CSR Winter 2014

BUSINESS LEADERS SHAPING A BETTER FUTURE

CSR CAMPAIGN

In association with

ID_65-69_CSR_.indd 65

Brought to you by

16/12/2014 18:14

66

CSR campaign

69

Community connection Welcome to the third of our special reports on CSR – this one focusing on community. Additional content can be viewed on www. businessandleadership.com/ sustainability.

Community covers how businesses engage with their local communities. This can range from providing funding to a local football team to structured initiatives and programmes involving employees volunteering their time to improve the lives of the people living nearby. Often this involves schools or local charities.

The benefits of enriching the local community in such ways are far reaching, not least in that they improve employee engagement within businesses.

As with previous reports, we look at best practice in the area and talk to business leaders we can all learn from.

Companies that stand out in terms of their commitment to their local communities and featured in this report include Shell E&P Ireland, Siemens and An Post.

We were proud to be a media partner of Business in the Community Ireland’s Responsible Business Forum, which took place at Dublin Castle on 11 November. Video interviews with speakers from the event – including Lloyd Burdett of The Futures Company, Penny Hughes of RBS, former Unilever VP Geoff McDonald, and Deloitte’s Brendan Jennings – are available to view on www.businessandleadership.com/ sustainability.

Thanks again to our CSR campaign partners for their support – Shell E&P Ireland, Friends First, PM Group and An Post.

Our next special report published in our spring edition in 2015 moves on to environment – we would love to hear from you if you want to highlight the work done by your company in relation to preserving and having a positive impact on the environment.

Sam Hobbs Managing director Business & Leadership Ph: +353 1 625 1425 Email: shobbs@businessandleadership.com Irish Director is published by Business & Leadership Ltd Ph: +353 1 625 1400 Email: info@businessandleadership.com Address: Office 4, 6 Main St, Dundrum, Dublin 14 © Business and Leadership Ltd 2014

72 76 78 Contents BROADER PURPOSE

67

MARK OF SUCCESS

69

CHANGING CULTURE

70

NETWORKING

72

GOOD BUSINESS SENSE

74

EDUCATIONAL MODEL

76

CHANGING ATTITUDES

78

Successful brands of the future will be those with a bigger purpose Nine companies accredited with Business Working Responsibly Mark How the issues around corporate responsibility have developed The Responsible Business Forum conference in Dublin Castle Why CSR is embedded in how Shell E&P Ireland conducts its business How Siemens is engaging with community through educational programmes An Post’s work to address adult literacy issues

Irish Director Special Report: CSR community

ID_65-69_CSR_.indd 66

16/12/2014 18:14

CSR campaign

67

Purpose

DRIVEN

Successful businesses and brands of the future will be those with a broader purpose

E

ngaging with local communities in a genuine and relevant way as part of an overall sustainable strategy has become increasingly important for business in recent years, a trend that is set to continue, says Lloyd Burdett, head of global clients and strategy at The Futures Company.

According to Burdett, employees are a key driver for the trend.

“Employees want to work for organisations and companies that really give something back and have a broader purpose to what they’re doing. Unilever is now the third most favoured employer after Apple and Google and they put a large part of that down to the effort they put into things like sustainability.

“I think the consumer standpoint probably was the first thing to emerge, but what we’re seeing now in our own work, our own research and trends in this area is a real desire – particularly among the millennial generation – to do something that’s worthwhile, not just from a material standpoint but in terms of evolving them as people and also putting something back and making a difference.

It’s about wanting to do something that feels a bit more worthwhile in society and having a broader social impact.

“And I think from the consumer perspective and the broader business, there’s a real expectation now that a business needs do more than make things and sell things. They have to have a broader purpose to what they’re doing, and putting something into society

and their community is really important to give that sense that they’re not just here to make money.”

The way in which organisations engage with communities has changed significantly in the last recent years, Burdett says.

Traditionally, companies tended to equate CSR with donating to charity. “One of the big trends we’re seeing is the feeling that that’s not enough. Anybody can do that.

“It needs to run through the overall business culture and run through a lot of the true business values, the way the business is run. That’s one of the key shifts we’re seeing: going from one-off donations and supporting causes to truly being built into the DNA of an organisation. So, it’s not just more sustainable products but actually going into the ways of working, how the organisation treats its suppliers, how it treats its employees, how it treats its end consumers.”

Burdett references Geoff Mulgan’s book, The Locust and the Bee, which talks about businesses being either predators or creators.

