As its 125th anniversary approaches in 2025, the Pierrard engineering school in Virton, a historic institution dependent on Hénallux, is at the heart of a controversy. Persistent rumors of a move to Arlon are causing great concern among the Pierrardine community. The Royal Association of Engineers – Arts and Crafts of Pierrard (ARIAMP) also published an open letter on June 15 to alert and call for action against this project.
The reasons given for this move include the dilapidation of Pierrard’s current buildings and the need to modernize its infrastructure. Discussions are underway to co-graduate future engineers from Pierrard with those from the Haute École Robert Schuman (HERS) in Arlon, an idea which is not unanimously supported.
Benoit Dujardin, president and director of Hénallux, explains: “We have been talking with HERS for some time to join forces and maintain a training offer for industrial engineers in the south of Luxembourg. Currently, there are two training courses: one in Arlon (HERS) and one in Virton (Hénallux). The idea is to centralize this training in Arlon.” He adds : “The main reason is that it is difficult to maintain two small schools so close geographically. In the long term, this could become more and more complicated. We want to overcome network divides and join forces.”
A call to action
In its open letter, ARIAMP underlines the importance of maintaining engineering training in the south of the province, both for young people and for the local industrial sector. At a meeting last March, several former students came together to consider actions to preserve the future of the school in Virton.
Read more: Julien Lecointre succeeds Michel Bernard at Hénallux de Virton
Benoit Dujardin insists that this project has never been a secret: “It’s not a secret, we’ve never really hidden it, all our colleagues know it and are thinking about it. A whole process of support and reflection is carried out on the training program. There are no secrets or silence.” He also states that “our common will must be broken down into several acts. The first step is to transfer our Master’s courses to Arlon.”
A motion to the Virton municipal council
This Thursday, June 27, a motion going against the proposed merger between Hénallux of Virton and HERS of Arlon will be voted on by the Virton municipal council. This motion aims to express the city’s official opposition to this move and to encourage the management of Hénallux to reconsider its decision.
The Town of Virton, aware of the potential impact of this move, is striving to defend the maintenance of the school on its territory. Benoit Dujardin explains: “I know that the town of Virton plans to launch a motion against the project and we understand them. ¨Why Arlon and not Virton? There are options for synergies… In Arlon, there is the University of Liège, HERS too… We would like to collaborate more with them. We also have a campus in Arlon, there is an interest in identifying internal or external synergies. We plan to develop projects with Uliège and HEC Liège, in particular for a master’s degree in management with staggered hours.”
Many decisions remain to be made, but the management of Hénallux assures that the transition will be done in one go to avoid disruptions in the students’ paths. “Student courses are no longer done by year, we cannot imagine that courses are given in Arlon in the morning and in Virton in the afternoonspecifies Benoit Dujardin. We must ensure a consistent and uninterrupted journey for students.”
Towards a demolition of the Virton building
If the intention to move is confirmed, the decision of ARES (Editor’s note: the Academy of Research and Higher Education) could be taken in spring 2025, with a possible move by 2026 at the earliest. “Our priority is to ensure that buildings are welcoming and functional, thus motivating students and staff to study and work, adds Benoit Dujardin. Callemeyn is our most beautiful location. For us, it is important that this move is of quality. There is already a risk of travel between two sites: Hénallux and HERS Arlon. We are still working, we want to avoid staff and students being on more than two sites, because there are three campuses if we add ULiège with which we also want to create synergies. With HERS, it will be a co-diploma.”
Benoît Dujardin assures him, he does not want the current Virton building to remain like a canker. Demolition is even planned. “It’s true that it’s a building in very poor condition, we carried out stability studies and there were infiltrations and corrosion, but nothing serious in terms of safety.” The fact remains that renovating the building would represent exorbitant costs, hence the envisaged option of demolition.
The future of the Pierrard engineering school in Virton seems almost sealed. The resistance of the Pierrardine community and the historical importance of the school continue to weigh in the debates, thus illustrating a complex dilemma between necessary modernization, preservation of local identity and quality of education.
