Nine trainees from Aker Solutions in late September visited one of the Red Cross’ activity centres in Oslo. Here they would do voluntary work arranged through Aker Solutions’ partnership with the Red Cross.
Aker Solutions’ three year partnership with the Red Cross was entered into in December 2007. It encompasses financial support, exchanges of expertise and the engagement of employees through volunteering.
“Aker Solutions is one of the main partners of the Red Cross and we are immensely proud of our partnership. By reaching out a hand to people in need, the Aker Solutions trainees truly live the values of the Red Cross and the values of Aker Solutions”, says Irene Løken, Project Manager for the Norwegian Red Cross.
Volunteering was part of a three day workshop for the nine trainees, (read more here).
At the centre they were introduced to the Safir project – an initiative supporting former drug addicts in their reintegration into society. The trainees joined some of the project’s customers for lunch and afterwards participated in a quiz with other volunteers and members of the Safir project. They received a warm welcome from all the users of the centre, who were curious to learn more about the trainees and the company.
In the afternoon, the trainees were divided into three groups and did various work at the Red Cross activity centre. One group gardened while another group helped with some carpentry and the third group catalogued books in the library.
“This has been a fantastic opportunity and a lot of fun. Meeting everyone involved has been an inspiration for us. I encourage other colleagues to get in involved with similar activities”, says Cassiano Ricardo, ex-trainee and now senior consultant working in umbilicals sales and marketing for Aker Solutions.
The trainees successfully graduated from the Aker international trainee programme in September 2009.