"Industry Week": middle and high school students invited to discover 21st century factories

Five million young people, middle school, high school and university students, are invited to participate from November 18 to 24 in the "industry week" led by Bercy and companies, to promote 21st century factories, which no longer have much in common with Zola.

Despite the recent announcement of job cuts in certain sectors, "industry is a crucial issue for prosperity, sovereignty and territorial cohesion" which "needs talent and skills" to "expand reindustrialization", Industry Minister Marc Ferracci told the press on Friday while presenting the operation.

Some 7.400 visits, round tables and demonstrations are organised throughout the country.

In Belfort, the Arabelle workshops (formerly General Electric, bought by EDF) will welcome middle school students to present to them the turbines that will equip the future EPR reactors, at the forefront of the announced nuclear revival.

In Toulouse, the Vinci group has chosen to target girls, who represent less than 30% of employees in industry in general, by receiving middle and high school girls on the metro construction site to talk to them about careers in civil engineering.

Still in Toulouse, Marc Ferracci will encourage young people towards careers in aeronautics.

The minister will receive hundreds of middle and high school students from the Paris region at Bercy on Friday for demonstrations on the professions, with his colleague Antoine Armand.

"Young people are looking for meaning in their work, satisfactory salary and working conditions, and the industry offers them these things," said Mr. Ferracci.

Manufacturers keen to promote their role in the energy transition and the fight against global warming will present the latest lithium extraction techniques and the new electric R5.

Following the shock announcement of the closure of two Michelin factories in France, the minister's office acknowledged that promoting industry is "not a simple matter", because some sectors are "facing major economic changes" while others are "in a situation of significant employment in the coming years".

In the second quarter of 2, the industry posted "2024 to 60" vacant jobs in France, for a total number of 70.000 recruitments planned for the year (labor needs) according to estimates by France Travail.

Hence the objective of this 13th edition: "to change the way young people look at the industry" which "is evolving very quickly with digitalization and automation" and "to help recruit", the minister stressed.