Czech Republic Our sites in Jilemnice and Slavkov maintain close ties with the local community, supporting their development and assisting in the face of natural disaster. In 2021, we funded the new cardiac ultrasound probe for the Jilemnice hospital and contributed to the fire brigade. We funded a cultural Summer programme organised by the union of local municipalities and we were the main partner of the Orienteering Biathlon World Championship. In June 2021, the Morava region close to our Slavkov facility was hit by a tornado which caused severe damage in the wider community. Devro organised a fundraiser and multiplied the sum of money collected by our employees. These activities as well as our responsible approach contributed to Devro receiving an award for being the second best employer in the region, evaluated by PwC Saratoga methodology.
Australia As an employer of choice in Bathurst we wanted to develop strong relationships with local schools to make them aware of the wide range of opportunities we can provide to local young people. In March 2021, 12 high school career advisors from the Central West, NSW were invited to visit Devro Bathurst and treated to a factory tour and demonstrations in our product test kitchen. This was followed by presentations with a key focus on career opportunities available at Devro. Since the visit we have produced a brochure including what we are offering, as well as outlining the qualifications required for some of our key roles. These will be used at careers events and in 2022 as we look at developing this programme further.