Finally the white smoke from Nextech. Plunged into a serious governance and financial crisis, having led in August to the opening of a judicial recovery procedure, the apprentice school in the Agroparc zone saw, this Tuesday, the threat of 'a disappearance. The court has in fact validated the resumption of activity by the Vaucluse Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI 84), as of November 12. In fact, the school founded in 1997 saw its managing association, API 84, liquidated and all of its assets transferred to the CCI.
A logical decision in view of the hearing last Wednesday, where all the legal actors [mandataire et administrateur judiciaires, procureur, juge commissaire] had pleaded for the CCI's offer among the 4 in the running. In addition to that of the CCI, another almost similar competing offer, supported by another learning center, Erudis formation, emerged. Of the ” largely comparable offers in terms of the transfer plan and the social plan », writes the court in its deliberations. However, ” despite the successive referrals which left time to enrich the offers », Erudis formation was only able to raise half of the funds promised from the banks, namely 1.5 million euros out of 3 million.
The CCI therefore acquired Nextech for 3.9 million euros and committed to taking on 55 of the 57 employees, including 32 permanent contracts and all the trainers in user contracts. “ The sustainability of the center is preserved, I am satisfied for my colleagues and the young people [environ 250 apprentis] », confides Benjamin Jarjaval, elected to the CSE of Nextech. The one who was also involved in a SCOP takeover offer, however, was waiting to consult the employees to provide a more substantiated opinion. Note that on November 5, 82% of employees voted in favor of the CCI's offer.
In a press release, it “ is delighted to be able to guarantee the continuity of this essential school for the training of young people and the preservation of skills in the region and also to ensure the maintenance of jobs for Nextech employees “. In its takeover offer, the CCI undertook not to dismiss employees, for economic reasons, within two years under penalty of a penalty of 3,000 euros. Erudis formation had set this penalty at 30,000 euros. Requested, its director Hervé Belmontet, could not be reached. At the end of the hearing last Wednesday, their lawyer Me Castelain mentioned the possibility of appeal without either maintaining that such a process would be automatically initiated.
But the hardest part now begins for the CCI, which will have the difficult task of straightening out a structure with liabilities of nearly a million euros at the end of 2023. Many remain very cautious and also wonder about the future of the center in two years, when new elections to the ICC will take place.
