On Thursday, May 28, the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Lille hosted the second edition of the awareness day for women in engineering careers, as part of the Cordées de la Réussite program. This initiative builds directly on the success of the first edition and aligns with the campus’s goal: to introduce young women to scientific and technical careers and inspire them to pursue these fields.
"Women in Engineering Awards": Second edition of the afternoon event to raise awareness of engineering careers for women on the Lille campus
On May 28, the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Lille hosted the second annual Women in Engineering Awareness Day, organized as part of the Cordées de la Réussite initiative.
A morning dedicated to creativity and showcasing projects
For this latest edition, 12 groups of middle and high school girls—who have been participating throughout the year in the "Cordées de la réussite" program organized by the campus—spent the day on campus.
The morning was devoted to putting the final touches on the completed projects: the participants added the finishing touches to the trophies they had designed and crafted as part of their hands-on work. As with the first edition, these projects—created entirely using the technologies available in the workshops—demonstrate their hands-on immersion in the engineering professions.
At the same time, the girls prepared short slide shows to present their process: from design to production, including their technical and aesthetic choices.
An afternoon of discussion to explore new possibilities
The afternoon featured presentations by students andprofessionalswhoshared their career stories and highlighted the diversity of careers in engineering.
Speakersinclude:
- Elen Duval, an engineer at RTE and representative of the association Femmes Ingénieures, who was already involved in the first edition, shared her experience and her perspective on the role of women in the industry.
- Eglantine Dubruque, HR Development Specialist, and July Bera, Contracts Manager, at Vinci Facilities—a corporate sponsor of the campus—spoke about their career paths and their roles.
- Pierre Voici, a talent acquisition specialist at L’Oréal—a company that is also a campus partner—offered an in-depth look at the perfume manufacturing process, illustrated by videos featuring testimonials from female technicians and engineers working on the production lines.
These discussions helped the participants gain a better understanding of the various possible career paths and envision themselves pursuing careers in science and technology.
In addition, female students from the campus also came to share their experiences and academic journeys, building on the momentum established during the first event, where the testimonials from female engineering students had left a lasting impression on the participants.
Final presentations and awards ceremony
The day concluded with presentations of the slideshows and trophies created by each group, during which the young women demonstrated their commitment and their ability to explain their projects clearly and confidently.
Following these presentations, each team was awarded a prize and a trophy in a warm and friendly atmosphere, recognizing the work they had accomplished throughout the year.
A proven track record for the Cordées de la Réussite
This second edition confirms the success of the initiative on the Lille campus, which continues to bring together a large number of participants and partners around a common goal: promoting access for young people, particularly young women, to scientific studies and careers.
Congratulations to Maxime Kuchinski and Michaël Debarge, 2IG Méca instructors and leaders of the Cordées de la Réussite project on campus, for the success of this latest edition, as well as to allparticipantsandspeakersfor their commitment.
