Skip to main content

Production schools - France

Safety culture to boost young people's employability

The project aims to launch an extensive safety acculturation program in 23 gas-using production schools, so that every student acquires the safety reflexes and culture of professionals, thereby increasing their employability.

Every day, production schools are helping to resolve a French paradox: young people have difficulty finding training and companies have difficulty hiring1. In the industrial sector, the French Federation of Production Schools provide training in machining, joinery, locksmithing, metalwork, etc.

1 the number of vacancies far exceeds the number of applications received by employers

What is a Production School?

The Production School offer young people from the age of 15 a professional training, a recognised diploma and a job in a sector that is recruiting. They replicate the workshops of a company and entrust these young people, supervised by professional masters, with the production of orders. It is by producing these orders for local customers that each student acquires the skills needed to master the trade. the French Federation of Production Schools has set itself the target of creating 100 schools throughout France by 2028.

For several years, the Production Schools have been supported by the Air Liquide Foundation and Air Liquide teams.

Promoting safety at all levels of production schools

Currently, 71 Production Schools train their students and teams in safety, but with different approaches and degrees of maturity depending on their age, business and governance.

A safety charter was drawn up by a joint working group for schools in Cholet and Le Havre between 2020 and 2022 : the French Federation of Production Schools and Air Liquide France Industrie. This new project aims to deploy this charter in 23 schools using gases.

“The Production School offer young people from the age of 15 a professional training, a recognised diploma and a job in a sector that is recruiting.”

Make safety a reflex, a fundamental value for every student

The safety acculturation program enables each student to acquire the reflexes and safety culture of a professional, thereby enhancing his or her employability. It includes the setting up of safety committees, an anomaly hunt, training for students, teachers and master professionals, and investment in safety equipment.

23 Schools supported

1,160 students supported

Strengthen the safety culture of students and teaching teams

Once the project has been launched in the 6 pilot schools*, safety committees will gradually be set up in the schools, with an Air Liquide referent in attendance every term.

These committees will draw up the conclusions of the hunt for anomalies, the actions carried out in terms of safety, the actions still to be carried out, the investments to be made...

At the end of the project's third year, an overall assessment will be drawn up based on student questionnaires, committee minutes, the reorganization of spaces, the drop in incidents, and statistics on students' professional integration.

* Lille (Frais Marais and Waziers AL sites), Le Havre (Gonfreville AL site), Stains (Mitry Mory AL site), Cholet (Carquefou AL site), Saint Etienne (Feyzin AL site), Istres (Vitrolles AL site).

Involvement of Air Liquide employees

A commitment plan for Air Liquide employees is planned as part of this project. Numerous contacts/visits have been set up between the Production Schools and ALFI site managers at Gonfreville, Vitrolles, Lille, Feyzin and Mitry Mory.

More specifically, Air Liquide employees will help set up an Occupational Health and Safety Committee in each pilot school, carry out anomaly hunts, co-construct training modules on gases for schoolchildren and industrialization for self-training by professional teachers, and finally cross-visits to ALFI sites.

The project was sponsored by the CSR Manager of Air Liquide France Industries / Industriel Marchand.

Production Schools

Discover another French Federation of Production Schools project, previously supported by the Air Liquide Foundation.

Read more  

What the Air Liquide Foundation does

The Air Liquide Foundation finances safety equipment for the 23 schools involved in the project of the French Federation of Production Schools (FNEP), from 2024 to 2027. She pilots the implementation of the safety acculturation program and a vast commitment plan for Air Liquide employees.

Eric Gantois

This is a fine, engaging and I hope useful project, which responds in a targeted way to the twofold need expressed by the French Federation of Production Schools: to get the industrial sector involved with students for a pragmatic and useful transfer of knowledge on the one hand, and to support schools in the implementation of a safety culture.

Eric Gantois

Area Operations Manager at Carquefou, ALFI-IM.