DFor two weeks, second year high school students have, for the first time this year, to complete an observation internship in a company at the end of June. In Bordeaux as elsewhere, we organize ourselves as best we can to keep them busy and, if possible, pass on something to them.
Problem: they all arrive at the same time, there are many of them, they do not have a report to produce at the end and the teaching teams who could supervise them are mainly busy organizing the baccalaureate exams. This is precisely the idea of this novelty, to keep the second year pupils busy while their elders take the exams. While not all companies are necessarily able to offer an exciting internship path, some manage to take advantage of the presence of the new generation in the corridors.
“Integrating observation trainees, especially if there are many of them, requires time dedicated to welcoming them, explaining to them who does what, the jobs, the places, the highlights… This is as much time as professionals spend not to accomplish their tasks,” summarizes Caroline Viard, communications director of La Caisse d’Épargne Aquitaine Poitou-Charentes.
Attract young people
“We welcome as many as possible by involving them in our missions,” she continues. The challenge for them is to clarify their orientation. For us, it is twofold. On the one hand, it consists of making them want to work for us one day. » Another challenge for the company: to feed on their vision of a bank because they are the potential customers of tomorrow. “Understanding this generation represents an opportunity,” believes Caroline Viard. How they see the business world, what they dream of, what they want, need, etc. »
” This is amazing “
At Inria (National Institute for Research in Digital Sciences and Technologies), on the Talence university campus, the bias is the same. Nicolas Roussel, director of Inria Bordeaux, spends several hours with the flock of 17 interns, the most motivated among the thirty applications received. “As there are many of them, welcoming them in groups is easier from a logistical point of view,” he explains. What interests me is not to give them top-down information but to take advantage of their presence to learn what young people want, to dialogue around scientific subjects… It’s amazing to see what comes out of our discussions. » At Inria, volunteers from the human resources department supervise them in the different departments. They participate in workshops and must, at the end of their two weeks, provide feedback to employees, in the form of their choice, explaining the job they preferred.
“We need to recruit, so it is also in our interest to make our professions known to young people”
In court, Marie-Alice Ginter, director of judicial registry services, established a precise schedule where the three professions (magistrate, clerk, registry director) explain their daily lives. “I chose different professional profiles: women and men, young people and people at the end of their careers, in criminal and civil matters. It may be a bit busy but the important thing is to show them the reflection of the “real life” of our jobs. » At Banque Populaire, Olivier Painchault, HR director, counts 20 interns in regional agencies. “We are committed to an equal opportunities approach and we need to recruit, so it is also in our interest to make our professions known to young people,” he argues.
“Give them small missions”
At the editorial office of “Sud Ouest”, Lola Daublon-Perey, Augustin Escrig, Nathan Jayles and Till Baritaud, interns, interviewed some of their comrades. “The missions are not always enough to fill our schedule but the activities are interesting,” say the latter.
On the high school side, in Brémontier, Sophie Duprat, head of the Business Office, provides some organizational ideas. “Often at this age, students are not very curious about careers; we need to awaken their curiosity. Show them the necessary studies, different paths, career development. A tip: ask them for restitution, whatever the form, in front of your teams at the end of the two weeks. Encourage them to be proactive or give them small missions with clear and simple objectives. Perhaps this internship would be more effective if it took place before the choice of specialties. » In short, if it becomes permanent, this course will deserve to be organized well in advance.
