Last Wednesday, December 20, the Cultivar (“Cultivate”) Program, created by Suzano and implemented in partnership with the Brazilian National Service for Industrial Training (SENAI, in Portuguese), celebrated the graduation of 20 Forestry Harvester Operators, all residents of rural communities in Conceição da Barra and São Mateus, in the north of the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. The event took place in the auditorium of the Suzano Mucuri site, in the state of Bahia.
According to Gabriela Letícia Ramos Carvalho, a People Development analyst at Suzano, in addition to training individuals living areas where the company operates, the program also aims to drive local income generation. Graduates will be added to the company’s talent bank and invited to participate in future hiring processes for vacant positions.
Of the total spots in the class, 50% were reserved for women. Graduate Nicole Santos Pereira, a resident of Córrego Grande, São Mateus, could not contain her emotional tears during the graduation ceremony. “Almost all men in my family have operated tractors and heavy machinery, including my grandfather, father and uncles. I will be the first woman in my family to perform this role, which has traditionally been a male role, although this is now changing. Today, there are several female operators, and I’m happy to be one of them,” she said.
Graduate Denielson de Oliveira, a resident of the Nova Vista community, also in São Mateus, said that the course came about at a time when he was looking for new job opportunities. “I was working as an air conditioning installer and looking for a chance at a big company. That’s when my wife found out about the course and signed me up. I was pleasantly surprised to be selected out of so many applicants, and I was very happy because I had always dreamed of working in this field.”
During the event, the graduates had the opportunity to interact, ask questions and meet managers, coordinators and other professionals from Suzano, who shared about their roles and experiences with the company. They also toured the Mucuri site and got to see the entire pulp manufacturing process up close.
For the duration of the course, participants received a monthly stipend, including transportation and food aid (during the practical phase), in addition to personal protective equipment (PPE), life insurance and uniform. The course was open to residents of the Córrego do Chiado, Córrego da Contenda, Dilô Barbosa, Morro da Arara, Nova Vista, São Domingos de Itauninhas, Santa Maria and São Jorge communities, in São Mateus, and the Córrego do Alexandre, Córrego Grande, Coxi, Linharinho, Morro da Onça, Roda D'Água, Santana and São Domingos (Bahia and Manoel Pinheiros axis) communities, in Conceição da Barra.
Pablo Roberto Soares da Silva, an Operational Development technician at Suzano, highlighted that the Cultivar Program aims to drive continuous social development in communities in the five Brazilian states where the company operates (Bahia, Espírito Santo, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais and São Paulo). In Bahia, Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais alone, the program has trained more than 400 people in the last three years, focusing on the areas of forestry and mechanical harvesting.
“We cultivate diversity in our company, so it is gratifying to see so many women and individuals living in socially vulnerable conditions graduate and have the opportunity to change their own situation and the situation of their families,” said Pablo.