“The locusts suck the value out of things and don’t give back. The bees work together for a broader cause. He’s really encouraging businesses in the 21st century to be more of a bee.

“The other simple way of thinking about it is when you’re thinking about what your business is doing, ask yourself one really simple question, ‘would you do it to your mum?’ In many ways, it’s as simple as that.”

‘There’s a real expectation now that a business needs do more than make things and sell things’

Special Report: CSR community Irish Director

ID_65-69_CSR_.indd 67

16/12/2014 18:14

68

CSR campaign

‘The businesses that will thrive and the brands that will rise to the top will be those that really adopt these new practices’

Burdett believes that the businesses that succeed in the future will be the ones that employees and consumers feel kinship with and want to be associated with. “And that means you have to be a business that has that broader social purpose,” he says.

It’s something he believes banks are starting to take to heart now. “The likes of RBS and its various franchises around the world, and Lloyds TSB here in London, are doing a lot more communitybased marketing. But if you look inside the organisations, they’re also really trying to change the culture of their business because they know the financial services industry is somewhat seen as a business and sector that’s not been doing the right thing for the last 10 or 20 years.”

Burdett says he firmly believes that this is how businesses will operate in the future. “We’ve just published a point of view on the 21st century business and what it looks like. One of the key things we believe is that because there is a whole number of drivers of change in the business context that we don’t see going away in the next 20 years, they’re here to stay. As long as those drivers remain, this is not a fad. This will continue to be not just a trend but grow in its importance.

“On the one hand you’ve got advances in social media which enable us to spread the good and bad news about businesses very quickly. That’s really driving the need for businesses to be transparent in everything they do.

“Also, the way the broader business context is evolving: everything from the resource pressures that we face and the genuine focus on sustainable development. In an economy that’s becoming more competitive and a consumer that’s becoming increasingly discerning and demanding of what businesses do, I think the businesses that will thrive and the brands that will rise to the top will be those that really adopt these new practices.”

It’s vital to align with initiatives that relate to the business, he says. “If it’s not directly relating to the DNA or the business, it’s a little bit of a throwaway. It doesn’t quite chime with what the

business is about or its values. It’s important to align what you’re doing in the community and make clear why that’s related to your core business. A good example is American Express which does a lot of work with small businesses, and that makes sense – a big multinational brand aligned with credit and they’re doing things to enable small businesses to thrive. Unilever initiatives around the world to do with things like hygiene align very much with what its business is about.”

Burdett has advice for companies wanting to become more engaged with their communities. “One is, don’t necessarily think you need to do it all yourself. There’s real value in partnering with other community-based organisations, people who are already engaged in the community, because generally it’s quite hard to do this alone and do it right. There are other organisations – like Business in the Community – that are doing this kind of thing on a daily basis and can help you understand how you can contribute, interact with them, and do it in the right way.

“Secondly, the idea of co-creation with the communities is a really important facet of this and for some businesses that might mean working in a slightly different way than they’re used to. Rather than doing something to a community or for a community, it’s about doing it with them. Shell has admitted it went into [the Corrib gas project] with the wrong mindset. They felt they were managing a community. You’re not managing it, you need to go in with the emphasis of working with it, and co-creating a solution.”

He notes that business culture in general is changing, becoming more open and fluid. “Only by opening your doors – through partnership, co-creation, being more networked – can you create the trust that most businesses are looking for. Within trust there’s this idea of respect – trust comes from respecting things, respecting your suppliers, your employees, your consumers, and also what you’re putting in your products. Go back to the question, ‘would you do it to your mum?’.”

Irish Director Special Report: CSR community

ID_65-69_CSR_.indd 68

16/12/2014 18:14

CSR campaign

69

Mark of

SUCCESS

Nine companies were recently recognised as leaders in the area of social and environmental practice in Ireland with the Business Working Responsibly Mark

R

icoh Ireland, Ulster Bank, Marks & Spencer Ireland, Musgrave Group and Northern Trust were recently accredited for the first time with the Business Working Responsibly Mark, while EirGrid, Transdev Ireland, Pfizer Healthcare Ireland and Accenture Ireland were reaccredited with the prestigious standard.

The Mark is awarded by Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) and audited by the NSAI. Based on ISO 26000, the Mark is open to all large companies in Ireland and valid for two years.

