Archive for category: Formare

Formare students have been attending project classes at units located in Mogi Guaçu (SP), Luiz Antônio (SP) and Três Lagoas (MS) since March 7. The 50 young people are working to learn everything they need to make the right career choice as well as to find out about the particularities of production processes and the routine at IP units.

The first week of class always comes with a lot of curiosity and thirst for learning. To start things off, the IP Institute team holds an orientation, designed especially to welcome students.

On the first day of class, the young people are given an overview of the company and its business units around the world. They also find out about the benefits offered by the program and the hour load of classes.

The following day, the students talk with the IP Formare School Project coordinators at their respective units. At this time the classes, curriculum and assessment process during the course are discussed.

Regular classes are given over by International Paper professionals acting as Volunteer Educators (VEs). The group also develops special projects during the ten months of training and presents them to teams of professionals at internal events.

In Formare, young people learn a little more about the practice of volunteering, which is highly valued at the company.

Prior to the start of the course, VEs will undergo training to learn teaching techniques and methodologies to make the most of class hours

On February 22, 23 and 24, Volunteer Educators (VEs) for the 2017 IP Formare School Project held at the Três Lagoas, Luiz Antônio and Mogi Guaçu units spent a day undergoing practical training.  With classes given by the Iochpe Foundation, the course was designed to equip International Paper professionals with educational techniques on how to work in-class and make the most of classes, in addition to providing tips to help each of the Volunteer Educators to research topics, prepare content and develop proposals, classroom activities and homework assignments.

The idea is to help VEs unlock their highest potential as educators and encourage students to do so as well by developing critical and analytical thinking for the most varied situations.  The training, which also introduced an overview of education in Brazil and explained the best way to organize an IP professional’s work schedule by balancing it with classroom activities.

Educating Youth for the Future

 During the seven years that International Paper has been coordinated by the IP Institute, the IP Formare School Project has trained over 350 young people and prepared them for the job market. Over 10 months, they attend various classes and develop skills and competencies with disciplines that develop interpersonal communication and relationships, in addition to specific topics related to the production of pulp and paper. The students learn how to develop and execute projects which are presented to other areas of the company and provide support for IIP event organization and promotion, such as volunteer campaigns, among other initiatives.

At the end of training, trainees receive a certificate accredited by the Ministry of Education (MEC) and issued by the Federal University of Technology of Paraná (UTFPR).

A total of 546 students registered for the 50 open spots. Três Lagoas (MS) had the most competitive spots.

Since 2010, low-income youth that are recent high school graduates from the Mogi Guaçu and Luiz Antônio (SP) or Três Lagoas (MS) regions have been able to enroll in the International Paper Formare School Project selective process. The professional education program, coordinated by International Paper Institute, is now in its eighth edition and is as competitive as college entrance exams. The total ratio was 10.92 candidates per spot.

This year, the most popular location was Três Lagoas (MS). There were 185 young people who enrolled for one of the ten spots offered in the city in Mato Grosso do Sul, giving the location the highest candidate/spot ratio, with over 18 young people competing for each spot.

Mogi Guaçu was the second most popular location. With 215 registrations and 20 openings in the course, the ratio was 10.75 candidates/spot. In addition to the municipality itself, registrations in Luiz Antônio are also open to residents of Guatapará, São Simão and Santa Rosa de Viterbo. The ratio of candidates per spot at this unit was 7.3, with 146 competing for the 20 openings.

Selective process – After registering in the selective process through the IIP website, candidates begin tests in Portuguese Language, Math and Composition. Those that pass move onto the third phase, where they take part in a group dynamic, at which time they are exposed to situations that allow recruiters to start to learn about and identify the candidates’ profiles.

In the next phase, selected candidates take part in an individual interview and, for the first time, they had the chance to tour the factory at the location where they were competing for a spot. The last round in the selective process was a home visit done by the IIP team with the goal of learning about the candidate’s family, checking socio-economic requirements and confirming the information provided during selection.

