that, in practical terms, the professional training may represent a
career opportunity and demystified that this would be a male work environment.
In addition, the company has volunteers among its employees who act as mentors,
teaching the group’s values and culture, including the incentive to diversity.
When hired, these women have the same salaries and benefits than men.
Iberdrola Group, Neoenergia parent company, is one
of the signatories of the Women's Empowerment Principles, namely: establish
corporate leadership for gender equality, treat men and women fairly at work,
ensure health and safety, promote education and professional development,
implement practices that empower women, promote equality, and measure and
publicly report the results of these initiatives. Financial independence is one
of the main ways to empower women and, with this in mind, promoting equality in
the access to the labor market is key.