“Ireland has rebuilt its reputation on the international stage, and we need business to support the Government as we show that Ireland is an excellent place to invest and to establish a business,” said Tánaiste Joan Burton, who announced the newest recipients at BITCI’s annual CEO Forum, which seeks to bring the latest developments in the area of sustainability to Irish business leaders.

“Increasingly, good corporate social responsibility practices are distinguishing the best companies from their competitors. The way that businesses integrate social and environmental concerns into their engagement with customers, suppliers, employees and local communities is becoming hugely important to the sustainability of their business.

“Having a mix of indigenous and multinational companies achieving the Business Working Responsibly Mark today strengthens Ireland’s case for foreign direct investment and sets the standard for other companies already operating here.”

Forward-thinking companies BITCI CEO, Tina Roche noted that 2014 had seen a significant growth in companies achieving the Mark. “It is inspiring to see so many companies using the Mark as a framework and working hard to embed corporate responsibility at the heart of what they do. These forwardthinking companies understand that customers, employees, investors and regulators place a high premium on trust and ethics.”

Roche said the 16 companies that are currently accredited with the Mark are leaders in the sector and an inspiration to all businesses. The other companies with the Mark are Microsoft Ireland, ESB, CRH Ireland, Intel Ireland, Boots Retail Ireland, Bord Gáis Networks and Deloitte Ireland.

Alison Grainger, head of Marks & Spencer Ireland; Clive Bellows, country head, Northern Trust; Gary Hopwood, general manager, Ricoh Ireland; James Brown CEO, Ulster Bank; and John Curran, Musgrave Group Gary Hopwood, general manager of Ricoh Ireland, described the Mark as significant for Ricoh on both a local and global level “as the company prides itself on being a good corporate citizen and has demonstrated high standards of corporate social responsibility in many key projects”. A recent example is the company’s partnership with ReCreate Ireland to promote sustainability in schools – Ricoh donates and diverts end of line and surplus stock and ReCreate reuses this as arts materials at its Creative Resource Centre in Dublin. Ricoh Ireland is also working with Focus Ireland this year on a number of fund raising initiatives.

Head of sustainability at Musgrave Group John Curran described getting the Mark as a significant achievement for his company. “It confirms that we operate to the very highest standards of responsible and sustainable business practices. During the process of achieving the mark, Musgrave was assessed across 27 key indicators, which covered 300 individual metrics within five business areas, including workplace, marketplace, environment, community and CR management andcommunications. The process also provided us with a road map to develop and enhance our sustainable policies and practices into the future.”

Special Report: CSR community Irish Director

ID_65-69_CSR_.indd 69

16/12/2014 18:14

70

CSR campaign

Changing

FOCUS

BITCI’s Business Working Responsibly conference is a bellwether of the changing focus in corporate responsibility

O

ver 400 business leaders attended the third Responsible

you take people who are best in class, they will talk about how responsible and

Business Forum, which took place in Dublin Castle in

sustainable behaviours permeate the whole of the organisation. And whether

November and was organised by Business in the Community

that’s environmental behaviours or social behaviours or governance, it has to be

Ireland (BITCI).

embedded right throughout the organisation.”

The main themes of the conference were trust, reputation

A key subject for discussion back in 2003 was community investment. “You

and culture and how to both build and rebuild all of these within an organisation.

still talk about community investment, but community is seen as a stakeholder

“We were looking at how we can rebuild trust with our employees but also our

among the others, like employees, like your supply chain.”

other stakeholders, like suppliers, many of whom were burnt over the last few years,” explains Tina Roche, chief executive of BITCI.

A big change over the last decade or so has been the increasing focus on talent and innovation, says Roche. “Ten years ago you would have heard the first

“In reputation, we were looking at how you rebuild the reputation both of

rumblings around innovation, but now it’s all about innovation and culture of

Brand Ireland but also of our companies so that once again customers are

innovation and about knowledge and talent. Then, we were taking much more

thinking of businesses in a very positive light. We were asking, what does our

about manufacturing and engineering. This time, people were taking about

reputation look like and how is it affected by our behaviours and policies?”

emotional intelligence and about Ireland not only being a good place to do

Reputation is also an increasingly important consideration for investors,

business but the best place to do business.”

Roche points out. “More and more investors are looking at environmental and

One of the most positive developments over the last 10 years has been the

social and governance issues. So, how do we tell them what our reputation is in

increased emphasis on aligning behaviours and values within business with

these areas and show them and demonstrate our behaviours and our culture?

personal values and behaviours, Roche says. “If you felt uncomfortable doing

“I think culture encompasses all of that. It’s having a culture internally that will build your brand, build your reputation, but will also build trust internally.”

