Skills sponsorship : Laurie from setec organisation tells you all about it !

“It is a very rewarding experience because it allows us to see totally different projects and issues.”

 

The setec Foundation has been supporting the Arboretum de Roure (Marcel Kroenlein) since 2020 in its mission to preserve plant species threatened by climate change and in the creation of a “Tree Seed Bank of Tomorrow“.

Laurie Avrillaud, an engineer in charge of operations at setec organisation in Marseille, has joined the Arboretum as a project manager. She agreed to share her experience.

🚩REMINDER: As a foundation sheltered by the Fondation de France, the setec Foundation cannot provide skills sponsorship. The sponsorship agreement is established directly between the employee’s subsidiary and the association. The setec Foundation plays a supporting role in establishing contact with the association.

 

 

 

Interview with Laurie Avrillaud : her testimony on skills sponsorship

 

Why did you decide to get involved with the Arboretum of Roure?

“I wanted to get involved with the setec Foundation and the various and very interesting projects it carries out, particularly in Africa, a land for which I have a particular attachment. It so happened that at the time I expressed my interest, the Arboretum needed a new project manager. So I jumped at the opportunity because I think the intermingling of nature and art is a great concept. It was very quickly important to me to participate in this project wishing to highlight biodiversity and its history through educational, recreational and cultural activities, at a time when environmental issues are becoming preponderant.

 

©Arboretum Marcel Kroenlein

Did you know about skills sponsorship before this experience?

“Following the SETEC 60 competition, I had the chance to go to Rwanda with Bridges to Prosperity, as I was part of one of the winning teams. It was both a sponsorship of skills to teach the locals the construction methods of this pedestrian bridge, and also purely practical (making the concrete, cutting the planks, transporting the materials, …). Of course, this incredible experience can only push me to get involved again with associations.”

What are your missions for the Arboretum of Roure?

“The Arboretum has identified several technical subjects on which they need expert advice to develop their projects (rehabilitation of an old goat house to create small studettes for the Arboretum teams / search for a water source / creation of WE PMR…). I am project manager, coordinator of the experts to be solicited and I also bring a support in building and other general competences as in assembly of files of calls to project for example.

It’s also up to me to make proposals and identify the subjects on which I can bring added value, such as future support for external communication.

 

Toilet PMR (Person with reduced mobility) // The goat house to rehabilitate

©Arboretum Marcel Kroenlein

Is it difficult to reconcile commitment and workload?

“Joker? Yes, in periods of heavy workload it can be difficult, especially when there are no particular subjects identified and requiring a certain amount of work. You have to keep a proactive mindset, even when you’re not asked to do so, and you have to be well organized so that the workload doesn’t take up all the space. But I keep good communication with the President who knows that I remain available.”

Would you advise your collaborators on skills sponsorship?

“Of course, it is a very rewarding experience because it allows us to see projects and issues that are totally different from our professional projects and with new actors. Participating in the development of innovative and sometimes unusual projects with very different objectives is particularly instructive.”

 


To learn more about the Arboretum, visit their website or read the setec Foundation’s article.

Discover the winning associations of the 2021 call for projects on “sustainable construction in France and Africa”.