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Donation of old MBC tablets to the Jobtrek Foundation

Meanquest is committed to reconditioning IT equipment in collaboration with our customers, in order to redistribute it to the Jobtrek Foundation, which specialises in training young people in difficulty. Jobtrek is a recognised player whose mission is to offer a new perspective to young people in difficulty.

This approach not only supports young people in difficulty, by providing them with the tools they need for their training, but is also part of a sustainable initiative, by extending the lifespan of the equipment.

This is the first time we have done this with our customer, Transports de la région Morges Bière Cossonay (MBC). Alexandre Dubois, Service Delivery Manager, is behind this project with MBC. His personal commitment and his links with the Jobtrek Foundation helped bring this initiative to life.

Alexandre Dubois explains how this project came about, in conjunction with our customer MBC:

Following the renewal of some of their IT equipment, Alexandre Dubois, Service Delivery Manager at MBC, suggested to Roland Zaugg, Head of Information Systems at MBC, that they donate their old Surface Pro 7 tablets to the Jobtrek Foundation.

And so our new project was born.

How did you come up with the idea of proposing this solution?

I’ve had a close relationship with the Jobtrek Foundation for many years.

Jobtrek’s mission is particularly close to my heart, as it offers a concrete and innovative response to the challenges of reintegrating young people, who often come from complex backgrounds and have broken away from the school system.

In particular, I had the opportunity to take part in the Clivages en 2022 project, which gave rise to a documentary (available HERE). When I was in charge of the Support team at Meanquest, I also had the opportunity to welcome several trekkis (beneficiaries), to help them with their career plans.

I knew that Meanquest’s management had recently embarked on drawing up a CSR policy, with the aim of making a greater commitment to sustainable development by implementing concrete actions.

Naturally, I made the connection between my client MBC’s old equipment and the Jobtrek foundation. I thought the trekkers would be delighted to use this equipment.

We recovered 15 tablets that were no longer part of our client’s range of equipment.

What are the main stages?

As this is the first time we’ve offered to take back IT equipment and give it a second life, we had to formalise the process. This proved to be relatively straightforward.

With the agreement of our customer’s management, we went to the customer’s premises to collect the equipment. In this case, it remained in stock at Meanquest.

Confidentiality being our priority, a special effort is made to recondition the equipment, carried out by Meanquest technicians. After securely erasing the data, reinstalling the operating system, cleaning and sometimes repairing the devices, we can make them available to Jobtrek.

When we collected the tablets, we noticed that the power cables were missing. Meanquest undertook to buy them back (by looking for second-hand equipment), in order to provide a complete set of equipment that could be used immediately by the Foundation.

We reconditioned the 15 tablets and delivered them to the Jobtrek Foundation in Morges. Some of the equipment will be used in their training rooms and some will be loaned to the trekkis.

Well done for this initiative. What are the next steps?

This project represents an important step in promoting sustainable digital technology and fighting digital poverty. It embodies Meanquest’s vision of a more inclusive and responsible future, where technology and social inclusion go hand in hand.

Given the success of this first experiment, we want to do it again. We’re going to talk about it internally, so that Meanquest employees have the reflex to share it with our customers.

I’m very proud to have initiated an approach that is a win-win situation:

Limiting environmental impact and contributing to the circular economy
Providing immediate, practical help to trekkers
Sending a strong message to our colleagues, customers and partners.

As for the next steps, why not run a workshop on digital security or the use of IT equipment for trekking? I’m convinced that we can set up a lot of IT-related initiatives.

At Meanquest, we want to develop more initiatives of this type by raising awareness among our customers and partners, and by integrating these actions into our long-term CSR policy.

This project marks the start of a series of concrete actions for a more sustainable and inclusive digital world. Together, let’s ensure that technology is a tool for solidarity and opportunity for all.

‘The idea of supporting young people in difficulty in our region, while at the same time extending the lifespan of computer equipment, quickly appealed to me. I would like to warmly thank Alexandre Dubois and Meanquest for their innovative initiative. Some IT equipment has reached the end of its useful life for professional use, although it can still be used for non-professional purposes. I’m delighted to be able to put this equipment to good use, by donating it to the Jobtrek foundation, to humbly support them in their mission.

Roland Zaugg, Head of Information Systems, MBC

Jobtrek Foundation: A Bridge Between Youth and the Economy (by Daniel Carreira, Member of the Jobtrek Management Committee)

A Foundation at the service of young people

The Jobtrek Foundation was created in 2015 in Yverdon-les-Bains by Daniel Cazes, then a mechanical engineer, who saw in young people talent, skills and a desire to grow in a complex and constantly changing professional world. How can we bring together young people and companies, two fundamental players in our society? Convinced of the importance of this mission, Daniel founded the Jobtrek Foundation with a group of volunteers.

A mission pursued on a daily basis

Nearly 10 years later, at its four sites in Lausanne, Yverdon, Aigle and Morges, the Foundation is pursuing its objective: ‘a healthy, sustainable economy in which everyone finds their place’. Every day, 34 employees, 50 apprentices undergoing CFC training, 70 young people looking for an apprenticeship and 10 adults undergoing reorientation work, train, innovate and create strong and beneficial links with the Vaud economy, supported by committed trainers, decision-makers and entrepreneurs.

Doing More With Less: Innovation Despite Challenges

With limited resources, the Jobtrek Foundation has to rise to the challenge of innovation while respecting the principle of cost-effectiveness. The ideas are there, the strengths are there, and the desire is infinite, but often the financial resources are lacking, which slows down innovation.

I remember this call: ‘Hi Daniel, it’s Alexandre Dubois from Meanquest. Would fifteen or so second-hand computers be useful for your young people?’ It was incredible to receive a spontaneous call for a donation: real support!

The Concrete Impact of Meanquest’s Donation

Three months later, Roland Zaugg (MBC), Alexandre Dubois and Julie Gallet Dufour (Meanquest), along with the young people, met us at our Jobtrek offices in Morges to hand over the tablets. The young people, curious and passionate about technology, quickly took charge while we discussed the future of these tablets.

It’s not just a question of reusing computer equipment, but above all of passing on skills needed in the professional world: the tablets will be carefully registered and stored by our commercial apprentices. When a loan request is justified, the computer application development apprentices will take over the preparation, installation and explanation of the software to the beneficiary. This donation has a positive impact on everyone involved with the Foundation.

Thanks and Vision for the Future

We owe this opportunity to MBC and Meanquest, whom we would like to thank in particular. Thank you to our partner for this generous gesture, which is a real lever for education and the future of our young people!

Together, let’s train the next generation.