aerobd.news : The Embraer Education and Research Institute, one of the main references of private social investment in Brazil, celebrates its 20th anniversary. The date will be honored tomorrow in a virtual event live-streamed on the Institute’s YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/CRbd4m2Qt60.

With its history marked by the generation of opportunities for social transformation, the initiative arose in May 2001 to offer quality education for vulnerable young talents in search of a better future.

The first project – Colégio Embraer Juarez Wanderley, aimed at high school students from public schools in the São José dos Campos, SP area – was just the beginning of a sequel of perennial philanthropic actions, which have multiplied over these two decades through partnerships and the voluntary spirit, with mutual learning.

“The Embraer Institute is part of a knowledge dissemination ecosystem that stimulates a high-quality education of our employees, the competitiveness of the national aeronautical supply chain, promotes scientific development and positively impacts society as a whole,” said Francisco Gomes Neto, CEO of Embraer. “Education was the basis for Embraer’s creation and remains a fundamental pillar of the company. For this reason, our social engagement activities are in accordance with our vision and with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) best practices.”

Over 4,000 students have graduated from Embraer High Schools, including the Casimiro Montenegro unit, in Botucatu – SP. Approval into universities is close to 100%, of which more than 80% are for public institutions, the most prestigious and competitive universities in Brazil. In addition, thousands of other families are positively impacted annually through other multiplying social projects, such as the Social Partnership Program (PPS), which has directly supported 180 educational projects in the areas of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte and Florianópolis. On average, Embraer’s social investment is around $20 million per year.

Asas do Bem (Wings of Good)

The Embraer Institute also coordinates specific programs to promote the culture of volunteering through partnerships with public and private organizations. A new version of the Wings of Good platform, an online portal that allows a relationship between Civil Society Organizations and Embraer employees who wish to become volunteers, was recently relaunched.

The development of new initiatives has been propelled by the skills of the company’s professionals, who come together and attract other specialists from the country to help society through mentoring and diversity fronts, among others. During the pandemic period alone, remote volunteering activities add up to more than 4,000 hours, benefiting more than 6,000 people.

The social actions are conducted in line with the government, local partners and volunteer employees, and count on the increasing participation of local communities to set strategic priorities through public consultations and opinion polls.