Prioritizing Training

Throughout their careers, Lafarge offers its employees internal training programs that relate to the Group's professions and company culture. These courses are offered at several levels:

• at the Business Unit level, for training in the local language
• at the Business level, to study different techniques and professions
• at the Group level, to acquire management skills at Lafarge University, our corporate university.

External training programs provided by specialized organizations or business schools may be offered to meet specific individual needs.

Lafarge University was created in 2003. It was designed to improve management and encourage managers to act in compliance with the Group's Principles of Action. This corporate university works in partnership with some of the best business schools in the world: Insead and Henley in Europe and Duke University and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in the United States.

The program includes individual development plans and skills training. Each year, 12 sessions are held in Asia, 12 in North and South America and 25 in Europe and Africa. Each session brings together between eight and 20 different nationalities. These sessions help to build networks between managers and encourage knowledge sharing and the development of best practices.

Programs are regularly updated and enriched. For example, Lafarge University is working with the Executive Finance Committee to implement a program on the ways financial directors can add value in their management committee.