Equal opportunity is a vital component of social engagement at SNCF. We promote equality and diversity by encouraging our employees to work with young people one-on-one, helping them succeed at school, at university and in their careers. Together with other companies and foundations, we’ve made mentoring a critical tool for empowering young people.

SNCF volunteers who join our programme find that sharing their skills to serve the public interest is a richly rewarding experience.

We pledge to:

• raise the number of employee mentors to 1,000
• provide financial support to select non-profits in the Mentoring Collective¹

Mentoring is a personal commitment for both mentor and mentee. Each SNCF employee is paired with a young person and regularly spends time with them, offering guidance and helping them succeed in the classroom and/or in the job market. This personalized, one-on-one support is an effective way to keep young people in school and reduce inequality in education.

Our mentoring programme focuses particularly on disadvantaged young people at school and university. Because they live in underserved urban areas and remote suburban or rural communities, our mentees often struggle with social, cultural and economic difficulties.

Laure Vetu, a TER project leader for SNCF Voyageurs in Northern France, finds mentoring rewarding. “Agreeing to guide and support a young person in need makes me feel useful and deepens my ties to my community,” she says. “And pairing disadvantaged young people with volunteers from the business world strengthens my sense of civic engagement. It’s also a sign of wellbeing and healthy self-esteem. With the help of a mentor, a young person can acquire essential knowledge, build self-confidence and strengthen their social skills.”

The SNCF Foundation has forged partnerships with a number of non-profits in the Mentoring Collective¹, so potential mentors can choose the organization they want to work with.

To get involved, simply log onto our dedicated site. Once you’re connected with a non-profit, you can apply for one of the many mentoring positions offered throughout France.