www.se.com Schneider Electric 14 2021 Social Impact Report 4 Developing access to education and employment all over the world 4.1 Risks and opportunities Education is an essential catalyst for the youth inclusion in the social and environmental challenges. In 2021, for the second year in a row the COVID-19 pandemic has heavily impacted education systems and left millions of children and youth out of school. The youth unemployment rate is growing worldwide and there is an urgent need to create a better transition between education and access to employment, and to develop the tools to provide continuous education even in time of crisis. Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) play a vital role in national sustainable development for countries, it fosters employment and entrepreneurship, and promotes economic development. In order to have better impact and ensure life-long competencies, the TVET systems need partnership between the private and public sectors, and higher investments. 4.2 Group policy Schneider Electric and the Schneider Electric Foundation are committed to include all generations in the energy transition. For more than 10 years the Training & Entrepreneurship program has been supporting the development of TVET. Training in the energy field is a key that offers an inclusive answer to several challenges of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). TVET plays two major roles regarding social and economic development. The first role is to provide training and career opportunities for people, in particular, those who are not in education, employment or training. The second role is to help build a generation of skilled manpower, which are needed at all levels of the economies. Furthermore, TVET can also be a valuable tool for sustainable development, as it allows the development of environmentally sound skills, critical for shifting toward a more sustainable economic model. The program has a specific focus on impacting people not in education, employment, or training, the youth, refugees, women in vulnerable situations, and marginalized groups of people. The actions are always implemented in partnership with local players and/or national or international non-profit organizations (NGOs, governments, etc.) and with Schneider Electric’s local subsidiary. Thanks to the ecosystem of partners, the program has supported the training of more than 300,000 people across Asia, South America, Africa, and Middle East since 2010. More than 5,000 trainers and 4,000 entrepreneurs have also been supported. The COVID-19 pandemic has heavily impacted education and increased inequalities. We are committed to go further and faster by reaching one million people trained by 2025, 10,000 entrepreneurs supported, and 10,000 trainers trained. From now on, the program will also operate in OECD countries. 4.3 Governance The Training & Entrepreneurship program follows the rules and governance of the Schneider Electric Foundation and Fondation de France . To increase effectiveness in following up the partnerships and achieve the 2025 ambition, the program organizes every six months zone meetings with the zone President, the Foundation representatives, and the Training & Entrepreneurship program leaders. Each zone has a defined ambition up to 2025 and a pipeline of projects that is reviewed. Corrective actions are implemented if necessary. The program is led by zone representatives and in-country leaders that exchange on a daily basis. One global co-ordinator sets regular meetings to support the zone representatives and guarantee the progress of the program in each zone. The program is part of the Schneider Sustainability Impact. Every quarter, the zone representatives report on a central tool the impact of the program, and data are reviewed by an external auditor. With rare exceptions, all projects-initiated benefit from monitoring by employees of Schneider Electric entities operating in the countries concerned. 4.4 Actions supporting trainees and trainers’ skills development The key challenge of training in the energy sector is to provide the youth with the knowledge and skills to be able to carry out a trade in a safe and responsible way, providing them and their families with the means for satisfactory subsistence. It will also give them the ability, should they wish, to sell and maintain energy solutions and to create their own small business in time. Furthermore, they are a vital and indispensable element for all responsible and sustainable rural electrification policies. Schneider Electric’s strategy, backed by its Foundation, under the aegis of Fondation de France , for training people in the energy sector, includes three key priorities: • Basic training over a few months, which is free and accessible to many people and adapted as much as possible to the local situation. These training courses lead to the issuing of a certificate of competence by Schneider Electric; • Single or multi-year trainings leading to qualifications, in partnership with local Ministries of Education, or even under bilateral agreements; and • The training of trainers to support the effective and quality roll-out of training down the line. The Training & Entrepreneurship program also provides valuable support to trainers involved in projects at its partners training centers. The aim is to help trainers thoroughly grasp the training approach and materials, enabling them to efficiently convey full and relevant knowledge to the students in short and long-term courses. Training of trainers ensures effective long-term transmission of quality, up-to-date knowledge finely tuned to the characteristics of today’s energy markets in the host country. Training of trainers is supported by the VolunteerIn association via missions at the partners training centers: “I helped to create an entire training module using a pragmatic and realistic approach. I feel like I’ve contributed to a better future for a lot of young people in Vietnam.” Nathalie Nguyen, Manager, Customer Digital Experience Mission in 2019 as part of the IECD Seeds of Hope Program in VietnamIn 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic on sites missions were stopped, but via digital tools contact was kept with the training centers. 4.5 Actions supporting women integration in the energy trades Since the beginning of the Training & Entrepreneurship program, female participation in the energy trainings has remained low. Indeed, the energy sector is still a male dominated environment, and young women are sometimes discouraged by social norms and even by their family to venture down this path. Moreover, for Schneider Electric and its Foundation, it is essential to include women in all stage of the energy value chain. Most programs today only include women in non-technical, such as selling solar products, and non-essential activities.