Lhe Technologies and Industry division of the Neuchâtel Vocational Training Center (CPNE-TI) has acquired a new machining center thanks to a partnership with the watch brand Patek Philippe SA. This CNC machine is essential for carrying out educational projects in professional training in the watchmaking and microtechnology professions, thus creating a synenergy of know-how.
A 5-axis machining center was inaugurated on Tuesday, November 19, on the Klaus site in Le Locle, by Crystel Graf, head of the Department of Training, Finance and Digitalization (DFFD), as well as by Nicolas Couturier, director production at Patek Philippe. A public-private partnership enabled the acquisition of this new machine. The watch manufacturer has in fact committed to this project by offering more than a third of the amount necessary for the purchase of this machining center. This partnership participates in the development of a new educational project at CPNE-TI and contributes to the dynamism and quality of professional training in technical professions.
A highly qualified succession
This new tool, capable of turning and milling on 5 axes, is ideal for the production of small, complex parts in high-tech industry. Economical in resources, it broadens the scope of educational projects carried out by the CPNE-TI. Indeed, future apprentices in micromechanics and watchmaking will have the opportunity to carry out an interdisciplinary project, thus creating a synergy of skills within the cluster. Thus, the next “school piece”, i.e. the complete creation of an object during training, will take the form of a clock with pieces now made internally at the school. The micromechanics sector will be responsible for manufacturing the parts necessary to create the clock, while the watchmaking sector will focus its activities on assembly, adjustment and finishing. This project could extend to higher professional training (ES), also provided at CPNE-TI, by integrating watchmaking complications. Collaborations are also envisaged with the engineering field of HE-Arc.
Promotion of watchmaking and microtechnology professions
This investment, which brings together private and public funds, mirrors the initial vocational training system which operates thanks to a partnership system. This purchase supports the quality of the training provided at CPNE-TI, as well as the dynamism and attractiveness of the sectors concerned.
This project responds perfectly to the strategy implemented in the canton of Neuchâtel. Indeed, the creation in Locle of a center dedicated to the watchmaking and microtechnology professions by 2028 on the site of the former engineering school (HDV7) enhances an essential sector of activity for the economic fabric of the canton on a single campus. The commitment of companies to professional training, particularly in dual mode, helps to consolidate this strategy.
