The professional training courses for employees of companies and future employees (hard-to-reach audiences)
The INTERREG supported project ‘’RELIEN’’ aims to create a training system for the corporate world while taking into account the inter-religious dimension of the Upper Rhine area. The objective is to set up appropriate training courses for employees and future employees of different enterprises, such as immigrants/migrants and marginalised young people. These training courses, which are aimed to ease tensions and promote integration in companies, are provided by the universities of the Upper Rhine area and by specialists in the science of religion, law of religions and theology. They are created in collaboration with companies, grassroots organisations and local authorities. Depending on the needs identified, they may take the form of conferences, seminars, study days or possibly university/DU diplomas.
These courses, taught by academics of different status and accompanied with learner-tailored pedagogy, will be developed in accordance with needs identified around four themes:
1. The interreligious dimension present in each religion and in their doctrinal construction with an emphasis on the approaches developed in Islam and Christianity.
2. Knowledge of the religion of the other in the context of religious and convictional pluralism in Europe and more particularly in the Upper Rhine area. This training will be enriched by the comparative presentation of everyday religious acts in a secularised society such as prescriptions, food, clothing and the place and role of women in each religion. Knowledge of the religion of the other can also be the subject of a presentation of the relationship between the religious communities and their founding texts.
3. Labour law and religion – contrary to public services, whose employees in France are bound to strict neutrality, employees in private companies do not leave their religion at the doorstep of the company. The employer cannot prohibit employees from having and manifesting a religious belief. Indeed, the manifestation of religious expression in a company cannot be prohibited in a general and absolute manner. However, limits may be set if they are justified by the nature of the employee’s professional missions/activity. The company’s internal regulations may also limit the expression of personal and religious opinions subject to compliance with a certain number of conditions. This presentation of the rules of French law will be supplemented by Swiss and German examples.
4. A presentation of a set of laws specific to different religious confessions (internal laws of religions: Muslim law, Canon law, Protestant law, Hebrew law). What is the importance: the role and function of these different laws in each religion? Do they have an accessory or central character? By whom are they interpreted and applied? How should the following statement be interpreted with regard to each religion: “the law of God is superior to the law of men? »