The themes and focus have changed substantially since BITCI’s first CSR

something in business 10 years ago, you wouldn’t have spoke about that. But now, right through organisations, people will say, ‘I’m not comfortable with that, I don’t feel that’s the right thing to do’. And people are encouraged to say it.

conference was held in 2003, Roche says. “Then, we were very much looking

“As Lloyd Burdett from The Futures Company asked the audience at this

at what corporate responsibility means. That question doesn’t really come up

year’s conference, ‘are you a bee or a locust?’ Are you building something

much anymore. People understand it.

extraordinary with people, or are you short term? Are you a locust that will just

“That said, there are different understandings of it – some people still think it’s philanthropy but they’re people who are just starting out on the journey. If

land, eat everything all around and take off again? So, it’s the whole idea of being around for the long term.”

‘I think we’re going to have to rethink how we live on the planet’

Irish Director Special Report: CSR community

ID_70-71_CSR_Tina.indd 70

16/12/2014 17:07

CSR campaign

The fact that companies like RBS, BASF and Shell were prepared to talk

she says. “They know the business best, so how do we harness that? And for

about the mistakes they’d made and the lessons they had learnt was one of

multinational companies when they have tens of thousands of employees, how

the highlights of this year’s conference for Roche. “It was an extraordinary

do they get that wisdom of crowds together?

discussion because you had companies saying we should know better, we made mistakes and this is what we have put in place so that doesn’t happen again. It’s not like everyone is perfect. If you make a mistake, it’s what you learn from it and how you try to change those behaviours.”

71

“The second thing I think is going to happen is more innovation around resources as we increasingly come up against resource depletion.

“The third area I think will have to be addressed is biodiversity. Fifty percent of the planet’s species have disappeared in 40 years. Climate change, of course,

Looking to the future and the possible focus of the next conference, Roche

is going to be an umbrella to all of this. I think we’re going to have to rethink

says she believes the increasing level of employee involvement in organisations

how we live on the planet. What is it we’re going to have to address to be able to

may be one of the key subjects for discussion. “The structures will have to

feed people and to give them a better standard of living? Businesses are going

change to make that happen because the answers are with all of our employees,”

to have to be innovative around that.”

Tina Roche, chief executive, BITCI

Special Report: CSR community Irish Director

ID_70-71_CSR_Tina.indd 71

16/12/2014 17:07

72

CSR campaign

Building trust and responsibility More than 400 business leaders gathered in Dublin Castle on 11 November to hear from the Responsible Business Forum, organised by Business in the Community Ireland. The theme of the conference was trust, reputation and culture, and the audience heard from a range of Irish and international speakers, who shared their experiences of and learnings around facing reputational challenges, as well as those who have embedded responsible and sustainable practices at their core. Business & Leadership was proud to be a media partner at the conference.

Brendan Jennings, managing partner, Deloitte

Geoff McDonald, former global vice-president human resources, Unilever

Lloyd Burdett, head of global clients and strategy, The Futures Company

Penny Hughes, non-executive director, RBS Group

Irish Director Special Report: CSR marketplace

ID_72-73 Networking_CSR.indd 72

16/12/2014 13:07

CSR campaign

73

Kieran McGowan, BITCI and Jackie Harrison, The Community Foundation for Ireland

Emma Curtis, Claire Millar and Christina Brown, PwC

Sarah Connolly, Irish Distillers

Graham Healy, Accenture and Aileen Mooney, An Post

Audience at the Responsible Business Forum Special Report: CSR marketplace Irish Director

ID_72-73 Networking_CSR.indd 73

16/12/2014 13:07

74

CSR campaign

Commitment to community makes

GOOD BUSINESS SENSE Corporate social responsibility is embedded in the way Shell E&P Ireland Limited conducts its business, explains MD Michael Crothers

A

decade ago most Irish business leaders would have described corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a somewhat fluffy, ‘nice to have’ business philosophy.

Nowadays, most senior company executives would acknowledge that it is a ‘must have’ business enabler. Society in general and communities in particular now expect businesses to be exemplary corporate citizens in the areas where their operations are located – and that means doing much more than simply providing employment.

According to Michael Crothers, MD, Shell E&P Ireland Limited (SEPIL), CSR is embedded in the way his company conducts its business. In Co Mayo, where SEPIL is the lead operator of the Corrib gas project, this boils down to respecting the local community and striving to be a good neighbour.

