Railway Partnership For Education, Research & Employment, France
The Languedoc-Roussillon regional branch of the SNCF (national rail network) has signed a partnership agreement with the GSCM (Groupe Sup de Co Montpellier) business school and the training cluster at Montpellier’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI). The aim is to work together to produce a highly trained workforce for the region’s railway industry.
SNCF will provide work experience and post-qualification employment opportunities for the school's students. GSCM will contribute specialised management knowledge for SNCF, through training activities, seminars and conferences. “We need to improve social dialogue and need the managerial expertise of the GSCM”, explained Jean Ghedira, Regional Director of SNCF, who recognised that, “Some of our operating systems date back to over 30 years, and if we don’t move on this now, we’ll loose out.”
If the partnership is to facilitate the hiring and training of GSCM students at a highly specialised level, it will also need to include research and development work. For this reason, “Students will be working on the development of the regional express trains”, says Xavier Thery, the school's Director of Business and Development.
Increased Opportunity
SNCF has hosted over 30 work experience placements and apprenticeships in the last three years. “It’s a good start but we can do better”, said Jean-Christophe Arguillère, President of the MCCI training cluster, “there are lots more steps that need to be taken”.
The GSCM is the top French management training school in terms of number of apprentices, which is currently 376. In the last four years, 1050 students have benefited from its hands-on training programmes.
The members of the new partnership are not only united by the mission to improve practical training, but they also all consider providing equal opportunities as a vital part of both their joint undertaking and their respective policies.
"Right now we are the only establishment in France to have been given the Diversity label”, stressed Didier Jourdan, Director of GSCM.
The SNCF Group illustrates the same concerns in its employment policies; almost 10% of recruits come from deprived urban areas and 5086 people with disabilities held positions in 2010. The Group is also addressing the issue of gender balance – or lack of it – in the rail industry.
Five Promises
The signing of the partnership was based around an action plan of five pledges:
- Employment and Training: consider the needs of apprentices and those on work experience placements with the SNCF, and raise the profile of the company including awareness of its business activities.
- Communication: sponsorship of entrepreneurialism and innovation, and participation in associated GSCM student events, such as Global Responsibility Week.
- Ongoing Training: access to the GSCM’s training, and establishment of tailored business courses on an individual and collective basis.
- Research and Development Education: participation in seminars and suggested topics for research on innovation and sustainable development.
- Partnership Steering Committee to be established and to meet twice a year.
