From Arts et Métiers student Arts et Métiers Industrial Management at the Lille campus to Consulting Engineer in Continuous Improvement at Kaizen Institute: Portrait and feedback from Arthur Ribstein
What is your background?
"After completing my preparatory class at La Martinière Monplaisir high school in Lyon, I enrolled at the Metz campus where I completed my two years of general education. I then chose to join the Lille campus to pursue Industrial Management for my third year of training. I had the opportunity to conclude this training by completing my end-of-studies internship at Kaizen Institute, where I was hired as a Continuous Improvement Consultant as soon as I graduated."
What are your responsibilities at Kaizen Institute?
"Kaizen Institute is a Continuous Improvement Consulting firm that offers consulting and training services to support change by combining agile, digital, and lean tools.
My main responsibilities are to provide my expertise to my clients, mainly in the industrial sector, and to engage with them in a process of continuous improvement. In other words, I help them optimize their processes to improve the organization of their business.
First, I develop a comprehensive map of the process to identify opportunities and areas for improvement. Then, based on this assessment, I propose various action plans for the identified areas for improvement. Once the action plan has been defined and agreed upon in collaboration with the client, I assist them in implementing their new process and help them develop and improve their company's organization."
Why did you choose to work at Kaizen Institute?
Kaizen is a sponsor of the Lille campus and caught my attention during several events organized by Arts et Métiers the company presentation during the signing of the sponsorship agreement with the campus last year, participation in the business forum, and presentations in fundamental courses on continuous improvement methods.
I had several opportunities to talk with professionals at Kaizen, including Tiago Mota Costa, Western Europe Senior Partner, which made me want to join the company.
I had the opportunity to complete my period of mobility abroad with Kaizen Institute, during which I went to Sweden to work for one of their clients in the pharmaceutical sector.
Would you say that the partnership between Kaizen Institute and Arts et Métiers helped Arts et Métiers land your first job?
The strong ties between Kaizen and the school allowed me to develop a special relationship with the Human Resources department. Kaizen Institute was genuinely committed to offering students end-of-study internships and then permanent contracts. The importance and interest they showed in our Arts et Métiers engineering program Arts et Métiers rewarding because the company knows our skills and the added value we can bring thanks to our training.
In addition, the various interventions by the Kaizen Institute have enabled us to discover and learn more about the consulting profession.
The possibility of continuing my end-of-studies internship with a contract is also a real advantage, as it allows us to start performing our duties during our academic studies and even before we graduate. By the end of our internship and when we sign our first job contract, we are well prepared, immediately operational, and autonomous. This quickly opens up opportunities for advancement in our duties and our position.
The close ties between Arts et Métiers businesses give students a foothold and special connection to a whole network of professionals, as well as more recruitment opportunities after graduation.
How does the knowledge you acquired in your third year of training in Industrial Management help you in your daily tasks?
"The Industrial Management Training Chair provided me with a wealth of knowledge and skills specific to the organizational management of an industry. In my role at Kaizen Institute, I work with companies from a variety of sectors (pharmaceutical, industrial, services, etc.). All of these sectors face the same issues related to planning, management, logistics, production, maintenance, and so on. My expertise in industrial management allows me to contribute my skills in all these areas and to have a comprehensive overview of all these fields.
More generally, the strength of the Arts et Métiers engineering degree is that it enables graduates to become generalist engineers.
For the 2023-2024 academic year, Kaizen Institute is offering five end-of-studies internship opportunities to Arts et Métiers students. Three positions have already been filled following the sponsorship forum held last October.
In general, all end-of-study internships at Kaizen Institute lead to a permanent contract offer.
Thank you, Arthur, for sharing your story, and best of luck!
