The Bachelor of Technology: Signing a win-win partnership

Since 2016, the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Lille has been partnering with the Baggio high school in Lille, the Gustave Eiffel high school in Armentières, the Malraux high school in Béthunes, and the Hainaut high school in Valenciennes to offer a degree program perfectly suited to the needs of the industrial world: the Bachelor of Technology. Thanks to its project-based teaching approach and ongoing links with businesses, it offers excellent career prospects while paving the way for engineering studies. For Patrick Chartin, headmaster of the Lycée du Hainaut, "this program is fantastic because it gives meaning and motivation. The students who apply come from technology backgrounds and can go on to higher education and a Bachelor's degree." This mindset and training are highly praised by Valérie Cabuil, Rector of the Hauts-de-France Academic Region, Rector ofthe Lille Academy, and Chancellor of Universities, who states, "We must encourage our young people in the region to pursue their studies and highlight those students who are committed to vocational and technological paths." Industrialists are also looking for young graduates who fit this profile: "Industrialists are looking for a range of levels from high school diploma to master's degree."

Bachelor speed-meeting to find a work-study program

The Bachelor of Technology is a three-year program, the first two years of which are completed as a dual degree with the BTS CPI at four partner high schools (Lycée Baggio - Lille, Lycée du Hainaut - Valenciennes, Lycée Gustave Eiffel - Armentières, Lycée André Malraux - Béthune) and ends with a year of work-study under a 6-week in-company, 5-week in-school program. It is time for the first class of Bachelor's students at the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Lille to find their work-study placements, which will begin in September 2018.

In order to facilitate their meeting with companies in need of employees with intermediate training, Dorine Van Der Waals, deputy head of corporate relations, has developed a tailor-made event: the Bachelor's Speed-Meeting. On Wednesday, March 21, Bachelor's students each met with seven companies (GMD, Dior Parfum, Gekatex, Gary, Aluminium France Extrusion, Standard Industrie, and KyPlast). For Dorine, "it's important to give our students a helping hand. Thanks to the Bachelor's Speed Meeting, they can benefit from the school's network, conduct interviews in a reassuring environment, and not miss any opportunities." This initiative is appreciated by Bachelor's students such as Quentin Calonne, who says, "We are well guided, and it's very well organized," a statement confirmed by Thibaut Lasson: "If we had to look for companies ourselves, it would take longer and be much less practical."

The advantages of a three-year degree in a work-study program

For Jonathan Avez, a Bachelor of Technology student who is currently resuming his studies, the work-study program is a real asset to his education. During the first two years of his dual degree program, he and his classmates spend one day a week at the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Lille. This is not enough for the student, who has experienced the workshops at the school where he is studying manufacturing.  With a third year at the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Lille, he will benefit more from practical courses. The work-study program will allow him to experience real working conditions, working on short-term projects from start to finish, such as creating a product prototype. The bonus: "We'll be working in a field we enjoy," says Jonathan, echoed by Quentin: "Today, we want to work and invest ourselves in a company."

That's good news, because these companies are looking for young people with this kind of motivation. The representative from Gekatex said during the Bachelor's Speed Meeting, "We want to have skilled people in our companies. So it's only natural to help motivated students by training our future employees through work-study programs, especially since these are hard-to-find profiles." Maurice Lepoivre, a mechanical engineering teacher, confirmed, "It's becoming increasingly rare to find students who are knowledgeable and skilled in technology; they're not easy to find anymore."

Students enrolled in Bachelor of Technology programs are therefore a rare commodity, and it is important to nurture them from the outset of their work-study programs so that their skills can be put to good use once they enter the workforce.

"Auchan needs more engineers."

When they started their studies,Arts et Métiers students certainlyArts et Métiers imagine that they would later work at Auchan Retail. While a few years ago the large retail group hired few engineers, this is no longer the case today.

According to Eric Orjas, "Auchan needs more engineers, people with analytical and project management skills." Indeed, the world's 35th largest employer wants to develop its own brands, such as "Qilive,"a brand specializing in electronic products, launched in 2013. New minds, with their expertise and open-mindedness, are therefore in high demand. Vincent Ducasse explains, "Qilive's new headphones were created, from concept to design, in less than a year." This short production time impresses the engineering students at the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Lille. It can be explained, among other things, by the work of three motivated engineers.

Furthermore, according to Eric Orjas, "For a long time, supply chain management was reserved for engineers, but in recent years it has been studied in business schools. We need to bring this skill back to the heart of engineering programs." Eric Orjas and Vincent Ducasse would therefore be delighted to see new Arts et Métiers graduates joining Auchan Arts et Métiers possess the analytical skills required for supply chain management.

Auchan, an organization appreciated by engineering students

For Vincent Manon, a second-year engineering student and head of industrial relations, Business Lunches are a great way to discover new organizations that may hire students once they graduate. "We know that groups such as Safran are likely to hire us at the end of our studies, but it's nice to learn about new ones."  The students were very interested in meeting employees from the retail group, and all the seats available at the documentation center, where the business lunch was held, were taken.

From robotics to cosmetics, biomechanics, aeronautics, and virtual reality, discover 18 portraits of young women who are shaping the industry of the future!

Created by photographer Marion Gambin and science journalist Gilles Marchang, these 18 portraits remind us that women have their place in the industrial world, which is still predominantly male. This exhibition, organized by Arts et Métiers supported by the Fondation Égalité Mixité, is placed under the high patronage of the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The Elles Bougent association and the L'Oréal Foundation are partners.