Vocational Training for Young People in Brazil

Dream Learn Work 6th Report on Global Giving

Dream Learn Work’s mission is to give youth from less developed areas opportunities for a better future through education and employment.

Introduction

2018 flew by! We have participated in a number of events and activities and have a lot to share. This report outlines Dream Learn Work`s activities on the fourth quarter of last year.

2018 Courses

Dream Learn Work recruits participants from social projects that work in less developed neighborhoods. These local projects contribute in the completion of basic education and the development of life skills. Dream Learn Work offers the next step: professional skills development and the support to enter the formal job market. Our amazing (and small) team have recruited 52 new students this year. These participants have received guidance and had their educational path prepared with the support of the NGO they are linked to. In total we have 111 participants enrolled in our program, some are at the end of their educational journey and starting to work and change their futures.

DLW has developed a model for training that all participants need to follow. They need to demonstrate motivation and dedication to complete each level and proceed to the next.

Level 1 - Basic knowledge and introduction to a subject. Aim: Assess skills and motivation. 2018: 60 courses committed.  

Level 2 - Longer courses, following the introductory course. Aim: Prepares for an entry level position in a company and to follow on to a technical course. 2018: 25 courses committed.

Level 3 - Vocational training course. Aim: attain a recognised professional qualification. 2018: 1 committed.

Level 4 - University degree - 14 students enrolled through scholarships or public universities.

OCTOBER

DNB Rio de Janeiro Oil & Gas event
In October, Dream Learn Work was invited to DNB’s (Den Norske Bank) Rio Oil & Gas event, in Rio de Janeiro. DNB’s Global Head of Ocean Industries, and ANP Director, presented Brazil’s oil and gas perspectives. DNB is one of Dream Learn Work’s founders, together with DNV-GL, DOF, Jotun, Kongsberg, and Vard. We are hugely grateful for having a strong relationship after 12 years together. DNB Brazil’s representatives, thank you for the opportunity to present our organisation at this event. In addition, our participant Rafael was selected for an internship at DNB Luxembourg last year, with an extension of one year for his great performance. Opportunities like this are life changing to our participants. “Luxembourg is completely different to what I am used to. Here there is better economy, education and health care. And here I can gain experience that will be of great use later”, says 28-year-old Rafael. Rafael’s journey with DNB started through a mentoring program with Arne-Christian, former leader for DNB Brazil, where he was introduced to the labour market with an impression from the banking industry. “Rafael is doing a great job with us and gets help to make a better life for himself. This is a story where everyone is a winner,” says Arne-Christian about Rafael’s time in Luxembourg.

Digital Marketing and Entrepreneurship at Dream Learn Work

Also in October, we set up an event with some of our partners at the head office of Dream Learn Work, in Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro. It was a day with a lot of sharing and learning! As our name indicates, Dream Learn Work encourage three aspects of the youngster’s development: dreaming, learning, and working. The workshop was related to the work pillar, focusing on the importance of social networking and entrepreneurship.

We were lucky to have Line and Carolina, from Mandorla, a digital marketing company, with us. They walked us through the business-oriented social network LinkedIn, which nowadays is an important job hunting tool. Before the event, we asked all DLW participants to sign up to the platform – then, during the presentation, they learned many tips to increase their profile and use the tool. After that, the students heard a little about the entrepreneurship experience of Bruna, from AB Sports RJ. Bruna founded AB Sports, a company that works with functional training, health and wellbeing in Copacabana. She not only talked about her story and the company but also prepared a simulation exercise for the participants to learn about business plans. During this sharing afternoon, yoga master Angela Moreira, introduced the young people present into yoga focused on stress control, breathing and concentration. Thirty participants from our partner NGOs were there. Many of them left with meetings already scheduled with Line or Bruna for a personal follow up. 

NOVEMBER

Visit at Jotun’s factory

On November 27th, a group of our participants was invited to Jotun’s factory in Itaboraí. Jotun is one of our founders and we are grateful to catch up with the Norwegian group again. Twelve years ago, Jotun was one of the companies that were willing to help when Erik Solheim —then Norwegian Minister of Development—challenged Norwegian corporations here in Rio de Janeiro to foster social change. The result was Dream Learn Work; the goal was (and continues to be) to address the lack of skilled labour and, at the same time, to create social impact, changing young lives for the better. Since then, we have lost contact with Jotun—but in 2018 we got in touch again and this visit was the first activity.

Nathalie, one of Jotun HR team member, organized a great event where our group got to visit different parts of the factory with guidance from employees. They held presentations about various working areas that they have in their departments in Itaboraí. One of the big moments during the event was Maria’s presentation, she is in charge of the kitchen and a professional chef at the company. From Monday to Friday she is responsible for the preparation of meals for almost 40 employees, this includes all the logistic, nutritional planning, cooking and making sure her team is following the hygiene rules. Maria told us about her story on how she got to Jotun, and our participants identified a lot with her. When she was 12 years old, she started working for a family as a housekeeper that needed to cook as well as clean. She had never even cooked rice, but she said she would be able to do the job. It seemed like she had a talent and, since then, she has never stopped cooking and developing herself. She now holds a diploma as a professional chef from the Estácio University, in Rio de Janeiro, and is a proud employee at Jotun.

Visit at Wood, getting ready for the job market

At the end of November, ten students from DLW had the opportunity to visit our partner Wood’s office (former Wood Group), in Barra da Tijuca. Wood is a high-performance multinational corporation in the oil and gas industry. It acts in more than 60 countries employing about 55,000 people. Ana Cecilia and Natália, who work in the Communication and HR department, welcomed us. After a short introduction to the company and the oil and gas industry, they talked about their careers, job seeking, writing a curriculum vitae and job interviews. Their kindness and spontaneity broke the ice quickly. The youngsters asked many questions and had all their doubts answered by great professionals. It was a visit filled with sharing and interactions. 

DECEMBER

NGO partners/volunteers Christmas event

Early December we had our annual lunch with some of our contacts from the NGOs, schools and our volunteers! After a delicious meal, we did some manual activities like Norwegians usually do for Christmas. Our Norwegian volunteers Anita and Ingeleiv taught us how to decorate gingerbread cookies. 

Brunel - RH Workshop

Early December we visited the HR department of Brunel, our new corporate partner where our participants learned about the labour market and how to enter it. They talked about attitude, how to behave at an interview, what to wear and other factors that can be crucial to get employed. Brunel specialises in recruitment and it was a great experience for our participants.