Empowering communities with education and skills

Driven by our mission to build progress for people and the planet, Holcim’s “Social Impact - Building Resilient Communities” strategy helps ensure resilient communities, guided by three core pillars: respect, empower and connect. 

To empower communities through impactful projects that help them improve their living standards, we actively invest in a broad range of initiatives in housing, health, education and skills development to enhance the livelihoods of people in the areas where we operate. 

Skills building and education, in particular, are the best long-term investments we can make to truly empower communities, so that people can develop secure, sustainable income sources and represent their interests in a responsible, self-determined way. 

Over the past five years, Holcim has contributed over CHF 150 million to social initiatives, which include skills building and education. Here are some of the highlights from our markets.

Skills training in The Philippines

Many people rely on seasonal income in Barangay Quirino, the host community of our La Union Plant in the Philippines. After conducting community consultations to address this issue, Holcim implemented a skills training program on fish processing, basic baking and pastry making.

To do this, we worked closely with the government and local educational institutions to provide hands-on intensive training so that families without steady livelihoods can secure better employment opportunities and build stability. So far this initiative has upskilled more than 50 participants in sectors including fishing and farming, and supported 270 people in total.

“Step-In” to a career in Egypt

Recent graduates often find it challenging to transition to the job market and kickstart their careers. Holcim Egypt collaborated with universities such as the German International University in Egypt to create the Step-In initiative as a bridge between education and industry. 

Empowering women in construction 

Construction is still traditionally a male-dominated environment, with women only representing 1% of the workforce, according to some estimates. Around the world, Holcim is working to make this sector more diverse, providing women with the skills and job opportunities to move the needle in construction and challenge existing stereotypes and barriers.  

In Spain, we launched the Women’s Construction Camp in 2023, offering free training specifically designed for women eager to learn about construction through a unique, hands on experience. In 2024, 15 women took part in the program’s second edition at our Mortar Technology Innovation Center in Villasequilla. Over five days, they received theoretical lessons followed by practical sessions dedicated to masonry, tiling, paving and the use of mortar to renovate homes. They got hands-on experience by renovating a real-size home, a structure that Holcim now uses as a test laboratory and training space. 

Improving schools for children in Iraq and Ivory Coast 

Bazian Elementary School, near one of Holcim Iraq’s operating sites, has long faced challenges due to the country’s unstable electrical grid. Frequent power outages used to disrupt classes, particularly during the winter months when classrooms were dimly lit. Holcim paid for the installation of a solar panel system at the school to provide reliable, clean energy, to ensure an uninterrupted sustainable power supply so that children can focus on learning.

In Sokouamékro, Ivory Coast, villagers built a makeshift primary school in 2016, and all the teachers worked on a voluntary basis. In 2018, Holcim began operating a quarry near the village and wanted to help build a proper school. In 2022, work began, and we took the opportunity to train and employ 20 villagers (including three women) to make earth-cement blocks.

By the end of 2023, the school was finished and handed over to the Ministry of Education. Some 300 schoolchildren are enrolled in the 2024-2025 school year and six professional teachers are employed. The second phase will see a canteen, library, office, meeting room, vegetable garden and a daycare built by April 2025, and teacher housing by June 2026.
 

Female entrepreneurs in rural Morocco 

Despite rural women’s major role in agriculture and other activities, higher barriers in education and training limit their participation in more productive and well-paid work, as well as community development. To address this issue, we launched the "Loujain" cooperative in Morocco to enhance the skills and employability of rural women.

We help them gain income sources by producing and marketing essential oils as well as cosmetic products made from medicinal plants. This includes buying equipment, providing training and soft skills sessions to develop technical and business skills, and helping obtain ONSSA certification to allow the cooperative to take part in exhibitions, increasing its visibility.

By enabling these cooperatives to produce and market on a national scale, Holcim contributes to the empowerment of rural women and community development. More than 20 women are already benefiting from this support program and achieving financial independence, which improves the quality of life for their families and has lasting positive impacts on the entire village.
 

“Innovation Bootcamp” in Colombia

Where we operate in Boyacá, Colombia, we inaugurated our Co-creation and Entrepreneurship Center in 2023. It is a space designed by and for the community to support and promote entrepreneurship and innovation, and develop skills for the future.

Here we organize a Holcim Entrepreneur contest, where the 12 winners receive seed capital in kind to boost their ventures. Before submitting their entries, all participants from Boyacá and nearby towns are invited to attend the Innovation Bootcamp, a program with training sessions in the form of workshops, where they learn basic concepts related to innovation and entrepreneurship, digital marketing, business model and sales pitching.

This is just one of Holcim Colombia’s many social impact initiatives, and in 2023 alone, 38,000 people benefited from this program. 

“With this center we want to strengthen and promote entrepreneurship and innovation in the region. We believe in the potential of our communities to create disruptive solutions for the planet’s needs, and we want to support them to achieve their dreams while contributing to the region’s economy.” Iris Restrepo, Head of Social Responsibility at Holcim Colombia