“In practice this means engaging and listening to the community’s concerns in order to be able to respond to them, understanding local needs and working with the community to deliver them,” he says.

“From a rocky start, we reached out to the community and have shown that we have listened and learned. We received a great response from the community and we are grateful for its acceptance. You do have to work at a relationship like this, it doesn’t happen overnight.”

SEPIL has been running three community investment initiatives in Erris for the past seven years – a Local Grants Programme, a ThirdLevel Scholarship Programme and a long-term Erris Development Fund (EDF).

As Fiona Togher, social investment advisor at SEPIL, explains: “We offer a comprehensive and diverse range of CSR and social investment initiatives involving financial and non-financial support to the voluntary and community sector and also support local business development as part of our overall commitment to sustainable development in the area that we operate in.

“The Local Grants Programme provides small scale funding to voluntary and community sector organisations and so far we’ve distributed €1.8m to 136 different organisations. Since 2007, our Third-Level Scholarship Programme has provided 93 scholarships to students in the Erris region to assist them going on to thirdlevel studies around the country. This involved a total investment

In 2010 SEPIL provided €175,000 to the Erris branch of the Irish Wheelchair Association, which helped it to secure funding from a variety of sources to complete its €1m day centre development in Belmullet of €1.1m.”

Launched in 2009, the EDF represents a commitment from SEPIL to the region for the life of the Corrib gas project, which is 15–20 years. An initial fund of €5m was allocated for the construction phase.

“So far €4.2m has been allocated to 28 capital investment projects. SEPIL’s funding enabled the various organisations to leverage an additional €11m from other sources,” says Togher.

“We also deliver a range of proactive community initiatives under the EDF, such as Erris Enterprise Week and a Safe Driving Programme which is run in conjunction with the Road Safety Authority. In addition, we have provided 32 Irish language scholarships which allow students from the area to attend local Irish colleges over the summer.”

Frank Fullard, board member of the EDF, notes that Erris Enterprise Week started out three years ago as a one-off but it generated such a level of interest that it has become an annual fixture.

‘Since 2007, our Third-Level Scholarship Programme has provided 93 scholarships to students in the Erris region to assist them going on to third-level studies around the country’ Irish Director Special Report: CSR community

ID_74-75_CSR_shell.indd 74

16/12/2014 19:57

CSR campaign

75

management, stress management and vision.

Crothers says Shell wants to build further on all its CSR initiatives and partnerships to date in Erris, where he has observed that volunteerism plays a central role in the life of the community.

“As we move into the operations and production phase of the Corrib gas development in 2015 we want to keep working with the community. The social investment programmes we have run to date have been transformational. It is incredible to see what the people of Erris have done to deliver real value and improve quality of community life here.”

SEPIL’s grant of €400,000 in 2007/2008 allowed the Belmulllet GAA Club to leverage additional funding towards its €1.8m clubhouse and pitch redevelopment project Open to organisations from across Co Mayo, Erris Enterprise Week last October involved a variety of free sessions giving business people access to advice and information on procurement, online trading and future digital opportunities.

Boot camps In addition, entrepreneurial boot camps were held for students of Erris secondary schools in a Dragons’ Den style environment.

“The students are divided into teams that compete with one another. They have to come up with a business idea from scratch, develop a business plan and present it to the group. This year we had the help of an EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalist acting as a consultant to the students,” Fullard explains.

All in all Shell has committed over €7.4m in funding across its three social investment programmes. Togher says the initiatives demonstrate that the company is committed to the development of the local community. “Stakeholder involvement has been one of the main benefits of these programmes. We have listened to stakeholders in the local area and based our investment programmes on their stated needs and priorities.”

Aside from the established CSR programmes, many of Shell’s employees have given of their time and expertise in various fundraising initiatives and education programmes.

For example, Shell has worked with Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) for six years on three BITCI programmes – Skills at Work, Time to Read and Excellence for Teachers.

Fania Ellison, regional co-ordinator for the BITCI’s schools’ business partnership, explains: “Shell volunteers go into two secondary schools in the local area and give students an idea of the world of work, talking about what their jobs entail and how they got to where they are. We run seminars on team building, how to write a good CV and what’s involved in an interview. The programme gives students first-hand advice on the world of work and what’s expected of them.”

