Medef Women's Movement, Gadiamb insertion device, SOI course for youth guidance : three recent examples of the dynamic of innovation carried by Medef Réunion in its dual economic and social approach to business. So many initiatives noted by the national bodies of the French Business Movement and which are attracting attention outside Reunion Island.
“Reunion Island has always had innovation in its DNA because it has no choice”, declares Didier Fauchard, director of the IT services company Format, president of Medef Réunion since 2016, three times re-elected, which places the action of the local employers' union in this tradition in the face of the challenges of the 21st century. With some 900 members, Medef Réunion is now in tenth place, in terms of staff, of the 107 entities making up the national Medef. It is one of the most important territorial establishments of Medef, behind the regions of the major economic centers of France. In 2023, the Reunion organization experienced the third highest growth rate in the number of members. The Medef Réunion, which employs 20 people, each year presents a particularly comprehensive roadmap. These roadmaps demonstrate an ability to research and develop local solutions to represent and support its members., to help stimulate employment and recruitment of young people, to support business leaders in current transitions (management, human ressources, RSE, etc.) which are changing the very notion of business, and this in an economic context full of uncertainty (“a context which does not allow one to be optimistic, but which leads us to be positive”, summarizes Didier Fauchard). To put forward proposals, Medef Réunion has a Research and Development commission, chaired by economist Philippe Jean-Pierre, which plays the role of a local think tank on major development issues. But the R approach&D from Medef Réunion appears more clearly in the effectiveness of certain concrete actions. The 2024 roadmap, presented last month by Didier Fauchard surrounded by his team, among others, highlighted three of them.
The strong mobilization of the Medef Women network
Shenaz Zadwat, director of the Offital company, vice-president of Medef Réunion and president of its School-Business commission, leads the Medef Women's network in Reunion. By bringing together around a hundred business leaders at each of its meetings and events, the Reunion network is one of those that works best compared to a majority of territorial Medefs in mainland France, who struggle to represent female entrepreneurship. During a round table organized at the fifth Meeting of French Entrepreneurs, end of August 2023, Réunion was one of the three regions of France invited to demonstrate its women's action. Shenaz Zadvat spoke to the Minister responsible for Equality between Women and Men. In particular, she was able to describe a mentoring operation imagined in Reunion Island which mobilizes 18 business leaders, mentors of 18 young girls training in the adapted military service regiment (RSMA). These female leaders support young people until they leave the RSMA in order to encourage them in their training, to give them confidence in themselves and thus promote their professional integration. For International Women's Day, March 8, Medef Réunion is preparing to organize a major conference on the evolution of the role and place of women through the ages in Réunion. In April, in partnership with BNP Paribas, a day on financing women's businesses will be aimed at new business creators and entrepreneurs. These two events, obviously, will fill up. “The Medef Women’s movement is particularly dynamic in Reunion”, summarizes Shenaz Zadvat, recently contacted by Medef du Var, who wants to know the recipe for success in Reunion…
Gadiamb, an example for other DOMs
Medef held its overseas committee in Reunion last December. On this occasion, the Gadiamb integration system was presented to the Medef delegations from Martinique, of Guadeloupe and Guyana. Suffice to say that attention was maximum in the room, as the problem of employment of young people poorly adapted to the school system is acute in all overseas departments. Gadiamb, device designed in Reunion, has already enabled 300 young people without qualifications or experience to get a foothold in the world of work. Gadiamb (which means “great”, « formidable », in Creole) was born from consultation between OPCO Akto and Constructys, Medef Réunion and FRBTP, following the 2018 yellow vest crisis. This is an experimental professionalization contract lasting six months, which is 100% in-house (without theoretical courses as in work-study training). The young person benefits from tutoring in the company that recruits them. With this support, he acquires interpersonal skills at the same time as know-how. Funded by OPCOs, that is to say by companies, Gadiamb owes its success to the strong mobilization of Medef Réunion members. The State funded three specific positions within the employers’ organization, as well as the communication budget of the operation. L’Opcommerce et OPCO 2i (industry) and OPCO Mobilités have joined the system. With a positive exit rate of 80% (young people then hired on permanent contracts or returning to training), Gadiamb was of great interest to the Medefs of other overseas departments. The objective, in the meeting, is now to renew the device, which ends in June, and sign 250 additional contracts. Commentary by Didier Fauchard : “You have to read the testimonies collected by the intermediate survey of December 2022 to understand what Gadiamb brings to these young people. They are no longer the same. »
SELF journey to find the right path
Another innovation from Reunion, the SOI course is intended to guide young people from middle and high schools in their reflection on building a professional career. By simplifying, it’s about helping them to know themselves better to better think about what they would like to do. The SOI course is part of the Ambition Emploi approach of National Education, which aims at the same objective by targeting middle and high school students completing their school cycle. What to do next : look for a job, continue studies, for what purpose ? The SOI course offers young people the opportunity to follow three modules to better discover themselves : the first dedicated to interpersonal skills, the second focused on motivation, the third dedicated to how to stand out in a job interview. The concept was imagined by an experienced training and media coaching professional (training of trainers) working in Reunion, Sylvie Planchard, former director of an educational establishment of the National Education. The project starts. The SOI course will be presented by Nathalie Mondon and Marion Molly, of the Employment Training center of Medef Réunion, at the next quarterly seminar of the National Medef Employment Training Center, At the beginning of April. To be continued.