Now, the 50 young people accepted undergo a 10-month professional training program, where they learn about the dynamics of the labor market and the particularities of the pulp and paper manufacturing process. Formare School Project activities are done by volunteer educators (VEs), International Paper professionals that are dedicated to sharing knowledge and who set aside time in their schedules to creating classes for program students.

The curriculum includes subjects from the regular secondary school curriculum, such as Math, Physics, Chemistry and English; yet the main focus is on professional training, covering subjects such as communications and relations, industrial organization, electromechanical maintenance, pulp and paper production and professional practices aimed at fulfilling the practical demands of students’ education.

This year, the three Formare IP classes will follow the same timeline and classes are set to start on March 7. At the end of the course, in addition to the knowledge they gain, students also gain an edge on their resumes: a professional training certificate, issued by UTFPR (Federal University of Technology – Paraná) and accredited by the Ministry of Education (MEC).

From February to October of this year, the International Paper Institute Formare School Project held multidisciplinary activities led by volunteer educator Joselir Cassuti that consisted of assembling a rocket using PET bottles.

The initiative presented by the educator, who has worked at International Paper for 22 years, involved every subject. Yet it was in his Chemistry classes that Joselir spoke about the project with students, splitting them into groups of four or five to make the rocket.

The teacher posed a challenge when he handed out the PET bottles to students. “They were confused when they received the material. But when we started to cut the bottles and the pieces appeared, they were impressed and excited about the idea,” says the educator.

The students designed the pieces individually and later learned more about the base of the rocket and its functions, taking into account that it could not be too heavy in order to fly. “Learning about the entire process was fundamental to the stability of the object,” explains their teacher.

After they finished the project, the students had a presentation week. A stand was set up in front of the exit to the IP Luiz Antônio restaurant, which is where they took questions from factory workers. “The students were asked about topics involving Chemistry, safety and the rocket creation process,” says Joselir.

Rocket Launch – On November 18, the students took part in a competition on the factory lawn and were very impressed by the structure assembled to hold the activity.

Small flags on the ground marked the distance of ten meters to indicate the ground that the rockets covered, with the rocket that travelled the furthest receiving the highest marks. There was tie for first place between the PETChemist Turbo F6 and the Newton in the Stars rockets.

In addition to the rocket launch, the competition also included the most creative name category. Four rockets competed: Blue Bird, Ácmon, PETChemist Turbo F6 and Newton in the Stars, which received the most votes from factory workers.

“This entire project was a challenge for the students. They didn’t just produce the rocket, but also the presentations and evaluations. I was impressed with their performance during the course. It’s amazing that when they come here, they are dim little stars and in the end they all leave shining bright,” says Joselir.

According to the teacher, students were graded on their performance and dedication shown at from start to end of the project. They were also surprised and happy with the project and all of the activities they took part in. The graduation ceremony and commemoration for the Formare students will be held on December 16, at International Paper’s Luiz Antônio unit.

See the list of those who passed the first phase of the Formare Três Lagoas selective process.

Names are in alphabetical order.

The second phase will be held on Nov. 16 (Wednesday), at 1 PM, at Colégio Objetivo – Rua Urías Ribeiro, 2327 – Alto da Boa Vista.

A meeting between Formare IP students at the Mogi Guaçu and Luiz Antônio units is already part of the calendar of activities at International Paper Institute. This year, the company provided a chance for students to exchange knowledge as well as fun and culture, with a visit to the International Book Biennale, in São Paulo.

As one of the event’s sponsors, IP was able to bring students to São Paulo and provide a unique and fun moment in an inspiring space that values an exchange of ideas. After all, who doesn’t like a good recommendation for reading?

On the literature route – students left the Luiz Antônio and Mogi Guaçu units and had a first stop in the city of Limeira, where they met for breakfast before continuing their trip in a single bus, where they took part in some group dynamics that encouraged exchange of learning experiences.

A book and a challenge – the trip to the Book Biennale was overseen by the IP CSR and Sustainability team and by Elídio Frias, a Marketing Executive from Solenis, a partner in the Institute’s initiatives. The executive talked with students about careers and their futures and gave them a book and a challenge: to finish reading it by the end of the year. A goal that may be easy for some students, while for others it is just the start of building a new habit: travelling through the pages of a book.

