145 Life Is On | Schneider Electric www.se.com 2021 Sustainable Development Report Schneider Electric Foundation’s Training & Entrepreneurship Program supports local organizations specializing in skills development and women empowerment, which are two critical factors in achieving a sustainable change. These organizations create inclusive ecosystems offering training, mentoring, and funding to enable women to work in the energy sector and become entrepreneurs. Schneider Electric and its partners also raise awareness among local communities, promoting best practices and encouraging a bottom-up approach to gender equality. Through these initiatives, the Training & Entrepreneurship Program seeks to play a dual role, championing economic inclusion and gender equality. In 2017, in Ivory Coast, Schneider Electric and the Foundation, Mastercard Foundation, and International Rescue Committee have partnered to support 1,250 unemployed youth to acquire long-term competencies and start their own activity in electricity and solar energy; 60% of the total beneficiaries are women. In 2021, USAID joined force through their “Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative” with the three existing partners, to expand the program targeting women and support two new training centers in Abidjan and Ferké. In 2021, during the Generation Equality Forum, Schneider Electric and its Foundation took commitments under the Economic Justice and Rights Coalition. On one hand, to support the training of 5,000 women in the energy trades and their self-employment or access to jobs by the end of 2022. On the other hand, to launch two new international initiatives around women training and empowerment in the energy field. 6.4.6 Actions towards entrepreneurs Encouraged by the achievements of its training courses, the Training & Entrepreneurship program is going further by providing informal entrepreneurs and those trained in the electricity sector with support in setting up their own businesses. Employment markets in emerging economies are characterized by high proportions of informal sectors, underemployment and people holding multiple jobs to make ends meet. In addition to specific skills training, entrepreneurs need business startup support and access to funding, both being key factors in the creation of long- lasting businesses. Since 2017, 52 technical laboratories in electricity and energy management have been upgraded in Pakistan’s Punjab province. 6,200 youths have been trained and 1,890 have become entrepreneurs. This project was financed by Schneider Electric and implemented in Pakistan by Muslim Hands Pakistan (as the lead agency) in partnership with the Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) Punjab, and Punjab Vocational Training Council (PVTC), to improve and expand vocational training in Pakistan’s dynamic energy sector. 6.4.7 Actions towards digital trainings The digitization program strategy is to provide the current partners with online tools to deliver their training programs while also supporting new online programs. The online programs will allow to both study theory and practice related to the energy content and will deliver a certificate. Schneider Electric and its Foundation have the objective to develop digital training to complement the training offer in energy and automation. Theoretical courses but also practical courses will be covered to deliver comprehensive training curriculum, that can be followed online only or through blended learning (a mix of in-class and online training). To start this journey, in 2021 Schneider has collaborated with SENAR, an Augmented Reality platform development company, to develop digital twins of Schneider’s didactic equipment. Until now, three practical simulator exercises are ready and are being tested in Indonesia. The three simulators are about: • Study bench for grounding schemes • Motor starting • Microgrid for isolated areas Schneider Electric also has an in-house simulator-based training tool, the Augmented Operator Advisor (AOA), which is typically used to train customers in Industry 4.0. It has a builder feature which allows teams to build their own exercises and disperse them among learners. It is currently being tested with trainers in France to create practical exercises for vocational training. 6.4.8 Testimonies of people trained In 2021, Schneider Electric continued to promote Tomorrow Rising, a five-episode docuseries made up of concrete testimonies. It presented the stories of four students who are building tomorrow’s energy world each in their own way: • Yéyé is the narrator and her ambition is to become a respected engineer. The documentary follows her from the beginning of her training in Lagos, Nigeria, to her diploma; • Pierre, in Senegal, has been trained to be a teacher and is now fighting to improve the future of youth in his country; • For Vitor, in Brazil, Schneider’s training has been a genuine lifeline helping him build a career in electricity; • Lastly, in India, Gurdeep, an ambitious young entrepreneur installs solar panels and employs young people, like him, benefiting from Schneider Electric training. Train 1 million people in energy management In 2021, a partnership with Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training of Cambodia was established through its subsidiary college, NTTI. The partnership aims to build 1 center of excellence and upgrade 21 schools across the nation, which will train 290 teachers and 7,300 students. Resources SSI #11 1M 281,737 Baseline 2025 target 2021 Progress 328,359