Bracell Launches New Learning Institute

Bracell has achieved a significant milestone in its human resources development capacity, with the establishment of the Bracell Learning Institute (BLI) to enhance in-house training for the company’s employees. The BLI is located at the company’s production complex in Lençóis Paulista, in Brazil’s São Paulo state.

Through a raft of curated courses and programmes, employees will upgrade their skills, increase productivity, and advance their careers at the company. The BLI is managed by co-heads Mr. Mauro Peixoto, HR Senior Manager, and Ms. Fernanda Kruse, Training and Development Manager.

Ms. Kruse said the BLI was established to engage employees on the company’s core values, to impact communities and also boost business outcomes.

“We believe that encouraging learning and development will lead to improved performance for employees, and for the company. One of our values is to contribute to the development of our people. Investing in people, conducting training and promoting learning programmes will give our employees opportunities for career progression,” she said.

The training programmes are customised to suit different grades of employees, from entry-level to leadership training to grooming a pool of future leaders for Bracell.  Programmes are grouped under eight learning pillars: Foundation, Change Management, Entry Level, Community Initiatives, Safety, Leadership, Managerial/Soft Skills, and Technical and Functional.

Bracell Learning Institute where Bracell staff can upgrade their skills and improve their career prospects

Under the Foundation pillar, for instance, new employees are on-boarded to learn about Bracell’s core values. In the Technical & Functional pillar, technical staff receive training to equip them for different roles, reducing the learning curve and improving production – critical areas given that Bracell is expanding rapidly. Drivers – about 400 of them spanning nine cities in Brazil – have also received training, boosting the company’s internal recruitment drive. Then there is the Passport Programme, a training matrix which charts employees’ careers by equipping them with specific training and skills for each function during their time at Bracell.

Soft skills are not overlooked either. These are incorporated into training for supervisors and newly-promoted managers to enhance their management and communications skills. To develop a pool of effective Bracell leaders, the Leadership pillar features a seven-year executive leadership programme which offers a combination of leadership rotation in different teams for wider exposure, learning under mentors and through classroom training.

One of the BLI’s most outstanding features is its infrastructure. The 1,520-sq metre institute boasts six training rooms where lessons are conducted, six meeting rooms for smaller group discussions, a laboratory for technology-based training, a reading area to allow for uninterrupted study time, a 196-seat auditorium, an amphitheatre for 72 people and a co-working space. At any one time, BLI can train more than 400 people.

The establishment of the BLI is in line with Bracell’s “people first” philosophy under which it recognises that it cannot develop natural resources without first developing its people. The structured training is planned in line with employees’ training needs, based on analysis of the workforce, and the wider goals of the company.

Julio Macedo, who is undergoing training in ECRP (Chloride Removal Process) at the BLI

One of the trainees is Julio Macedo, who works in the Recovery Boiler, Evaporation and ETAC area.  Mr. Macedo, who is undergoing training in ECRP (Chloride Removal Process), said the Institute provided an opportunity for professional development through cross-specialisation training.

Instructors are drawn internally from Bracell, as well as from its partners. Initially, the target is to train Bracell employees. There are also plans to establish a BLI space at Bracell’s new Santos location.

BLI’s long-terms goals are:

• Become a hub in the learning, development and knowledge eco-system, aligned with RGE’s 5Cs: consistently create value for the Community, Country, Climate, Customer and the Company
• Drive the continuous learning process and collective intelligence
• Be a research and innovation hub
• Be a catalyst in Corporate Culture
• Become a strategic tool in the Employee Value Proposition

“We value the local and regional workforce, and we want to invest in training and development for our employees so that they remain current in their respective areas of work and are always improving their knowledge and skills,” Ms. Kruse said.

Across its operations in Brazil, Bracell offers training programmes, educational benefits and incentives to support professional development, which will in turn result in new career opportunities for its approximately 6,800 employees.