WAAK wins Voka’s prestigious VCDO Award for sustainability

We’re proud to announce that WAAK has won the VCDO Award (‘Voka Charter Duurzaam Ondernemen’). This award is given by Voka, the Flemish network of enterprises, to the most sustainable Flemish companies. As an SDG Champion, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations are our guiding principles.

Creating employment for people who have difficulties accessing the labour market

In the SDGs, sustainability is not only about the environment and obtaining carbon footprint targets, it’s also about the social domain and inclusiveness. This means that marginalized social groups should have equally fair opportunities to participate in society and the economy. As a social enterprise, our goal is to create long-term, adapted employment for people who have difficulties accessing the regular labour market.

Strong focus on education and training of our workers

At WAAK, we do that by focussing on two main areas: on the one hand, we simplify difficult work by using technology and by breaking down complex tasks into manageable subtasks (a wonderful example is our smart meter project); on the other hand, we empower our workers through education. We not only train them to become better employees but we also help them develop soft skills. E.g.: we teach them how to collaborate with others, encourage them to think about their personal development and character, etc. These skills will benefit them throughout their professional careers, whether at WAAK or another company or social enterprise.

Voka rewards our commitment to sustainable education with prestigious VCDO Award

This strong focus on education did not go unnoticed at Voka. According to the enterprise network, we help people become stronger individuals. This is not only beneficial to them but also advantageous for society. In other words, what we do as a social enterprise aligns perfectly with the concept of sustainable entrepreneurship. That is one of the main reasons why Voka decided to give us the VCDO Award. It is a beautiful reward for the efforts of our staff and a title that we will carry with pride!