This year, among the 78 third-year students in the Grande Ecole Program on the Lille campus, 15 are pursuing their expertise through professional training contracts. We met with one of them, Théodore GERBIER, who told us about his choice of training and shared his experience of gradually entering the world of work.
What is your educational background?
"After my preparatory class, I enrolled at the Metz campus, where I completed my two years of general education. For this 3and and final year, I chose to join the Lille campus to study Industrial Management in the form of a 12-month professional training contract. I am therefore an employee: I alternate between periods at school and in the company in the first semester, then work full-time in the company in the second semester."
Why this choice?
"I wanted to learn in a practical way, in the field. Purely theoretical training didn't suit me as well. Work-study programs therefore seemed like the ideal solution for me, combining theory in the classroom with practical experience in a company.
I have clearly defined goals, I know what my tasks are and what I have to do. It really motivates me to go to work in the morning because I know I have concrete goals to achieve.
What's more, it's a good way for me to gradually integrate into the corporate world, to continue learning and training on a daily basis with my managers. I'm gaining confidence in myself and my abilities, so that I'll feel fully qualified once I graduate. It also helps to clear up any confusion you might sometimes have at school about what the engineering profession actually involves and what responsibilities it entails.
Tell us about your work-study program and the position you hold.
"I joined on September 5 Exotec as a methods engineer in a team of ten people. It's a robotics company that offers solutions for everything related to logistics and order management for e-commerce, industry, etc. In addition to being France's first industrial unicorn, it's very active, growing rapidly, and has an international dimension that interests me greatly."
What are your responsibilities and what skills will this work-study program allow you to acquire?
"My tasks are quite varied, with a large part of my work carried out in the field, which I really enjoy. I have to propose and implement operating procedures for production, but also improvements to production systems to make them easier and clearer, as well as prototypes for test benches, right through to verifying that they are working properly.
What I like most at the moment is interacting with the technicians. I have to understand what they do in order to suggest the most relevant improvements. Not being stuck behind a desk is a way of working that suits me well and allows me to remain active, dynamic, and proactive.
This work-study program fits in well with my career plans, as I would like to work in production in the future and be involved in manufacturing products. I am interested in the "methods" part to understand the stages and production process. I am also learning about continuous improvement to round out my knowledge and experience.
What are your future career plans and goals?
Two ideas are gradually forming in my mind. I would really like to spend two months abroad to validate my international experience. My current company has offices in the United States, among other places, and I would love to join their Service Center team in Atlanta. They also have a branch in Tokyo, Japan, which could be of interest to me. My second idea would be to supplement my engineering degree with a year of business school to learn about business and entrepreneurship (one of my dreams!)."
Any final words to motivate other young people to pursue their Arts et Métiers engineering degree Arts et Métiers a work-study program?
" It all depends on the individual. Some people really enjoy the theoretical side of things, in which case the third-year specialization with standard student status will suit them perfectly, especially since there is still an internship at the end of the year.
On the other hand, if they enjoy doing activities outside of class to apply what they learn at school, if they want to be active and quickly enter the workforce, if they are eager to work in the field, then work-study programs are sure to appeal to them!
#Skypod #Exotec #ExoInterns
Many thanks to Théodore for sharing his story. We wish him all the best in his new venture and every success in the future!
