As a child, you have certainly heard the phrase "what do you want to be when you grow up?” The answers can be most diverse and ambitious; however, a girl will hardly answer “when I grow up, I want to work in a mining company with almost 80 years of history”.

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As a predominantly male area, mining is often left out of the career plans of young women. But this has changed. At Vale, we have had young talents who have been renewing our team and bringing a new look to mining, whether by age and/or gender, with different trajectories and repertoires.

In the fifth episode of the webseries Mining By Women, we tell the story of four young women, who are taking big steps in their careers and within Vale. From Brazil to China, our interviewees show that when you have talent, will to make things happen and opportunity, everyone benefits from the age diversity in the team.

This has even been reflected among people who are not part of the company yet. In 2021, Vale was elected the dream company of Brazilian university students twice, once by Cia de Talentos and once by the consulting firm Universum.

For this reason, we have invested in programs to attract young talents and women as well, considering that Vale aims to double the female presence in the company by 2025 (5-year anticipation since the disclosure of the target, due to the achieved progress). Just to have an idea, this year, Vale's Trainee Program selected 98 women. Out of 144 recent graduates total, who started working at the company in May, 68% are women.

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Although the company is walking towards diversity more and more, there may still be generation differences, given the big number of employees who have been with the company for decades and the arrival of new minds by means of talent insertion programs. However, this is not seen as a problem.

The entry of young people in the company opens up space for cultural transformation and the exchange of knowledge, ideas and references, as well. After all, everyone has something to teach and learn, regardless of age or career time.

The employees Tharshiny, Radêmora, Ana Clara, Suksmataya and Emma shared a little about the experience of being young talents at Vale:

Tharshiny Santhakumar, Petroleum Engineering – Malaysia

Twenty-four years old and with qualification in Petroleum Engineering, Vale's global trainee in Malaysia sees age difference as an opportunity, especially given the fact that different points of view and opinions allow to learn from each other.

Most people on my team have been with Vale for over 8 years at least. I am always learning from my colleagues, and they are always open to teaching/assisting me with my queries. At Vale, the voice of young people is fully welcomed. Being a fresh graduate, I have never felt unheard in Vale. My opinions are fully appreciated and welcomed by all my colleagues. Open and transparent dialogue is practiced on all levels and by all people. Hence, there is always space for me to voice my concern, have important discussions, provide feedback, and ask questions.”

Radêmora Silva Briano de Moraes, Full Engineer at Structural Integrity - Pará, Brazil  

Radêmora, a 25-year-old civil engineer, sees that there is a bridge between theory and practice which is followed through experience, and for her, having a diverse team in all terms adds a lot for multifunctional qualification.

I see the difference between age groups as diversity, I really like to debate ideas with colleagues and regardless of any factor, I believe that everyone has something to bring to the table of ideas, experiences and knowledge. In my team, there are people with more than 20 years of experience and people who are just starting, like me, the knowledge and the experience my peers have to transmit are priceless.”

Radêmora Silva Briano de Moraes, Full Engineer at Structural Integrity - Pará, Brazil  

 

Ana Clara Ribeiro de Oliveira, Specialist Trainee – Minas Gerais, Brazil  

For Ana Clara, who joined Vale as an intern and now works as a trainee, one of the main reasons that made her find her place as a professional in the company was to be heard, even before she graduated.

I have always been motivated and involved in all work matters and I felt valued for asking my opinion, seeking my help to solve a problem. All that contributed for me to work happy, and when you are happy, you work better. At Vale, I found inclusive and respectful environment, as a young woman, to develop and expose my ideas and to be effective part of this cultural transformation.”

Suksmatatya Paramesti, Global Trainee – Jr. Procurement Analyst – Sorowako, Indonesia  

Working in a growth-oriented company has always been a goal for 23-year-old Suksmatatya. According to her, the investment made by Vale in the education of employees fulfills this role. In addition, the company's culture and values are also important to the trainee.

I choose Vale because Vale gave me as a woman an equal opportunity to grow and to compete. They believe that gender diversity is essential for building a more inclusive and sustainable company. From what I see, Vale always gives everyone the same opportunity to speak and being listened without any exception. No matter age, race, gender, how experienced you are, we have the same right and chances”.

Suksmatatya Paramesti, Global Trainee – Jr. Procurement Analyst – Sorowako, Indonesia  

 

Emma Han, Global Trainee - Shanghai, China  

At the age 24, Emma says that asking the “whys” and “hows” is more important than simply accepting things as they are, and at Vale, she sees space for young talent to speak out. The civil engineer tries to value mistakes as opportunities to learn, which has made it easier for her to expose her ideas.

My friends and family are all surprised to hear that I am contributing usefully to my department’s work and speaking in meetings so soon (6 months since start working). My fellow trainees all share similar stories. I feel like we are being heard and our voices respected”.

Do you want to learn more about how Vale's purposes have talked to young people at the beginning of their careers? Check the testimonial from some of our young talents in Canada, China and Malaysia

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