Jotun’s Learning & Development crew uses state-of-the-art technology to create internal training programs. “If we want to create a better Jotun, we need to keep innovating”, Senior Learning Advisor Matthieu Augereau says.
The 31-year-old is French but lives in Sandefjord, Norway. Before joining Jotun, Matthieu worked in a company organising outdoor sports events, such as the Tour de France.
“Earlier I used to see bikes and cycling helmets. Now it’s forklifts and safety hardhats”, Matthieu laughs.
He’s now in a completely different industry. Jotun Group is a global paints and coatings manufacturer with 40 factories and more than 10,000 employees worldwide.
“Instead, I get to take part in some really interesting digital learning projects and collaborate with colleagues from different Jotun sites throughout the world”, he continues.
As a member of the Learning & Development department in Jotun, Matthieu’s task is to make sure the employees (internally known as penguins) never stop growing.
“In Jotun, we want our employees to keep on learning new skills and develop their performance. We collaborate with all departments to build relevant courses and training modules. To succeed in this and create a better Jotun, we need to keep innovating”, Matthieu explains.
There are a lot of exciting digital learning tools available today.
“For instance, a couple of months ago we went to Oman to film 360 content for an upcoming VR training for our employees in operations. The pilot training module is now out, and feedback has been fabulous. For sure, there will be more VR projects going forward, and I can’t wait to bring this further”, he says.
While there, Matthieu packed his schedule as full as possible. Amongst other things, he secured photo and video footage of some of the smart energy saving initiatives taking place in Jotun Oman.
To take it from the top, Jotun’s main take on sustainability is to create premium paints and coatings. This way the customers’ assets – buildings, ships and infrastructure – are properly protected and live longer. In addition, you have internal initiatives such as reducing waste and running on renewable energy.
“We also came to Oman to start building content for a gamified sustainability training, and to document some of the sustainability initiatives being launched there. It was amazing to see the 5,000 m2 of solar panels on the roof of the factory”, Matthieu says.
He’s happy to learn new things himself, when visiting new places and meeting with new colleagues.
“In Oman, they even have installed solar tubes on the roof of the warehouse to provide light without using lamps. How clever is that!?”.
Jotun donates NOK 2 mill to humanitarian aid in the Middle East region
Jotun’s longtime partner in humanitarian aid support – Red Cross and Red Crescent – is supporting civilians in several countries in the conflict areas. There is a massive need for help in the region.
A 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Morocco September 8th, causing widespread devastation. Jotun has donated NOK 1 million to Red Cross/Red Crescent to emergency aid in the area.
With encouragement from Jotun and support from his family, Ashraf Salem ElSayed Abousalem earned a Master’s degree and PhD while building his career at Jotun.
After being turned down twice by a competing company, Nilay Yilmaz (28) landed a job in Jotun Turkey and became the first female coating advisor in the country. Now her colleagues hope to see more women at the busy shipyards.
The collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam in Ukraine is among the largest destructions of civil infrastructure since February 2022 and has major humanitarian consequences. Jotun has decided to donate NOK 2 mill to The Red Cross/Red Crescent and their emergency aid in the area.
Jotun’s employees are encouraged to pursuit new careers within the company. For Yasmine (31) a short-term assignment sent her on a career boosting journey.
To support the employees when they need it the most, Jotun launched Penguin Care. Six months later the program has already improved the quality of life for several Jotun employees and families throughout the world.
To help meet the growing need for humanitarian aid in Ukraine, Jotun has donated NOK 1 mill to the Red Cross/ Red Crescent and NOK 0.5 mill to Norwegian People’s Aid to support their work in the country.
During the pandemic, our mental health has been heavily challenged. In Jotun Turkey, a company paid well-being program has given more than 1 000 employees valuable help.
Stein Kjølberg is one of many Jotun employees with various positions and countries under the belt. Now the Norwegian is packing his golf clubs and moving to the US.
“Focusing on diversity and inclusion gives huge benefits – both on an individual and corporate level”, says Faten Lubani in Globale Sandefjord and Åsmund Bergem in Jotun.
Jotun continues to support Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) in their efforts in some of the world’s most dangerous places. There still are millions of mines and explosive remnants of war hidden under the soil in Vietnam and Cambodia.
Through collaboration and the clever use of technology, Jotun Turkey’s “GreenSteps” campaign has built strong social media engagement that has raised awareness and money for re-forestation projects.