In June, students talked with professionals from various areas at IP and were able to find answers to career questions during and open and relaxed chat.

Bringing young people who are making professional decisions closer to executives with market experience. This is the concept of the “Formare Chat,” an initiative of the International Paper Institute, which joins students with cycle tutors each month so they can have the chance to learn a bit more about professions, in addition to classes and visits promoted during the course.

In June, students at the Luiz Antonio unit had the opportunity to talk with Priscila Zahn, Coordinator of Manufacturing Excellence and a chemical engineer. Zahn started at IP in the Trainee program in 2010, at Três Lagoas, where she worked until 2015 and also served as a VE before taking her current job at Luiz Antonio.

Priscila is currently a Formare tutor and this was the first time she took part in a chat with the unit’s students. “They had a lot of questions about career and they asked me how I made my professional choices and if I had regretted any decision,” she says of her meeting with the young people on June 6.

In addition to Priscila, Thiago Bernabé, a Human Resources Manager, shared his experiences with students. Thiago has been at IP for five and a half years, working at the Mogi Guaçu, São Paulo and Três Lagoas units and having spent ten months in Russia, working at IP in Svetogorsk, a city on the border with Finland.

Back in Brazil, he worked at the Paulínia unit before coming to Luiz Antônio, where he has been for four months. “Students were very curious about learning how I reconciled being far from family, since I spent time in all of these places and I needed to be away from my wife,” he says. The chat with students covered resignations that come with choices. “I told them that you need to have long-term vision, understanding that our choices should be made with the greater good in mind and that in the future these choices will make sense,” he says, explaining the reasons for his moves.

Students also asked Priscila about the 5S program, which covers organization and tidying of work space, a topic discussed during Formare classes. The meeting also covered the difficulty of choosing. “They want to find out what I think about quitting one area and switching majors. I made a point of reinforcing that they need to choose something they like, because doing something they don’t like will make them unhappy.” That is why Priscila put the students at ease by saying that the most important thing is finding an area that motivates them and that there is nothing wrong with changing your mind and switching majors. “It’s important for us to find ourselves in our profession,” she explains.

Thiago says that he was quite surprised by the students’ interest in Human Resources, which is why he found a student who was being tutored who wanted to learn more about the area, so he could contribute to the student’s experience. “In addition to dealing with people, HR should be strategic and bring results to the company. You have to have a vision of business for the best results,” he explains, adding that the Formare Chat is a very good initiative because it gives young students a better idea of the reality of the market.

New IPI partnership strengthens IP’s role in social responsibility among the communities where it operates

International Paper Institute’s Formare project now has a new partner. Since March, the 100% of the meal costs of the project’s 50 students have been paid by the Solenis Especialidades Químicas company, a supplier of chemicals used in the production process and at the water treatment station at IP.

With this news, IPI is reinforcing its network of partnerships with companies involved in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects, whose values are aligned with the organizational principles adopted by International Paper. “We are extremely happy to have companies with the same purposes working along with us,” says Sabrina Tenello, a Social Responsibility Analyst for IPI.

Being a company with well-defined Social Responsibility guidelines is a fundamental requirement for working with the IPI team on the 11 projects that the organization maintains in Brazil.

The Solenis partnership with the Formare School Project is nothing new. Executives at the company actively participate in the “Formare Chat”, an International Paper Institute initiative to bring professionals with market experience closer to the project’s young students, who are in the process of defining their career, for an exchange of experiences. “We believe that we can do much more than participate in meetings with the students. We would like to be able to involve our employees in Formare activities more, to help IPI with the number of volunteers and be able to more widely promote the program at our company. It is beneficial to both sides,” says Elidio Frias, a Marketing executive at Solenis.

The consolidation of this latest initiative is a reflection not only of the result of a history of success that has had great results, but also shows how companies can join forces around a common cause, creating benefits for the community where they operate by contributing to the education of young professionals. It is investing in the present with a view to the future. “We believe that it is fundamental to establish partnerships that add value and contribute to improvements. That is why our partners need to follow the same guidelines as the Institute, believing in their role as agents of transformation,” says Gláucia Faria, Social Responsibility and Sustainability Coordinator at IP.

