THE AVIO AERO

PEOPLE’S MAGAZINE

As in previous years, in 2023 Avio Aero actively participated - as a gold partner - in 4 Weeks 4 Inclusion, an initiative launched by Tim that involves more than 400 companies in a month of webinars and events dedicated to valuing diversity and inclusion. The objective is to reiterate further the importance of this issue within the company, which has been committed to becoming a benchmark nationally and beyond for several years.

Indeed, as Carlamaria Tiburtini, Senior HR Business Partner and Inclusion Leader at Avio Aero, explained, "Inclusion is not intellectual property and the more we talk about it, the more we share and the more we 'learn' from each other, the more we will grow together."

This is a theme dear to Avio Aero. The company has established numerous diversity initiatives in recent years. Moreover, it has established a network to manage and organize events, activities and projects on the issues covered by the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Council. This latter is a "complex" structure that represents all business functions. It operates within a framework where all activities are organized, whether managed by external partners or related to Employee Resource Groups (ERG) activities.

A group picture of the students from "Dalla scuola all'autonomia" initiative at the Avio Aero Rivalta plant.

The ERGs are at the heart of inclusion at Avio Aero. Among the six employee groups (together with Women Network, Pride Alliance, Health Ahead, and Volunteers) is the Disability Advocate Network (DAN), which was established to contribute to projects supporting individuals with disabilities and their families. The network operates via a meeting series dedicated to Avio Aero employees and by supporting external projects where the company contributes its experience and technical knowledge. This group is pursuing two crucial and compelling projects: From School to Independence and Scholarships for Engineering Students with Disabilities.

The commitment was explained in detail during the company event, held at the headquarters in Rivalta di Torino as part of 4W4I, dedicated to the activities implemented by the DAN group and organized along with the Consulta per le Persone in Difficoltà (CPD) and the "I Buffoni di Corte" association, which has been the company’s partner for years in the "From School to Independence" project.

"Avio Aero's choice is to seek the skills we need to design, produce and sell excellent aeronautical products," Tiburtini said. "People with disabilities are not a separate category. They are an integral part of our company. Our Inclusion system focuses on skills beyond gender, race, emotional orientation, disability..."

The students during the Rivalta shop tour with Avio Aero experts guiding the visits.

“People with disabilities are an integral part of our company. Our Inclusion system focuses on skills beyond gender, race, emotional orientation, disability..."

Launched in 2019 at the Rivalta plant, the "From School to Independence" project has involved an increasing number of students. Starting this school year, it has been expanded throughout Avio Aero’s Italian plants, thanks to the work of our DAN members. "The project," Tiburtini explained, "is nearing completion in the Pomigliano plant and, in early 2024, will be started in Brindisi. Starting next year, our goal is to expand it to plants in Poland and the Czech Republic as well, so that we become a European model of inclusion."

The project targeting high school students is not Avio Aero’s only inclusion tool. Starting in October 2023, scholarships have been funded at the Politecnico di Torino for deserving students with disabilities. The goal is to support the students during their studies so that, upon completion, they can find jobs that cultivate the skills they have acquired.

The students hosted at Avio Aero Pomigliano in October.

"Avio Aero’s search for talents focuses on STEM curriculum and technical universities, our preferred partners. We normally find the specific skills mentioned earlier in engineering departments. Implementing scholarships for students with disabilities at the Politecnico di Torino addresses two needs: to impact the ecosystem - that is, to push kids with disabilities to go further and study - and to increase our recruitment opportunities," Tiburtini concluded.

Necessary steps towards the inclusion of people with disabilities show how crucial it is for Avio Aero to value all diversity to reach - in the future - a fairer and more inclusive workplace.