The focus of Votorantim´s outside social investments is to prioritize initiatives that promote the emancipation of young people, between 15 and 24 years of age, with limited access to goods and services, directing investments toward activities that provide development in the areas of education and employment.

With the expansion of the businesses and modernization of business practices in this area, it became extremely important that we increase the synergy between our diverse social initiatives. This need gave rise to the Votorantim Institute in 2002.

The Votorantim Institute guides the Group’s companies in conducting and qualifying social investments, and helps in the interface with the communities in which they work.

In 2006, Votorantim Metals invested approximately R$ 5 million (Brazilian reais) in social projects and R$ 3.8 million in training for our collaborators. The company employs seven thousand individuals, including collaborators and outsourcing, as well as approximately 200 interns, 50 trainees, and 150 Young Learners.

Aligned with the guidelines of the Votorantim Institute, projects in the communities in which companies work are focused on the broad-based development of young people aged 15 to 24, with an emphasis on their education and professional training.

Learn more about the Social Responsibility projects of Votorantim Metals:

• The Future in Our Hands: training for young people in diverse areas, whether connected to the company’s business or not. The objective of this program is to meet the demand for labor in the region of implementation.
• Equale: a job training program for disabled people. There are currently 60 individuals active in Votorantim’s business units thanks to this effort.
• Citizen Participation: a company volunteerism program, with a mission to encourage collaborators to exercise their citizenship and participate in social responsibility activities.
• Teens: For youth under the age of 18, the objective of this program is to provide professional qualification and access to the job market. It includes technical, scholarly, and psychological education for participants. In Juiz de Fora, the Teens project is also held in partnership with the Municipal Association for Community Support (Amac).
• Apprentice: Lasting three years, this project provides professional training and job opportunities to youth under the age of 18. The project is held in partnership with the National Industrial Apprenticeship Service (Senai) and includes technical, scholarly, and psychological education for participants, as well as an internship in Votorantim.
• Little Gardeners: Also focused on professional training, this project provides technical, scholarly, and psychological education, with practical coursework on gardening and horticulture.
• Technical Schools: In partnership with Senai, the company supports the implementation of technical schools in the cities in which it has units.
• Adesfort: Through a partnership with the Fortaleza de Minas Development Association (MG), the company invests in the training of labor and creation of alternative sources of income in the municipality.
• Digital Inclusion: The objective of this project is to provide theoretical and practical training in computing, as a means of training participants for the job market. This project also develops computing and computer maintenance courses, drawing important partners in the community closer together.
• Culture for Everyone: Support for the arts is also an important aspect of the activities developed by the Votorantim group, which focuses on programs that provide broad access to culture. Based on this guideline, Votorantim Metals sponsors projects in the cities in which the company maintains factories: Music in the School and Animated School (Barra Mansa), Local History in the School (São Miguel Paulista and Juiz de Fora), Poetry Caravan (Morro Agudo, Três Marias and Vazante) and the Highway Circuit (Vazante).

Projects to be sponsored are chosen through the public bidding process of the Cultural Democratization Program launched by the Votorantim Institute. The program seeks to strengthen the presence in the process of human formation, supporting cultural projects in all areas – visual arts, film and video, performing arts, music, literature, and architecture. In 2006, VM contributed approximately R$ 6 million to these projects.

• Animated School: The school version of Anima Mundi (The Brazilian International Animated Film Festival), this project provides theoretical and practical courses so students and teachers can create animated films.
• Local History in the School: Seeks to value regional history by preserving local memory through activities that contribute to improve reading and writing skills. The project began in 2005 at the São Miguel Paulista unit.
• The Highway Circuit: This project provides theater performances and films, followed by debates, as well as training for public school teachers in cities with few cultural amenities.
• Poetry Caravan: Involves the performance of shows, workshops, and other activities related to music and literature that seek to spread the poetry of the Portuguese Language.