Social joint ventures: from exclusion to employment

Social joint venture: social support and a professional springboard

VINCI is a stakeholder in five social joint ventures in France, operating in the upkeep of worksite living quarters and motorway service stations, worksite logistics and routine maintenance of infrastructures and buildings, as well as stripping of buildings and upkeep of green spaces. These companies, jointly managed and with capital thus shared between a social entity and a subsidiary of the Group, create real pathways towards employment for individuals facing exclusion. VINCI’s companies call upon these entities to meet the specific requirements of their worksites, as an extension of their business lines. 

The path from exclusion to employment is long and hard. In order for them to deliver greater inclusion, social joint ventures have the advantage of combining two necessary aspects: support from professional experts in social action and, at the same time, a springboard to employment via support from the private sector. I think it is the twofold governance and support that have made social JVs a success.

Pathways to lasting integration 

For employees in job integration programmes, working within a social joint venture is an opportunity to re-enter the workforce. This enables many individuals to get a foot in the door, obtain training and gain skills and confidence before moving onto a position outside the social joint venture. This was the case for Carmen, who successfully transitioned to employment through participation in Inva, a social joint venture between the La Varappe group and VINCI  Autoroutes. “I had no qualifications. I started to do a professional qualification in sales, but I gave up because I didn’t enjoy it. I worked on a number of temporary assignments in logistics, but I needed stability. I applied for a position with Inva as a maintenance technician for motorway service areas and cleaning offices and toilets. I wasn’t familiar with this area, and even though it’s physical work, I enjoyed it very much. After this successful experience, I have just been hired by the departmental council in Marseille as a maintenance technician in the schools!”.

Social joint ventures also represent a labour pool for VINCI’s companies and a professional springboard for the beneficiaries. In the Liva joint venture, which offers worksite logistics services, for example, employees that meet certain prerequisites and who are interested in building and civil engineering trades can find themselves being offered positions. They are offered work-study contracts including on-the-job training at a VINCI company and culminating, if successful, in a professional qualification and a permanent job. Thanks to this “work integration to inclusion” pathway, the VINCI  Construction subsidiary Chantiers  Modernes  Construction now hires 14% of its workers from social integration programmes, and is targeting a figure of 20%.

VINCI joint ventures