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Promoting gender diversity in technical professions

Implementation of a communication campaign for young girls in Lyon

The École La Mache of Lyon trains young people for professions in industry, construction and IT. It offers more than 28 diplomas from the fourth year of middle school’s “Professions Training” program until the Master’s degree level. The Air Liquide Foundation supports its ambition to attract more young girls to vocational training in technical professions.

Guiding young girls towards careers in industry

Technical professions are suffering from a loss of attractiveness and a lack of diversity. Companies are looking to recruit more women, but young girls are under-represented in certain sectors of industry, construction and IT. According to the Ecole La Mache, 6 out of 10 companies in technical sectors cannot find qualified profiles. This figure reflects a talent shortage and recruitment difficulties in the technical world.

6 out of 10 companies in technical sectors cannot find qualified profiles

The Work

The Ecole La Mache is intended to offer an immersive experience, thanks to the organisaton of workshops proposing real industrial production. It has more than 14,000 m2 of workspace, supports 600 concrete projects per year, and offers 5 workshop specialties: production mechanics, metal structures, digital systems, wood and fittings, electrical engineering.

The Ecole La Mache intervenes in middle and high schools during “open-house” days and careers forums to educate young girls about technical professions and the training it offers. In order to carry out the communication campaign, a Community Manager is recruited to create testimonial videos and presentation brochures dedicated to the place of young girls at Ecole La Mache.

Other initiatives, such as the creation of a FabLab, the development of a platform for monitoring career professions, are being carried out to promote technical professions. They are part of a comprehensive project to expand the Ecole La Mache.

x2 The number of girls registered within 5 years

What the Air Liquide Foundation is doing

The Air Liquide Foundation’s endowment is allocated to the communication campaign, as well as to the salaries of the Community Manager and the Communication Manager. The Air Liquide monitoring managers, Hélène et Céline, will be associated with the promotion of technical professions among young girls.

Testimonial

”This project has a real objective of allowing more young girls to access technical professions in promising fields. Both the Management Team and the facilitators are very committed to the project.”

Helene Gariglio, Rhône-Est Mediterranean Distribution Manager, Air Liquide France Industrie