On December 14–15, 2023, 15 coaches, business leaders, startup founders, and executives from major corporations came to support the 150 first-year students in the Grande Ecole Engineering Programme 53 students from theESSCA, a business school during the 5th edition of JITCAM (Campus Arts et Métiers Technological Innovation Days).
What is a business game at Arts et Métiers?
Entrepreneurship is one of the key skills for engineering students. Arts et Métiers numerous initiatives throughout the three-year Grande Ecole Engineering Programme, ranging from introductory activities in the first year (business game) to project development through a specialized track in the second year (Entrepreneurship and Innovation track) and a specialization in the third year (Business Creation and Business Development).
Patrick Durand, Entrepreneurship Project Manager, explains: "JITCAM is important for our students because it gives them the opportunity to build an innovative technical project without forgetting the financial dimension by creating a business plan to prove the economic feasibility of their innovation. For the first time this year, JITCAM was organized in partnership with the ESSCA business school. This allowed us to bring together students with complementary skills and give them the opportunity to learn how to work in a multidisciplinary team."
The aim is to enable students to discover this career path. The objective is, on the one hand, to identify and nurture future entrepreneurs who will be supported in their future careers, but also to provide all students with skills that are sought after by companies and that they can reinvest in their future career choices.
The Business Game: A Simulated Business Scenario for First-Year Students in the Grande Ecole Engineering Programme
This edition of JITCAM is taking place in two stages and benefits from a strong academic partnership with ESSCA, a management school.ESSCA, a management school.
The first highlight took place on September 21 with the INNODAY event, which allowed teams of students to work on innovative technical solutions related to themes proposed by our partner companies. Alstom, EDF and VINCI Energies.
JITCAM is the second highlight during which students are invited to open their teams to ESSCA students. Mutual enrichment among team members is expected, with some providing technological solutions and others helping to build the business model.
Samir Ayoub, director of the ESSCA campus in Aix-en-Provence ,also comments: " Like Arts et Métiers, we are convinced that engineering and management students complement each other well in an entrepreneurial setting. ESSCA students help strengthen the business aspect of projects by enhancing their strategic, marketing, and financial dimensions."
Facilitating exchanges with industrial partners
This event also helps to strengthen the ties between industrial partners and students in the long term. In order to build stronger relationships with students during and after JITCAM, VINCI Energies will set up an HR corner during the two days, providing opportunities for discussions about their professional projects (internships, work-study programs, recruitment, presentation of technological projects, etc.).
In addition, VINCI Energies will provide a bicycle, encouraging students to cycle kilometers and accumulate points that can be converted into euros, which will be donated to the MÉCÉNAT CHIRURGIE CARDIAQUE association, which helps children with heart defects from disadvantaged countries to undergo surgery in France.
Alina Fenghea, HR Manager, and Frédéric Petitbois, Director of Infras Méditerranée Centre Est, explain: "Entrepreneurship, Solidarity, Trust, and Innovation are values of the VINCI Energies group that are perfectly embodied by JITCAM and Arts et Métiers. Our joint actions enable us to create an ecosystem where the school's technical skills blend harmoniously with our corporate culture, thus creating a unique synergy."
Themes to address tomorrow's challenges
Three days to promote innovation by addressing issues that facilitate the implementation of the Olympic Games (OG):
- Team performance
How can we help sailing teams improve their performance ahead of the Olympic Games? How can we collect data, and what data should we collect and analyze with a view to continuously improving team performance? - Electricity generation
To cope with the significant spike in electricity consumption during events, how can additional electricity be generated in terms of modes of transport (individual or shared), energy use for travel, and machinery and mechanisms? - Green transportation
The influx of spectators, team transportation, logistics, food deliveries... The Olympic Games will generate a large number of trips into the city center (particularly before and after the events). Students will devise a virtuous, low-emission mode of transport capable of absorbing high peaks in travel and combining the transport of people and/or goods, energy efficiency, and sustainability.
On the agenda
- Transform an idea into a project over the course of the game (1+2 days);
- Organization into 33 teams of 6 to 7 students in order to engage in a collaborative creative process;
- Support from 15 experts and professionals;
- Workshops on key aspects of creating innovative projects: business model canvas and pitch;
- White pitches in front of juries;
- A final jury and an awards ceremony for the winning teams (Friday, December 15, late afternoon), in the presence of Féthi Ben Ouezdou, campus director, Frédéric Petitbois, Director at VINCI Energies France Infras Méditerranée Centre Est, Jean-Paul Romet, Employment and CSR Officer at EDF PACA , Céline Feugier, Head of Innovation at Alstom, Patrick Bouillet, Managing Director of the ESSCA Alumni Network, Aix Campus, and Matthieu Domallain, President of AMJE Junior Etude.
👏 The Golden JITCAM was presented by VINCI Energies to the students who designed a thermal current turbine that generates electricity from the air flow created by spectators in stadiums.
Congratulations to Emilie Aveline, Hugo Debost, Pénélope Delatude, Virgile Fabresse, and Lucie Voirin!
👏 The silver JITCAM was presented by EDF to Cristal Sun, a solution that generates photovoltaic electricity from transparent self-adhesive plastic films.
Congratulations to Rachel Callot, Theo Garcia, Etan Gentil, Candice Niel, and Elliot Prybil!
👏 The bronze JITCAM was awarded by EDF to the Safe Dress solution, lockers made in the form of robotized and secure containers.
Congratulations to Alexandre Birindelli, Marius Bonneau, Antoine Chantron, Laurie Chazel, Axelle Draicchio, and Harold Gardon!
👏 The JITCAM Favorite Award was presented by theAMJE, Alstom andESSCA, a management school to the Marine Flate team for their idea for a sailboat airbag and to the Alter Native project, a solution that produces electrical energy by recovering physical energy in gyms.
Congratulations to Wassila Hadoum and Kitana Ladoubée, Augustin Mery and Thomas Taravellier!
