L’Académie de l’Envolée – Saint-Nazaire

The support provided by the Air Liquide Foundation is helping to strengthen the Academy’s training kitchen and provide apprentices with working conditions that closely reflect those of a professional environment, including appropriate facilities and equipment that meet industry requirements. 

Beyond technical skills, the Academy places autonomy and self-confidence at the heart of its approach. The aim is to enable each apprentice to recognize their abilities, gradually gain independence and build their professional future. Ultimately, the Academy seeks to create a genuine pathway into employment and contribute to changing perceptions of disability in the workplace.

Revealing skills and opening the doors to employment 

L’Academy de l’Envolée supports people with disabilities in discovering and learning about careers in the hospitality and catering sector. It offers two certified training programmes leading to recognized professional qualifications: Multi-Skilled Catering Assistant and Kitchen Assistant. A non-certified introductory programme is also available, allowing participants to gradually discover the sector and identify their interests, abilities and professional aspirations. 

Each training pathway is tailored to the individual needs of the learner. Training delivered at the Academy enables apprentices to develop practical skills that can be directly applied in the workplace. As part of their work-study programme, apprentices then have the opportunity to put their knowledge into practice in mainstream professional environments, experience the realities of the job and progress at their own pace.

The Academy’s support goes beyond technical skills. It also aims to foster independence, initiative and self-confidence. Learning how to carry out tasks independently, work as part of a team, take on responsibilities and adapt to a professional environment are all important steps in helping each apprentice gradually gain confidence. 

The Academy therefore acts as a genuine bridge to employment. By supporting apprentices as they develop their skills and independence, it also gives companies the opportunity to discover their abilities and potential. The aim is to demonstrate, through practical experience, that disability does not prevent someone from performing a job when the right skills, working environment and support are in place. 

Through this project, the Academy helps create meaningful connections between people seeking to build their professional future and companies willing to give them an opportunity to succeed.

Training as close as possible to real working conditions 

The training kitchen has been designed to reproduce, as closely as possible, the conditions apprentices will encounter in a real company. Adapted equipment enables them to practise professional tasks, develop greater independence and build confidence in their abilities. This practical experience is an essential step towards entering the ordinary working environment. 

What the Air Liquide Foundation is doing

The Air Liquide Foundation has believed in our journey since the very beginning. 

It first supported the creation of L’Envolée, our inclusive restaurant combined with housing open to all. It then renewed its trust in us by supporting the development of our catering activity, funding a container transformed into a fully equipped production kitchen. 

Today, building on the experience of L’Envolée, our team wanted to go one step further by creating L’Académie de l’envolée, an inclusive vocational training centre dedicated to careers in the hospitality industry for young people with disabilities, offering teaching and support adapted to their individual needs. 

Once again, the Air Liquide Foundation has been there to support us. 

From L’Académie de l’envolée, this continued commitment enables us, step by step, to imagine and develop new solutions that promote independence, training and access to employment for people with disabilities.

Thank you to the Air Liquide Foundation for believing in us from the very beginning and for continuing to help us grow this journey together.

Implication des collaborateurs Air Liquide

1. Collaborative and Inclusive Culinary Workshops 

Air Liquide employees will be invited to take part in culinary workshops alongside apprentices from the Academy. Organized around themes such as chocolate, macarons, or festive creations, these opportunities for sharing will encourage interaction, cooperation, and a shift in perceptions of disability through a practical, friendly, and meaningful experience. 

Friendly opportunities for interaction and knowledge-sharing will be formally organized within the school's facilities: 

Organization of themed workshops: Sessions focused on technical aspects of the catering industry (chocolate workshops, macaron making, Christmas log preparation, etc.). 

Pairing system: These sessions will bring together interactive pairs consisting of an Air Liquide employee and a young apprentice with a disability from the Academy, promoting inclusion through hands-on participation. 

2. Sharing Expertise in Safety and Continuous Improvement 

Volunteers with expertise in safety, risk prevention, or continuous improvement will support the Academy in developing an increasingly safe and inclusive working environment. 

The aim is to draw on the skills and expertise of Air Liquide engineers and managers to professionalize the school's working environment: 

Co-development of a Single Occupational Risk Assessment Document (DUERP): Close collaboration with Air Liquide teams with expertise in safety, risk prevention, and continuous improvement to assess and identify specific risks in a kitchen environment (burns, cuts, sensory fatigue related to the environment, and optimization of circulation flows). 

Ergonomic adaptation and accessibility: The technical support will focus on the detailed ergonomics of workstations. In addition, the final DUERP will be made fully inclusive and accessible to apprentices through the use of adapted visual materials, clear pictograms, and the FALC methodology (Easy-to-Read and Understand). 

3. Participation in Project Monitoring and Evaluation 

As a continuation of the Air Liquide Foundation's commitment to our organization since 2022, employee representatives will be involved in monitoring the project. 

They will notably participate in the Academy's annual performance review, carried out as part of our Qualiopi quality assurance process. This will provide an opportunity to share the results achieved, feedback from apprentices and partner companies, and jointly identify areas for improvement and future development.