As part of CGI’s Dream Connectors program, a company-wide initiative to support the involvement of CGI professionals in their communities, CGI volunteers in France partnered with Rézo City to help advance its mission of providing career development tools and guidance to young job seekers. Rézo City is a program within France’s Éduquer pour Réussir (Educate to Succeed) association.

CGI started by donating 10,000 euros, which was used to renovate the Rézo City office and provide much needed equipment such as computers. CGI volunteers were then trained as job coaches by Rézo City members and began coaching candidates. During the first semester of CGI’s participation in the program, more than half of the candidates found employment.

In addition to donating money and providing job coaching, CGI participated in “job meeting” events held by Rézo City with organizations that promote social integration and access to employment. During these meetings, CGI job coaches answered candidates’ questions about jobs in IT and presented CGI’s Developer School to Rézo City candidates.

CGI’s Developer School is an intensive five-month program that helps budding professionals hone their IT skills and learn new ones that will help them succeed at CGI. Program graduates receive a salary during the training program, and full-time jobs with CGI upon completion (with a required two-year commitment).

"Rézo City helped me to discover my career goals and visualize how to accomplish them,” said Tanrhori Smael, a young trainee from Rézo City and a new student in CGI’s Developer School. “Their coaches really listened to us and were very approachable.”