3A Expertise - "Business Creation and Development (CREDA)" course

This expertise was created in 2006 to help students who wish to develop and validate a professional project in the following fields:

• Business Development (technical and economic, business management, innovative project management, and change management),
• Business Creation (or Takeover).

Entrepreneurship is a state of mind. We want to see the greatest possible diversity in projects and personalities in order to reveal the talents of tomorrow. A study trip abroad is organized each year by the students to develop everyone's leadership qualities.

Objectives

• Understanding the values of entrepreneurship while demystifying the act of entrepreneurship
• Learn how to build new and original business model architectures using a systemic approach
• Training a new generation of engineers capable of innovating and carrying out complex projects in constantly changing environments
• Support Creda studentswho wish to validate and develop a project to start or take over a business during or after graduation, or to develop new activities in existing companies or institutions.

Program

The educational program (150 hours) is divided into two main modules developed below through 11 themes. The originality of the training lies in the involvement of the student in the teaching itself: the creative or industrial project constitutes the field of application of the knowledge and tools acquired (active learning).

Module 1: Corporate training

This module provides a better understanding of the influence that macro-environmental and individual factors can have on an organization:

• Business management (15 hours, cost management, interpreting company balance sheets and income statements, simulation of a start-up project),
• Project leader psychology and creativity (15 hours, individual interviews, creativity methods, impact on the project)
• Engineering and social prevention through law and ethics (15 hours, corporate social responsibility, labor law),
• Industrial protection (15 hours, drafting a contract, filing a patent or trademark)
• Risk management (15 hours, projects, professional, financial).

Module 2: Business Environment

This module is mainly dedicated to the planning and development of the future business, new activity, or organization: understanding the potential market, designing the product/service, designing the organization, planning and simulating a technically and economically profitable activity:

• Project and innovation development (30 hours, value analysis, functional analysis, innovation processes, methods for designing potential markets, products/services, organizations, SADT, business plans, business models)
• Financial techniques/business financing (15 hours, grants, banks, business angels, venture capitalists, simulation)
• Marketing (15 hours, strategic and operational)
• The keys to success (9 a.m., best practices for business leaders and managers),
• Managing your environment (15 hours, transitioning from creator to business leader)
• Communication and advertising (15 hours, multiple media)

The teaching staff consists of professors, lawyers, consultants, and business leaders.

Assessment methods

Teaching is based on the formation of working groups within the field of expertise. Continuous individual assessment is carried out on case studies. These are taken directly from creative projects undertaken by students and projects from partner companies.

Creative project and/or industrial internship

Creda's end-of-studies internships (PA11 and PA14) combine two approaches that are rich in experience: the industrial environment and the start-up ecosystem.

Creda Industrial Internship "Right Hand"

Objective: To address all aspects of entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship Companies of all sizes
Management, Business Engineers,
Design Office, Marketing, Production, Purchasing, etc.

Creda "In Situ" Project

Objective: To be able to design, build, and carry out a business creation or takeover project using the methods and tools taught.
The integration of technical, economic, and cultural elements into the project allows students to understand and experience the complexity of a development project.

Depending on the chosen specialization, the periods and durations of internships vary, offering a multitude of possibilities to students applying for Creda (in France or abroad). Students are able to develop and pursue a truly original career path.
Students who need to complete an additional semester or a gap year (six months) will join the PA11 or PA14 specialization in the following semester.

PA11 – Creda or PA14 – Creda offset?

Two types of students are admitted to Creda upon application:

• Those with a business creation project (or takeover, for example, a family business),
• Students with an entrepreneurial spirit, a well-defined career plan, and who are aiming for careers in business management after completing the CREDA program.

Depending on their progress in the Arts et Métiers program, students choose either PA11 (24 places) or PA14 (staggered semester – 24 places).
They have a choice of three options:

• Option 1: Project leader
• Option 2: Business Development Specialist
  - I choose my expertise project - PJE09 and,
  - I choose my internship SFE10
• Option 3: Creda Enterprise. Upon joining Creda, the Creda training program offers me the opportunity to support a partner company (within the limits of available companies) in developing an ACTIVITY over the period (Expertise - PJE09 + SFE10).

Engineering students "with a project" must complete a mandatory Bras Droit internship lasting at least 12 weeks, which takes place during the summer between the second and third years; this period constitutes the first part of SFE10 (see outline below).
During the internship, students build and develop their creative project, then implement it during their PJE09 (semester 9 internship project) and their SFE10 In Situ (end-of-study project, 12 weeks).

Engineering students aiming for careers in business management complete a Bras Droit SFE10 internship lasting up to six months.

For students who need to complete an additional semester or a gap year (six months), 2A preferences are canceled and replaced by 2C preferences.
Note: Candidates who are already eligible for Creda during the 2A preferences must complete the 2C preferences in order to be readmitted to Creda.

Assignment terms and conditions

The selection process consists of three stages:

1) Drafting the creation file

This file enables candidates with a business creation project to better understand and structure their business plan. The results of preliminary surveys on the project's potential can be presented in a format similar to a mini business plan. The presence of numerous "gaps" (blank boxes) allows the project leader to gauge the amount of work still to be done during the Creda program.
Or the motivation file
In the case of a student without a project (to be completed instead of the creation file), the purpose of this file is to encourage the student to reflect on their professional project and entrepreneurial spirit.

2) The individual interview

This interview is conducted by the Entrepreneurship Correspondents at each ENSAM campus. Its purpose is to gauge the level of motivation of candidates for Creda expertise. This special opportunity allows candidates, whether they have a project or not, to express their entrepreneurial spirit.
Candidates choose their expertise (PA11 or PA14) and the option they have selected. They clearly indicate this to the Entrepreneurship Correspondent.
It should be noted that only the motivation and seriousness of the candidates are taken into account. Creda expertise does not take into account the school's ranking.

3) Submission of wishes

Students make their final choice of Creda expertise during the 2A application period.
(2C application period for students in an additional semester)

1. Submission of a letter of motivation (in the first year but not mandatory) for highly motivated candidates to the corresponding professor: throughout the year.
2. Submission of the creation/takeover or motivation file (in the second year) to the Entrepreneurship correspondent: from September, closing in early December,
3. Individual interview on each campus for all applicants who have submitted an application: as soon as you submit your application,
4. National Commission: mid-December
5. Publication of the list of students eligible for Creda in mid-December (before students submit their 2A choices).
6. Confirmation of interest in Creda by submitting 2A preferences online in the second year (Creda must be listed as the first preference): no later than early January.

Contact

Patrice Dubois - Head of PA11 and PA14 expertise

Keywords

Business creation/takeover, business development, business management, cost management, project leader psychology, creativity, engineering, social prevention, law, ethics, contracts, patents, risk management, project construction, new product/service design, organization, structure, project management, innovation processes, value analysis, functional analysis, business plans, business models, financial techniques, financing, grants, banks, business angels, venture capitalists, simulation, communication

After CREDA