Understanding Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been adopted by companies as a way to work that is based on ethical and transparent management of all stakeholders, defining targets that foster the sustainable development of society, preserving environmental resources for future generations, respecting diversity and promoting less social inequality. In addition to offering benefits to the community, social responsibility initiatives also add value to the business companies do with their stakeholders.

At IP, the International Paper Institute is responsible for Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, mediating these activities with the communities where the company is present. The Institute currently has 11 projects: “Supportive Beekeeping,” “Vhida House,” “Travelling Book City,” “Social and Environment Education (SEE),” “Formare,” “Guardians of the Water,” “Guardians of the Biosphere,” Guardians of the Green,” “Guardians in Action,” “Nature and Body” and “EEP.” The pillars of all of these projects are promotion of social and environmental education for children and youth as well as spreading information about sustainable development.

Adapting Formare project classes to the workday is part of what Volunteer Educators (VEs) do. They are professionals from different areas who dedicate time to educating young people and adolescents through the project. To get good results, Educators have to organize their schedules so that there is no conflict between classes and work activities. “I block off the times for class days in my manager’s agenda right away. I try to do prior content at the start of the course that covers what I will teach for each module. This makes preparing the classes faster,” says Bruna Locatelli Fernandes, a VE and Administrative Assistant at the Três Lagoas/ MS factory. According to the professional, each class takes 30 to 40 out of her day.

Like Bruna, Joselir Cassuci, a Process Technician at the Luiz Antônio/ SP IP, tries to manage his schedule so that day-to-day activities and his work as a volunteer educator can be successfully accomplished. “If class time coincides with any high-priority commitment, I try to change my class time with a different class, because I don’t like to fall behind on program content,” he adds.  According to Jairo Lima, Internal Controls Analyst at the Mogi Guaçu/ SP unit, “commitment is commitment,” which is why he tries to organize his schedule ahead of time to avoid unforeseen events.

Early preparation of classes is fundamental for students to receive practical and pertinent content. In addition to using Formare support materials and text books, the VEs look to the internet and the corporate world for support materials. “I always look for themes that will help students their whole lives and in any profession they choose,” adds Joselir, a VE since the first class at the Luiz Antônio unit.

Another essential factor in developing the program content is assessment of the students. “Giving them feedback is of the utmost importance. I always ask if they are managing to assimilate the subject, and if they aren’t, I prepare the same class in a more educational way, until everyone can absorb it. This shows how the extent to which the class is or is not useful,” says Bruna, a VE for nearly two years.

Not only do they carry the responsibility of helping to educate young people and adolescents, but the VEs also learn to see social relations differently, both personally and professionally.

“In these five years of Formare, I have seen a lot of life stories. Some made me happy, others made me sad, but I learned from them all how important it is to love your brother. It’s gratifying to contribute to the growth of these young people for a new opportunity in life. The act of teaching with commitment, respect and dedication restores and transforms lives,” says Joselir, who has been honored three times by graduates. “I am honored to see the recognition and the fruits of my work. It’s confirmation of a duty done and motivation to keep going,” he says in closing.

Formare has a tremendous impact on student’s lives, but it also plays a fundamental role in the lives of those dedicated to sharing their teachings. “I learned to be a better human in all aspects. We don’t know how much we have to aggregate others with our knowledge. Everyone should educate… There is nothing more gratifying than someone thanking you just for passing on something you learned. Formare has surely transformed not only their lives, but mine as well,” adds Bruna.  “I learned to learn from the students and I gain new experiences by seeing things from a different perspective,” says Jairo, who has given IT, physics and basic math classes.

Join the Formare project team of volunteers! Be a Volunteer Educator at your unit, learn by teaching and help to transform the stories of these young people and your own story too.

Registration open Jan. 29 to Feb. 19.

 Luiz Antônio:

Sabrina Tenello – sabrina.tenello@ipaper.com ou 39073
Andreza Camacho – andreza.camacho@ipaper.com ou 39076

Mogi Guaçu

Tomás Fernandes – tomas.fernandes@ipaper.com ou 38955