The government has introduced the Cordées de la réussite program to provide guidance andpromote the success of students in primary and secondary education, as well as those in preparatory classes for the grandes écoles.
A program open to students from a partnered school offering tailored educational support
Les Cordées de la réussite aims to promote career guidance as a facilitator of equal opportunities. In 2021-2022, a large-scale program (800 Cordées groups comprising 200,000 students, compared to 80,000 in 2019) mobilized a significant number of stakeholders in middle schools, high schools, and higher education institutions.
Arts et Métiers part of AgroParisTech, Chimie ParisTech – PSL, ESPCI Paris - PSL of the "Ambition Sciences ParisTech – ENCPB" group created on the initiative of the Pierre-Gilles de Gennes High School – ENCPB (Paris 13th arrondissement) and certified since July 2020.
The overall goal of this partnership—which offers support from middle school through to prestigious higher education institutions—is to encourage motivated students at Pierre Gilles de Gennes High School to pursue scientific studies.
ParisTech institutions provide support to preparatory class students, who receive academic tutoring to help them with scientific and methodological issues, as well as with the specific needs of each student (knowledge and choice of a grande école, choice of competitive exams, knowledge of the engineering profession, guidance, motivation, etc.). Visits to these schools and specific events can also be organized for students. The aim is to stimulate the creativity of preparatory class students and strengthen their skills by providing them with as many criteria as possible to help them choose their career path and school.
The role of the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Paris in this program and the testimony of a mentor
For the second edition of the "Ambition Sciences ParisTech – ENCPB" mentoring program, eight student mentors were recruited on the Paris campus. The mentors first receive training to learn how to pass on their knowledge to high school students, and then the mentoring takes place from late October/early November 2021 to April 2022.
Emmanuel Richaud, university professor and researcher at the PIMM Laboratory, where he heads the Polymers and Composites team, is the lead climber for this rope team on the Paris campus.
His participation in the Arts & Métiers Think Tank in the working group, "Strengthening the appetite for technology," led him to question the career choices of young people, and he wanted to become part of Cordées de la réussite.
Emmanuel Richaud recruits and supervises student tutors, disseminates information, and organizes events related to Les Cordées. His goal today is to ensure the long-term viability of this program, both logistically and pedagogically, with increased participation from students on the Paris campus.
Wassim Ben Salah (Ch.219), tutor during the 2020-2021 academic year for three to four hours every two weeks, helped students in the preparatory classes for the Grandes Ecoles at the Lycée Pierre Gilles de Gennes with mathematics and physics, as well as providing various advice on their future career paths: " Participating in this mentoring program has been enriching for both the students and myself, as it has helped them better understand their coursework and their future after preparatory classes. It is always a pleasure to share my experience with people facing the same difficulties I once faced. "
Wassim Ben Salah (Ch. 219)
During a conversation with one of the students he was tutoring, Wassim mentioned a topic that interested him: soft robotics. The student researched the subject and told Wassim about a project being carried out by INRIA Lille.INRIA Lille. After studying the project, Wassim contacted the relevant people and was ultimately selected to do an additional internship during his second year as part of a joint research project between INRIA Lille and the company Robocath. "I inspire them and they inspire me," smiles Wassim.
The Paris Board of Education and the Prefecture of the Ile-de-France region have granted financial support to the "Ambition Sciences ParisTech – ENCPB" climbing team.
