Construction workers become literate in education program in Rio de Janeiro

Construction company OEC is offering literacy classes to workers on its construction sites in the city of Rio de Janeiro, such as the Transbrasil and Transoeste BRT terminals, the Marapicu reservoir, the water treatment plant in Xerém and the Campo Grande ring road

OEC – Odebrecht Engenharia & Construção education program, which aims to teach literacy to young people and adults, will be holding another graduation ceremony on August 29th, this time at the “OEC Terminals School”. This class has 20 students who work on the BRT terminal construction sites and began in September 2023, totaling more than 8,000 hours of collective training.

The students will receive a certificate and will be sent to regular public schools, where they can take the placement test and enroll in the corresponding grade to continue their studies. Those who wish can also register for the National Exam for the Certification of Youth and Adult Competencies (ENCCEJA), which also assesses knowledge to enable enrollment in the public school system.

Alexandre Baltar, OEC’s Sustainability Director, points out that education is essential for the free and full exercise of citizenship and for effective social inclusion. “By providing learning and qualification opportunities, we help students in their professional and personal growth,” he says.

For Rogerio Dourado, OEC’s Contracts Director for the Rio de Janeiro market, education is offering a person the main possibility for development. “Through education, a whole range of opportunities opens up. Here we try to plant a seed, a stimulus, so that other steps can be reached by our members.”

The program is the result of a partnership between the OEC and an entity that specializes in training young people and adults in the construction industry, which has been providing pedagogical guidance for over three decades, with bimonthly assessments every 100 hours/class with a teacher and pedagogical coordinator and monitoring of each student’s progress. Classes always take place after work, lasting 2 hours a day, from Monday to Thursday. In addition to classes, there are extra activities such as cultural outings and lectures on a variety of topics, with volunteer professionals. The classes have a very low drop-out rate, which proves the quality and effectiveness of the initiative.

Escolinha OEC has already trained students on the Transbrasil and Transoeste BRTs. In 2023, 35 students were trained, accounting for more than 22,000 hours of collective training. The forecast is to reach 100 trained students after the conclusion of the OEC School classes in RJ, which include the works on the Campo Grande Road Link, the Xerém WTP and the Marapicu reservoir. The initiative reflects OEC’s commitment to the education and development of its employees, priorities embodied in its Sustainability and People Policies, the results of which reinforce the company’s contribution to meeting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals 1 (Eradication of Poverty), 4 (Quality Education), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and 10 (Reduction of Inequalities).