And why not industry? To make their professional choice, middle and high school students discover a factory in Pas-de-Calais

Around sixty teenagers will discover, for a day, this Tuesday, December 3, 2024, the Stikoïa factory in Sallaumines, near Lens. Enough, perhaps, to encourage vocations in a sector of the future under pressure.

“This visit pushed us to refresh the company's premises, it motivates us too!“, Jean-Marc Barki has a smile on his lips. The president of Stikoïa, manufacturer of industrial glues, located in Sallaumines, will receive in a few hours around sixty students from the high school pprofessional Auguste Béhal and the Jean Zay college in Lens. The objective? Make them want to choose the industrial sector for their future profession.

For several years now, Abdelhak Goumar, delegate for professional and technological training at the Lens high school, has spared no effort. The former teacher tries to break down the industry stereotypes he frequently hears: “if we talk to a student about maintenance, they see a dirty and poorly paid job with odd hours, that is no longer necessarily the case“He takes as examples the numerous gigafactories that are emerging in our region.

“Our youth has an image of yesterday's industry, today's has been transformed, these are our everyday products and national pride” explains Julien Noronha, executive director in charge of Communication at Bpifrance, originally (with theindustrial skills operator OPCO 2i), of the event. Since September 12, a bus has been crisscrossing the metropolis for the “Tour de France of our Industries“.

In total, this year, 3,500 young people have already visited or will visit an industry in their region. And if Julien Noronha admits “round eyes at first“, finally the young people”project themselves and change their image, they say to themselves “I didn't understand and I didn't know that there were so many opportunities near me for my career“.

According to Bpifrance, 110,000 new jobs will be created per year in industry over the next ten years. At a time when many factories are disappearing, especially in our region, “we know, it is a national issue to reindustrialize the country” confirms the executive director. He adds: “we will not succeed without working on the attractiveness of the sector“.

Companies must engage young people very early in their training to direct them towards careers where there is a future and demand.

Abdelhak Goumar, delegate for professional and technological training at the Auguste Béhal high school

In Stikoïa, Jean-Marc Barki “has always chosen youth“. For almost 30 years, some of the 23 employees have evolved with the company but today, “ohave difficulty recruiting and finding motivated people“. The ruler, who “speaks with his heart and his affection“I intend to convince these young people that”we must believe in industry, it is the future of the country“.

Lensois middle and high school students will arrive, by bus, around 10:30 a.m. at the Stikoïa factory. Jean-Marc Barki intends to reveal all the particularities of what he calls his “Gallic village“. “Fabienne for quality, Léa for commerce…”the list is long, the teenagers will meet the employees of each department. “It's important that he can interact with them” smiled the leader.

“They talk to workers and see the diversity of the sector” adds Julien Noronha. Around noon, the business leaders will speak before several surprise guests planned. Finally, the students will leave at the very end of the afternoon with “head full of gifts, ideas and desires” hopes the president of Stikoïa.