Arts et Métiers work-study program offers ten specialized engineering courses in the fields of mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, energy engineering, civil engineering, and risk/environmental management. In addition, the Arts et Métiers Grande Ecole program can also be completed through an apprenticeship.
There is no longer any need to extol the benefits of work-study programs for young people. While studying as an apprentice means living at a fast pace, it forces you to develop top-notch organizational skills! And that's good news, because that's what companies are looking for!
To sum up the benefits, we can say that work-study students are not just preparing for the business world—they have already become part of it!
What do companies that use work-study programs think about this?
Work-study programs are a good system for generating new ideas, contributing to the training of young people, and also from an economic perspective.
This is emphasized by Anne Rialhe, founder and directorof AERE, a consulting firm that works for sustainable development, particularly energy planning, and which welcomes work-study students in Environment and Risk Management from the Arts et Métiers institute Arts et Métiers Chambéry.
Taking on a work-study student allows you to challenge yourself and brings a fresh, outside perspective and a different point of view on your daily work. This input allows you to take a step back and initiate potential changes and a new dynamic, supported by the contributions of the young apprentice's training, who is not yet set in their ways and therefore more receptive.
In addition, companies express their interest in potentially hiring trained and skilled individuals whose abilities they have been able to assess during their work-study program(s). For some, it is even a recruitment method!
For others, they are also keen to pass on their knowledge, so they take the time to do so during the learning period.
Finally, apprenticeships enable the development of projects that are not always easy to get employees to take on when they already have their own workload. In addition, the results are visible and measurable at the end of the training period.
The first link with the company is the mentor.
Mentors may find it exciting to pass on their knowledge and skills and train young people to become independent. This also makes it possible to offer additional tasks that might not have been considered at the time, but dialogue with the apprentice opens up new possibilities based on what they have learned during their training. The work-study student is also seen as a support who allows the mentor to delegate more tasks.
The tutor promotes their expertise, diversifies their activities, and develops interpersonal and teaching skills.
But in return, they must take an interest in their intern: understand what they want to do, whether they enjoy the job, and how the professional experience we offer them can help them develop in the future. You have to be present, caring, and set aside time for them. There is a lot of humanity involved in this role!
The school and professional association (ITII or CFA) to provide assistance
Selecting candidates, collecting job offers, sending candidates' resumes to companies, organizing recruitment forums to meet them, putting together apprenticeship files, helping to define industrial projects, organizing annual full-day or half-day training sessions for mentors... these are the roles of the professional organization, which acts as the company's primary point of contact in its efforts to recruit work-study students.
The Arts et Métiers campus or institute Arts et Métiers a tutor day during which the organization, constraints, schedule, assignments, and presentation of the curriculum are discussed. The academic tutor visits the student at the company twice a year and helps to clarify the sometimes vague outlines of a project. They are the main point of contact for all questions related to the organization of the schedule, the content of the training, and the requirements for the apprentice's evaluation.
Work-study programs also involve speakers from the business world in training.
Teaching gives me the opportunity to challenge myself professionally. I also enjoy sharing my knowledge, especially since my students are highly motivated and attentive, no doubt because they are already professionals in their chosen fields.
Like Didier Mazet-Brachet, a geotechnical engineer working at EGR in Chambéry, they enjoy introducing young people who are interested in a career in industry to the professional world. What's more, they find these "almost professionals" to be highly motivated, as they are already familiar with the business world, which greatly facilitates their understanding of the issues at stake. Stimulating, open-minded, and eager to learn—these are the qualities that set them apart from other students in traditional training programs, according to some participants.
