Panel SA: MRV launches trainee for black people inspired by Magalu’s example

The construction company MRV announces in the coming days the opening of an exclusive trainee program for black professionals. According to Eduardo Fischer, president of the company, the goal is to try to match the profile of executives to the statistics of the population, and the action was inspired by the example given in 2020 by Magalu, which this year repeated the format.

“We were influenced by other companies that came first, especially Magalu, which made us think. This whole process of ESG, diversity, is a journey of maturation, whether mine, the people, the corporation”, says Fischer.

The selection criteria also follow the model adopted by the retailer to eliminate excluding barriers. Candidates will be accepted from all over the country, graduated between January 2015 and December 2021, regardless of age.

Enrollment opens on November 16th and runs until December 12th for 12 places with remuneration of R$ 6,500.

How did you decide to do the process?
We were influenced by other companies that came first, especially Magalu, which got us thinking. This whole process of ESG, diversity, is a journey of maturation, be it mine, the people, the corporation. And these external inputs are important. Perhaps if they hadn’t done it, we hadn’t even thought about it.

In fact, now, based on these external inputs, we’ve seen that it’s a program that makes all the sense in the world. Looking at our staff and our clients, it doesn’t match the mix of executives in the company.

We have a client council made up of our executives and some clients to help us improve. When you go to have meetings with them, we often design things thinking that they are the best solution for them. But when it gets there to the end user, it doesn’t matter.

Eventually, you come up with ideas that you think are awesome for the customer, but it’s nothing like that. So, I think that this path of bringing Brazil, customers and employees closer together, with the company’s executive body, becomes something much more strategic. I think this is a step in that direction.

Magalu took measures such as removing the requirement for English or elite faculties in the selection criteria. And you?
It’s the same logic. The difficulties are the same. This audience carries the same challenges here or at Magalu or at Bayer, which they also did. We use the same mechanics regarding English, graduation time.

I am quoting Magalu so much because we have a common advisor, member of the board of directors, which is Betania Tanure. She says the result was very positive. When you give people opportunities, they grow. You give the challenges, they grow.

I’m very excited. These companies have opened a path that we are proud to follow. Looking at MRV, it has a profile similar to that of the Brazilian. And you look at construction sites, and even in sales areas, but it doesn’t match the executive body. I think this is a characteristic, perhaps, of all companies in Brazil. It’s a mistake we have to correct.

I was against quota in the past. When you start looking, your life goes by. I have children. I see that their lives, in practice, are much easier than the vast majority of the Brazilian population. They had an education that the vast majority did not have, they have a family behind them, my wife and I, that we push in the direction we think is right, we challenge them all the time. They have advantages.

Coming back to the industry, we have an adult education project, and when I go to the edge, I see young adults who are entering the system, some of whom are illiterate. And I’m talking about São Paulo. This is wrong. We have a monstrous challenge in Brazil to solve in education. The country doesn’t change its level if we don’t solve this. And there is the issue of meritocracy.

Does this show that the concept of meritocracy, used as a mantra in companies, is misplaced, worn out? 
It changes. Let’s call it mature meritocracy. It just goes to page two. We don’t want to have someone incompetent, well or poorly educated. For the vast majority of people, it’s like I said, when you give it the opportunity, it opens up a universe in front of it that it wouldn’t have, and it grows.

At the end, today, a quarter of our engineers are women. And recently, I was on a project in Botucatu (SP), where the entire team was made up of women. You see management is different and often better. The benefit is huge. It’s the same thing I believe will happen here.

There was a fuss when Magalu launched their first program in 2020. What mr. did you think of that whole mess, with people even saying that it would be barred in court?  

I think it’s gone. Again, to their credit. In fact, they opened the way. They suffered this, they were brave. This merit cannot be taken away from Magalu. They won the first challenge because they had to respond, to take a stand.

I don’t know if it was on their radar that there was going to be this negative reaction from a part of society. Just a part of society. So, they helped other companies to overcome this obstacle, because I think that, today, this discussion is over. I don’t expect you to have the same reaction they did. It is consolidated.

Eduardo Fischer

He holds a degree in civil engineering from Fumec (Minas Gerais Education and Culture Foundation) and an MBA in finance from Ibmec. Fischer started at MRV in 1993 as an intern. He also acted as works coordinator and regional executive director of the construction company. President of MRV since 2014