An excellent example of Sustainable Development — in this case helping developing nations strengthen their economies — is Fluor's approach to the training of craftspeople. Beginning in the 1970s, we trained more than 20,000 South Africans to become welders, electricians, and pipefitters on a synfuels project. Twenty years later, again in South Africa, Fluor and its client opened a facility that has trained more than 30,000 people in skilled crafts.

In 1996, Fluor trained 1,700 natives on an Indonesian island which had no electricity, no opportunities to learn skills, and no hope for jobs. One of the more recent global Fluor training programs is in Kazakhstan, where 2,000 workers have learned skills at a craft training center created for an oil field development project. And while the numbers are not as dramatic, we have done the same thing in many U.S. locations.

Fluor has also provided career growth in U.S. communities. Craft-training coordinators on jobsites contact local community leaders and educational institutions to identify opportunities to implement craft training needed to bring new people into the construction industry and sharpen the skills of its veterans.

Overall, during just the past 10 years, Fluor has trained more than 250,000 craft personnel using industry-leading systems, methods, and processes. The training allows individuals to achieve certification levels at established national standards and is provided via a traditional instructor-led classroom format and online web-based programs.