Eurotunnel: a caring employer, a good neighbour, committed to the welfare and economic regeneration of its local communities, striving to protect the environment.
As the leading cross-Channel operator, we are breaking down barriers that prevent the creation of commercial and cultural opportunity; we act as a catalyst between people and businesses; we open new horizons and we work collaboratively.
We aim to live Eurotunnel's brand, mission and values.
We offer a number of free and discounted tickets to local schools, twinning associations, to organisations involved in cross-Channel events, humanitarian aid charities (willing to travel at unsocial hours and using spare capacity). Priority goes to requests from communities and organisations close to our terminals in Folkestone and Coquelles.
We work with organisations to offer business experience and solutions to enhance the education of youngsters in Kent and Nord/Pas-de-Calais. We work closely with the South Kent Education Business Partnership, other EBPs further afield, Business in the Community, Business Dynamics. We support education initiatives through our Service Educatif with the Rectorat de Lille, Académie d'Arras and Education Nationale.
In France , we work closely with the Ministry of Education to promote links with British schools, to encourage exchange and to foster language learning as an essential skill for the future. We are active members of the Syndicat Mixte de la Côte d’Opale on education, business and cultural issues. We encourage members of staff to participate in social and educational activities in the community and we participate actively in the chambers of commerce and industry in Calais and Boulogne .
We also offer business experience to help with the regeneration of SE Kent by working with the Channel Chamber of Commerce and the Invicta Chamber of Commerce, Shepway Business Centre in Folkestone, and the Shepway Business Strategic Forum.
We have worked with arts organisations and artists to promote their work for the benefit of our customers and the local community. We encourage arts in education and have been involved in projects with Arts and Business, Strange Cargo, Sustrans and Creative Partnerships.
We aim to inspire young people to aspire for interesting and fulfilling careers by showing them the world of work and career options, using Eurotunnel as a role model: we offer placements for work experience students from secondary schools and in further education, Eurotunnel staff act as school mentors, we host teachers on placement days, staff attend careers conventions, work preparation days, jobs fairs, etc.
A number of staff are regular speakers in local schools on topics as varied as languages, health and safety and customer relations.
Our sense of social responsibility is demonstrated by offering help in kind, including free or discounted tickets, for local charities supported by members of staff or vouchers as raffle prizes for educational and youth organisations. We also encourage Community Hours (paid time off for community work) for UK staff and support staff to be school governors / parent representatives, school mentors, members of boards of local organisations (arts, business, education).