Sodexo receives top awards for training and development strategy

Paris, May 29, 2009 - Sodexo received two awards at the inaugural Professional Training Evening held May 25 in Paris: the "Best Training Strategy" award and the Favorites Award for "Successful vocational rehabilitation". The event was organized jointly by France's National Association of Human Resources Directors (ANDRH), Professional Training Federation (FFP) and Association of Trainers and Training Managers (GARF).

The "Best Training Strategy" award recognizes Sodexo's overall training strategy which emphasizes development of employee skills as central to business success and employee expertise as a key performance driver. Sodexo's training strategy ensures individuals are able to develop their careers both locally and globally across all of their service areas, favoring internal promotion, as reflected by 27% of management positions being filled internally in 2008, as well as access to training for as many employees as possible. In 2008, 243,000 of Sodexo employees (69%) received formal training.

The "Successful vocational rehabilitation" was selected for the Favorites Award in recognition of a program created by SIGES, Sodexo's Correctional Facilities subsidiary in France, in partnership with the Prisons Bureau, through a contract based on performance results. The "Orientation-Training-Employment" program provides a pathway to help prisoners successfully re-integrate the workplace and society. Sodexo works with 260 businesses within the partnership, which has enabled the recruitment of 100 ex-offenders each year. The honors are in addition to other recently-earned awards, including the DIF (individual training) "Gold Award", received March 19 in recognition of Sodexo's pro-active approach to individual training in France.

The awards reflect Sodexo's efforts to draw competitive advantage from its employees and their diversity. Sodexo also recently formalized its Employee Value Proposition "Your Future, So Sodexo", which sets out its commitments toward employees at five key moments in their career life: recruitment, induction, day to day life, development and recognition.