Arnaud, military infrastructure engineer for the Defense Department, class of 2013.
Choosing a course of study
Joining the army has always been Arnaud's goal, whose educational choices have been guided by human values: solidarity, good manners, and respect for others. The young man therefore chose the ÉcoleNationale Supérieure des Ingénieurs de l'Infrastructure Militaire (ENSIM) for its unique "military defense infrastructure engineer" (IMI) program, in partnership with Arts et Métiers. "When I thought about my career options and the technical skills I could acquire, general engineering schools also appealed to me. That's what motivated my choice of this unique program offered by ENSIM and Arts et Métiers."
The IMI program lasts four years: cadets complete a first year of military training at ENSIM before undertaking three years of civil engineering training at the Arts et Métiers campus in Angers.
"A year of military training is required before entering Arts et Métiers. For my part, I completed this training at the Saint-Cyr special military school for initial training before joining the 7th Battalion of Alpine Hunters, where I was able to develop my physical, intellectual, and leadership skills... and find all the virtues I was looking for."
A comprehensive education that provides engineering students with a complete technical background.
Arnaud details his career at Arts et Métiers
"First, a year of general education with all the other civilian students, focused on discovering the business world, the major trends in industry, and all the technical principles that an engineer must master. In the second year, the construction specialization is taught from a technical perspective to understand the unique environment of construction operations, followed by a semester in the third year in which all regulatory aspects are analyzed, from the Public Procurement Code to urban planning constraints. The program ends with an end-of-studies internship, with the student officer free to choose the company. I joined a VINCI group company in the Paris region to complete my training and apply my knowledge in the field. For six months, I was in charge of numerous trades on a project involving the renovation of an 11-story tower for Société Générale. I had the opportunity to work with many subcontractors, some of whom had contracts worth over €1 million.
A promising start to his career
Arnaud graduated in 2016 and currently works in the Project Management Unit in Marseille, attached to the Investment Division of the Defense Infrastructure Service (ESID) in Lyon. The role of the project manager is to design infrastructure projects, monitor them during execution and at the start of the warranty period. "I work on the construction of residential buildings and work premises, as well as on operations confidential defense with highly advanced security systems. The advantage of this job is the diversity of projects at different stages. I am currently managing five projects: two in progress (soon to be three), two in the preliminary design phase, and one warranty follow-up for a building undergoing major repairs.
What's next? Arnaud wants to explore the opportunities offered by the DefenseInfrastructure Service (SID)in terms of career paths, with assignments to various positions that also allow for geographical mobility at the national level, in the overseas departments and territories, and also internationally during external operations (OPEX).
A special status
Throughout the entire program, students have military status. They receive remuneration and social security coverage. They commit to serving the State for six years after graduating. Once they graduate, IMIs become career officers and are assigned directly to the SID for their first job.
Photo credits @palmesani
