AREVA supports jobs for disabled initiative

• AREVA to partner France’s Disabled Employment Week for the fourth year in a row

Having created an encouraging number of job opportunities and ongoing work for the disabled in 2008*, AREVA is once again preparing to take part in France’s 13th national disabled employment week, to be held on November 16-20, 2009.

The initiative comes as part of the group’s commitment to equal opportunities and diversity.

In France, AREVA will be participating in regional job events organized by ADAPT, including forums, "job-dating" and "handicafés©", as well as the "handi-chat" online Q&A session about its diversity policy, organized by AGEFIPH in Paris on November 18.

Internal events will also be held, including local disability awareness actions to promote employee dialog and participation. Every AREVA site in France will hold its own activities, with disability debates and awareness exercises such as wheelchair courses, tasting in complete darkness and art exhibits.

• AREVA organizes its first European jobs for the disabled day

Following on from its Europe-wide equal opportunities commitments, AREVA is continuing to innovate as it prepares to hold the first European jobs for the disabled day on its European sites, on November 17, 2009.

Several awareness actions will take place, such as a Christmas market organized by AREVA’s Swiss employees offering items made by a disabled workshop, employee awareness meetings held in Italy, Switzerland and Portugal, and learning obstacle courses in France demonstrating the day-to-day difficulties the disabled face.

AREVA is engaging in a pro-active, transparent initiative, to make diversity a reality in the group.

In 2008, the ODEO project (Open Dialogue through Equal Opportunities) succeeded in spreading awareness among employees of the challenges of diversity, including providing jobs for the disabled.

This Europe-wide day is a chance for every AREVA employee to find out about the group’s commitments to debating, understanding and acting together, to change our perceptions of disability.

*2008 results in France :

• Of the 213 job opportunities created in 2008 (permanent, fixed-term, block-release, interns and temporary), AREVA signed 49 permanent and 35 fixed-term work contracts with disabled people.
• In 2008, €3.8 million of business was made with disability workshops, a 111% increase over two years.