Since the start of the academic year in September 2024, the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Lille has joined the Cordées de la réussite program, supported by the Ministry of National Education and Youth.
The principle: to welcome groups of middle school or high school students for two special days at the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Lille, following a program designed to introduce them to careers and training in the industrial sector.
A few months after its implementation on campus, it is time to take stock.
Cordées de la réussite on the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Lille: An extremely positive initial assessment!
The objective: To introduce greater social equity in access to higher education by offering support to middle and high school students in their career guidance.
An initiative by Maxime Kuchinski and Michaël Debarge, facilitators and trainers at 2IGMéca
The principle behind Cordées de la réussite, a program run by the French Ministry of Education and Youth that the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Lille joined in September 2024, is to welcome groups of middle and high school students for two special days on campus, following a program designed to introduce them to careers and training opportunities in the industrial sector.
Accompanied by their teachers, the students, who have previously researched the campus and its location and booked their own transportation to get there, can meet with faculty and students on campus, explore the laboratories and classrooms, and immerse themselves in hands-on projects such as building skateboards or trophies.
After these immersion days on campus, some middle and high school students even extend their exploration of the industrial world by visiting companies or researching other schools and training programs.
"Each day spent on campus allows middle and high school students to gather useful information for a better understanding of the academic world, and more specifically of our engineering school. This allows all students to envision themselves in higher education. This program represents a real opportunity for young people to participate in practical activities, such as casting parts in a foundry (with prior mold creation), but also programming industrial robots. As my job is to inspire vocations in the field of mechanical engineering, this Cordées de la réussite program is very meaningful to me," comments Maxime Kuchinski, one of the two teachers leading the project.
Michaël Debarge, the second teacher involved in the project, adds, "The primary objective is to introduce middle and high school students to the possibilities of higher education, to explain to them how to get into different schools, the specializations they need to choose in high school... Very often, the students who meet with us are surprised by the range of training programs available and the many industrial fields that exist. Mechanics, for example, is not just about automotive mechanics! The aim of these days is also to showcase the many disciplines taught and practiced in our workshops. We hope to see some of these students again in a few years' time in our materials practicals!"
Campus students designated as "tutors" to support younger students
To help Maxime and Michaël supervise the various activities on offer and mentor the different groups of middle and high school students, six to seven students from the Grande Ecole Engineering Programme agreed to join the initiative and dedicate approximately twenty half-days throughout the year. They are responsible for helping middle and high school students design their projects, as well as guiding them through the various hands-on activities.
An initial event to raise awareness among young girls about the program
The Cordées de la réussite program promotes equal opportunities, enabling young people to plan for higher education by offering them the chance to gain an insight into engineering studies through various immersion days in which they participate.
"For the first edition of Cordées de la réussite on the Lille campus, we wanted to mark the occasion and go even further in order to raise awareness among young girls about careers in engineering. As a result, 12 all-female groups are participating in the program this year, designing and manufacturing a multi-technique trophy using the various platforms available in our workshops (forging, casting, 3D printing, welding, etc.).
Each of these groups will be invited on February 5 to the first edition of the "Women in Industry" afternoon, organized with the support of the Femmes Ingénieures association, to present their project. Families and teachers are invited, as well as representatives from the local education authority and the municipalities where the participating schools are located, so that they can learn about these projects and award prizes," explain Michaël and Maxime.
An event to watch closely!
Find all the details about the event and register by clicking here.
