In short, they're in Networking and Telecommunications!
There are six of them. They are apprenticeship students at the Béziers University Institute of Technology (IUT), in their second year of the Networks and Telecommunications program. Their teacher suggested they enter the “I Film My Education” contest[1]. They filmed their training. They didn’t expect to win. They won.
By adapting the famous format of the series“Bref,”Flavien, Florian, Oriane, Joris, Bastien, and Edouard—six students in the work-study “Networks and Telecommunications” DUT program at theIUT in Béziers—won a Gold Trophy in the national“Je filme ma formation”competition.It all started with a suggestion from Frédéric Comby, their networking professor, which the small team accepted mainly“just for fun.”
Quick and (very) easy!
Bastien and Florian, fans of the series *Bref*, decided to adopt this format—“very short, very fast-paced, which lets you convey a lot of information without boring people, and above all, by making them laugh,” explains Oriane. Juggling classes and internships, time flies for the six students, who only have their evenings to try their hand at filmmaking.“We actually didn’t really get started until a week before the deadline, ” says Joris. A script and camera shots were written in two days. Filming took place in a single evening, and editing was handled by Florian (the video’s main character) in record time as well!
Their video was then added to the 279 others selected from 450 French schools. Due to the health crisis, the grand awards ceremony—usually held at the Grand Rex—took place without an audience. So they experienced the moment via webcam, each from their own home. “We could tell our video was pretty good, but we never expected to actually win,” Bastien says, still surprised.
Spotlight
A“source of genuine pride” for Philippe Pujas, director ofthe Béziers University Institute of Technology (IUT), who is also charmed by the humorous and modern tone of a video that doesn’t shy away from playing with geek stereotypes:“It perfectly illustrates how we run the IUT and the close relationship we have with our 550 students. ” With this victory, it’s a wonderful spotlight on a program that’s little known and about which “it’s not easy to communicate,” adds the director. The issue is a lack of awareness about careers in the Networks and Telecommunications sector:“The public and students immediately think of an internet router repairman, whereas it’s much more diverse and technical than that,” continues Philippe Pujas.
“We work a bit behind the scenes in IT,” says Oriane, who is doing an apprenticeship in cybersecurity at the Nîmes Urban Community. Bastien and Joris, on the other hand, have turned their attention to telecommunications. “I work for Téléconcept and specialize in patient call systems in nursing homes and hospitals,” explains Joris. “I install and maintain telephone networks in businesses, ” adds Bastien, who works for Alliance Télécom.
30,000 job openings
“This is a sector where companies report more than 30,000 unfilled positions, even though only 1,500 students graduate each year,” laments Philippe Pujas. “There’s a real recruitment problem stemming from the lack of visibility surrounding these professions. “We also have difficulty recruiting women, even though this isn’t a gendered field.” In this context, the IUT hopes that this national showcase will not only highlight IUTs and apprenticeships but also inspire young people to pursue these careers.
As for our six filmmakers, while their training will wrap up next August, the film doesn’t end there. Whether it’s engineering school for Oriane, a professional degree for Bastien, or a study abroad program for Joris, all paths are open for a happy ending that’s already in the works!
[1] The competition is organized by CanaldesMétiers.tv under the patronage of the Ministry of National Education and Youth, the Ministry of Labor, and the Ministry of Higher Education, Research Innovation