It was a small carpentry business that my father knew. The man at the head of the company had agreed to welcome me one day for what will remain my first immersion in the professional world. Thanks to the availability and kindness of a few employees, the day had gone very well, although a bit long. She didn’t make me a carpenter, but she gave me a first impression of the world of work. The year 2000 had not been crossed and the famous “third year internship” set up by the National Education was only in its infancy. Twenty-five years later, however, the situation is the same. At the start of each year, requests for internships flourish in mailboxes at the same time as the daffodils. Most remain unanswered. And many students end up finding an internship “by default” thanks to the family network or help from the college. Not ideal for discovering an environment in which we will nevertheless spend a good forty years.
This galley which the students of 3rd are confronted each year comes up against the difficulty of the companies or administrations to accomodate the college students in good conditions. A problem that has been further accentuated with the pandemic and the more common use of teleworking. “There is a lack of a link between the business world and the educational environment. Those whose parents do not have a relationship often have all the trouble in the world to find their internship, ”analyzes Hervé Kermarrec. With his cap as president of the Union des entreprises d ‘Ille-et-Vilaine, the boss of the real estate group is therefore proud to present
the new “Internship and work-study 35” platform developed to facilitate research by college students with the support of the rectorate.
Parents: stop calling instead of your children for the 3rd year internship!
This is not doing them a service, they have to get used to the famous “despite the interest of your application…” from a very young age.– Charles // Dooinit (@charlesdooinit) December 2, 2021
Funded by the Carrefour foundation, this site offers a directory of structures accepting the reception of young interns in order to facilitate contact. “The only students who have already found their internship are thanks to their parents’ network. They take what there is, ”says Joanna. His 13-year-old son Kylian would like to become a sports journalist and specialize in soccer. He is far from the only one at this age. Unsurprisingly, he received no response to his applications. “And that stresses him out a bit,” admits his mother. These few days of immersion are nevertheless necessary in the college curriculum. And serve as a basis for teachers to approach the world of work. “There is a real lack of knowledge of companies and of what is being done there. In 3rd, almost all of them look to professions known as doctors or lawyers, ”recognizes Karine Verdale-Croizean, principal of the Chalais college in Rennes.
“There is resignation”
Located in a priority sector, the establishment tries to support its students as much as possible in their research, especially those who are not fortunate enough to have a family network. “It’s difficult for them. They sometimes have 30, 40, 50 refusals. There is resignation. It is all the more difficult for them to put themselves forward, ”continues the principal. The latter welcomes the arrival of the new platform but warns: “Companies must play the game, that there is a varied offer. “In Ille-et-Vilaine, around 10,000 third-year students seek an internship each year.
For some companies, especially those that suffer from a lack of attractiveness, these internships represent a great opportunity to show off. “We have great recruiting difficulties. We need to change the image of the transport industry, to show that the profession has changed and that a driver does not necessarily leave for two weeks traveling to the other end of Europe. Our jobs are unknown to young people, ”summarizes Justine Berthelin, human resources manager at GFS. Based in Noyal-sur-Vilaine, the transporter employs just under 500 people. Last year, despite the complicated context, it welcomed around fifty trainees, who were able to get into the trucks to discover the daily life of the drivers. “We make sure that our employees agree. Above all, it should not be imposed on employees, ”continues the HR manager.
In the department, some institutions would like the launch of the platform to be accompanied by a charter, guaranteeing the reception conditions for college students. “A third year student is not the same as a high school student or an apprentice. We have to support him, build him a course in the company, ”estimates Valérie Grumetz, in charge of orientation at the direction of the departmental services of national education (DSDEN) of Ille-et-Vilaine.