Time to Read involves Shell employees going into second class at primary level once a week for 24 weeks helping pupils to get excited about books and build confidence with their reading, while Excellence for Teachers provides courses and seminars delivered by Shell leaders as well as external trainers on areas such as change

Support from Shell amounting to €170,000 was provided to the Erris No Name Club in 2011, enabling a further €200,000 in additional funding to be accessed for the Páirc Bheo multi-use sports facility

Shell providing 132km of fibre broadband to the State During Erris Enterprise Week 2014 Shell announced that it will provide 132km of high capacity fibre broadband to the State in ducting previously put in place by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (DCENR).

The ducting runs alongside the Corrib gas pipeline. SEPIL and its partners Statoil and Vermilion Resources will invest €750,000 in the installation of the fibre optic cable, which will support regional development in the west of Ireland.

SEPIL has invited bids from expert third-party contractors to carry out the work and expects cable installation to commence early in 2015.

When completed, ownership of the fibre optic infrastructure will be passed to the Department, which will then invite tenders from commercial providers to energise the cable and bring high speed broadband connectivity to customers all along the route through counties Mayo and Galway.

The new broadband super highway should be available to telecoms operators in 2015, allowing them to connect customers thereafter.

Special Report: CSR community Irish Director

ID_74-75_CSR_shell.indd 75

16/12/2014 19:57

76

CSR campaign

Wind turbine technology comes

TO THE CLASSROOM German engineering multinational Siemens is partnering to bring an educational module on wind turbine technology to Irish second-level students

Science students from Fingal Community College, Swords at the launch of STA: Science Technology in Action where Siemens unveiled its new wind turbine education module

S

iemens and AG Education Services recently launched a new educational module on wind turbine technology for Leaving Cert students as part of the Science & Technology in Action (STA) schools programme.

STA is produced by AG Education Services in collaboration with Ireland’s leading science and technology organisations, the Department of Education & Skills and the Irish Science Teachers’ Association.

Designed to help students grasp the impact of science and technology in their daily lives, it brings industry and education together in an innovative way by bringing science alive.

Its real life case studies engage teachers and students with powerful practical examples from the world of science, technology and engineering.

Siemens has shared its expertise to develop a classroom lesson on wind turbine technology, which explores topics such as the rising demand for energy, renewable and non-renewable sources of

‘By equipping young people with crucial knowledge and skills, we pave the way to a better future’ Irish Director Special Report: CSR community

ID_76-77_CSR_Siemens.indd 76

16/12/2014 17:14

CSR campaign

77

‘Siemens wants to inspire the next generation of Irish engineers through the promotion of science and engineering’ Chief executive of Siemens Limited Dublin Paul Lynam explains the thinking behind Siemens’ commitment to education: “Contributions to learning and education and co-operations with schools and universities enhance our attractiveness as an employer of choice.

“By equipping young people with crucial knowledge and skills, we pave the way to a better future. To this end, we operate a number of corporate social responsibility programmes and engage in partnerships with schools and universities.

“We are committed to ensuring that young people have the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in and meet the challenges of a technology-led future.”

Presenting the Siemens Wind Turbine Educational Module to Minister for Education and Skills Jan O’Sullivan are Gary O’Callaghan, Siemens Ltd and Anna Gethings of AG Education energy as well as describing how a generator works.

The German multinational has been a major driver of innovation in the wind power industry since 1980 when wind turbine technology was still in its infancy. In existence for more than 165 years, Siemens is active in around 190 regions, occupying leading market and technology positions worldwide with its business activities in the energy, healthcare, industry, and infrastructure and cities sectors.

“Siemens wants to inspire the next generation of Irish engineers through the promotion of science and engineering. We are using real life applications such as wind turbines to explain and to get young people enthusiastic about science and technology,” says Gary O’Callaghan head of energy sector at Siemens in Ireland.

“We are very happy to provide our expert knowledge to deliver education material to students. I am confident that Siemens and our partners AG Education Services can make a significant difference in this area to make the world of science and engineering available to students in a real and engaging way.”

STA ethos According to Anna Gethings, managing director of AG Education, the fundamental ethos of STA is “to bring our young people and industry together in the classroom”.

“Designed to inspire the next generation of engineers, it is available in every second-level school in the country. The approach to engaging with students is centred on applying knowledge in areas such as science, technology engineering and mathematics (Stem) to ‘real life’ projects,” she says.

STA is part of Siemens’ general strategy in terms of helping to enrich and enhance teaching and learning around the world.

