At the meeting of the Conseil National de l’Industrie (National Council for Industry) held on 23rd May, the Minister for the Economy and Finances, the Secretary of State to the Minister and the Managing Director of Bpifrance officially launched Volontariat Territorial en Entreprise (VTE).

Inspired by the Volontariat International en Entreprise (VIE) scheme, which has been a big hit with young graduates, this scheme, which uses the www.vte-france.fr website, will allow students or young graduates from schools and universities to apply for situations vacant offered by industrial SMEs and intermediate-sized companies including those based in the “Territoires d’Industrie” (industrial areas). The State and Bpifrance have set themselves a target of 100 VTE agreements signed for the experimental phase which will get underway after the summer holidays in September 2019.

The VTE scheme is fully in line with the “recruitment” aspect of the Territoires d’Industrie initiative and its aim is to highlight to students the career opportunities offered by SMEs and intermediate-sized companies outside the major urban areas.

According to a study published in November 2017 by the BpifranceLab , 90% of these companies have difficulties in recruiting talent. The phenomenon is all the more noticeable the further away we get from the major cities.

Against this background, the VTE scheme aims to play a full part in revitalising French Fab companies by encouraging students or young graduates from business or engineering schools and universities to get first-hand knowledge of the company and the kinds of work it does. The VTE scheme offers them a chance to immerse themselves in the life of an SME by immediately taking on important responsibilities alongside the manager, and allows them to get rewarding experience which can even be decisive at the start of their working lives. For the head of the company, the VTE scheme offers an opportunity to attracted talented young people, who bring a fresh outlook and specific skills, which will help to support the transitions being made by French industry, thus helping to shore up its appeal.

The VTE scheme is aimed at Bac +2 to Bac +5 level students and young graduates and it will consist of experience lasting at least one year, which may take the form of an apprenticeship contract for students, a fixed-term contract or a conventional permanent contract for young graduates and which will be paid for by the company.