Equality of Opportunity
Equality of Opportunity - under this title the company U. S. Steel Kosice, s.r.o. presents a project focused on employment support for citizens of the village Velka Ida and two Kosice wards - Saca and Lunik IX.
In cooperation with the village council leader Frantisek Snir and the priest Jozef Cerven working in the neighborhood Lunik IX, it has been possible to create more than 150 jobs since the year 2002 for Romany people and marginal groupmembers. Besides focusing on employment, the Company makes a great effort to enhance the qualifications of this group of citizens.
Thanks to the Project, Romany citizens gain work habits, and have regular income that enables them to take care of their families. Benefits of these activities are also reflected in strengthening the role of self-government representatives in these locations. New partnerships become the basis for long-term cooperation.
U. S. Steel Kosice desires to continue with the Project, stabilizing the workforce and seeking new partners within the business community that would create additional jobs in line with this model. "We will gladly share our experience," confirms the Company President, Mr. George Babcoke.
U. S. Steel Kosice welcomed the development when Kosice City Council got involved in the Project. After opening the community center at Lunik IX the City Council took on the role of job finding and communication with the citizens of this neighborhood.
The whole selection process is based on the fact that council leaders and community workers know the people in person. They select those who want to work and change their lifestyle, who support the education of their children and are interested in improving their qualifications. Of course they first have to meet the qualifications for employment in U. S. Steel Kosice. Good performance is a guarantee for them to remain in the Project. The Company has hired almost 20 project participants for full time jobs.
This is a comprehensive project, and it involves working with children as well. The results are significant. Children and youth are parts of a group which we can move forward and where we can develop social responsibility and education habits.
U. S. Steel Kosice has contributed to the activities of the "Schola" project and thus enabled dozens of Romany children to attend special kindergartens and so-called "zero grades" in Saca Elementary School. Work with children in Lunik IX is marked by the personality of the priest Jozef Cerven and his successors, the Salesian Brothers. Besides religious education and seeking the meaning of life in faith, they motivate children to educate themselves. U. S. Steel Kosice is not the only one who helps them with this. Great help comes first of all from the school staff of Ludmila Podjavorinska Elementary School. One form of motivation to learn for these kids is their participation in the "Opal Gnomes" summer camps that are organized in cooperation with the Dubnik Opal Mines Foundation.
U. S. Steel Kosice also gives a hand to students of L. Podjavorinska Elementary School by offering them employment after high school and vocational school graduation.
Project implementation on the part of U. S. Steel Kosice is ensured by several departments. These are primarily the Department of Recruiting & Selection, Public Affairs and company plants where the jobs are performed. The main project partners are the council leader of the village Velka Ida, Mr. Frantisek Snir, the council leader of Kosice-Saca ward, Mr. Rudolf Restei, Ms. Emilia Revajova Bujnakova, who is in charge of the Social Affairs Department at Kosice City Council, and the Principal of the L. Podjavorinskej Elementary School, Ms. Viera Sotterova.
USSK long-term effort to help Romany community was aworded in 2009 by Via Bona prize as well as Gypsy Spirit prize.