Siemens educationrelated CSR initiatives Innovative Student Engineer of the Year Siemens promotes the advancement of education and science through the Siemens Young Innovative Engineer of the Year Award in association with Engineers Ireland. This is an annual award open to all IEI accredited degree courses and is aimed at encouraging innovation and excellence in final year undergraduate engineering students.

Siemens University College Dublin’s Robo Rugby Competition Robo Rugby is a game where small automonous robots try to score points by moving balls into the scoring areas at each end of the playing table. The Robo Rugby design exercise provides an interesting and enjoyable problem, with plenty of scope for innovation and creative thinking.

Siemens Discovery Box Siemens Ireland hosts Discovery Box workshops with primary school children, the purpose of which is to stimulate children’s interest in science and technology in a fun way. It contains a number of child-friendly experiments related to energy, electricity, the environment and health.

Language Skills – Sponsored by Siemens The GDI All Ireland Secondary Schools German Debating Competition for second-level pupils is organised by the Goethe-Institut Ireland. The purpose of the competition is to give the students an opportunity to use German language skills beyond the confines of the classroom and examinations, to develop confidence, teamwork and debating skills.

Special Report: CSR community Irish Director

ID_76-77_CSR_Siemens.indd 77

16/12/2014 17:14

CSR campaign

78

AN POST TAKING STEPS to address adult literacy

An Post is sponsor of the nationwide National Adult Literacy Agency television campaign since September 2007 and according to adult literacy tutors, it has successfully changed attitudes

A

n Post is sponsor of the nationwide National Adult Literacy Agency (Nala), television campaign since September 2007.

During that time the literacy service has recorded over

a beat.”

Liz grew up in a busy household. She was third eldest of seven sisters and three brothers. Her parents had a farm so there was always work to do.

20,000 calls and texts to its free helpline. The 40pc increase

Like many people with poor literacy skills, Liz left school in the mid-1960s

in people attending adult literacy courses between 2007 and

when she was only 12. Classes were very large back then and she feels that she

2014 to 55,000 represents a huge impact for An Post, Nala and the public.

“just got left behind”.

Adult literacy tutors nationwide confirm that the adverts successfully change

She worked for 24 years in a local factory, starting as a packer and working

attitudes, citing them as a great medium for removing stigma from students

her way up to supervisor. But while she had the ability and experience to go

seeking help while ‘normalising’ the issue of literacy among the general public.

further in her career she couldn’t go for promotions.

Adults calling the Nala helpline report that the advertising campaign gives them a strong call to action to ‘take the first step’ using the helpline number.

They also feel relieved to know others have a similar problem and that help is available.

“Other staff told me I could do management jobs but I couldn’t put pen to paper,” she recalls.

When the factory closed and she saw the An Post sponsored advertisement on television she rang the Nala number.

The nationwide television ad campaign is presented by Nala both in Europe

“1800 20 20 65. I still know the number off by heart. I thought about it for a

and internationally as best practice in raising awareness of adult literacy

long time and I remember being in my sitting room, seeing that ad, shaking and

services.

thinking ‘will I ring that number?’” says Liz.

The impact for An Post’s business and on An Post customers is shown in

“Thankfully I did. I started in one-to-one classes with my tutor and she was

Millward Brown research (October, 2014). As a result of the watching the advert,

brilliant. After about two terms she encouraged me to join a class. I was worried

58pc of customers are a lot more favourable towards An Post, 65pc of customers

about who I was going to meet and I was thinking ‘they won’t be as bad as me’

are more likely to use An Post and 82pc of customers are more aware of literacy

but it worked out great. It’s given me more confidence and we have a good laugh

issues.

together too.”

“For me it’s more than just learning to read and write,” says literacy student Liz from Co Wicklow.

“I can see the signs, the things people do to avoid a situation, like filling out

Liz has never looked back, earning Fetac awards at level two, three and four with her local Adult Learning Centre. This year she will be concentrating on learning IT skills.

a form, because I’ve been there. I always had an excuse. If I was handed a form I’d say ‘I don’t have my glasses, I’ll get back to you’. But my heart used to skip

‘I started in one-to-one classes with my tutor and she was brilliant.

After about two terms she encouraged me to join a class’ Irish Director Special Report: CSR community

ID_78-79_CSR_an_post.indd 78

16/12/2014 20:01

ID_78-79_CSR_an_post.indd 79

16/12/2014 20:01