Find your way with Compas
Starting in the first half of 2022, the UM will recruit and train student ambassadors each year to engage with high school students in the school district and help them better prepare for their career planning. This initiative is part of the Compas program led by Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3 University and the Regional Education Office.
“Student ambassadors are the best advocates for high school students because they are currently going through their own college years and, with prior training, are able to explain their university experience as honestly as possible, ” explains François Mirabel, director of SCUIO-IP and dean of the Faculty of Economics. With this in mind, the University of Montpellier will recruit and train 100 students each year to advise and support high school students in the district as they choose their future paths. “For this first year, we are recruiting 20 students at UM; next year, that number will rise to 30. The remaining 70 will come from other institutions,” the director notes.
A smoother transition from high school to college
This initiative is modeled after one implemented several years ago for first-year health studies, after the SCUIO-IP observed that private health prep schools were lobbying high school students.“This was a real source of social inequality that, moreover, obscured the effectiveness of the free tutoring available at UM, which often yields better results than those of students in private prep schools.” UM will extend this initiative to all programs at all higher education institutions participating in the Compas project.
Compas, designed to “helpstudents develop and refine their plans for higher education, ”is a new career guidance program for high school students, led by Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3 University and the Regional Education Authority, in partnership with the universities of Montpellier, Nîmes, and Perpignan, the School of Architecture, the École des Mines d’Alès, and the eight networks comprising the academy’s 127 high schools. This 10-year project, developed as part of the third phase of the “PIA 3” future investment program, has secured a budget of 5.6 million euros to achieve its objectives.“The key focus is to improve efficiency in career guidance and to establish a more nuanced and better-structured relationship with high school students, homeroom teachers, and guidance counselors…” continues François Mirabel.
Greater efficiency for greater equality
Ultimately, the goal of this initiative is to ensure greater equality for all high school students. Social equality by providing better information on existing support programs. Regional equality by reaching out to the most remote high schools, using digital technology when necessary. Finally, equality between women and men by breaking down gender stereotypes that still exert too much influence on career choices. “Every student must find a purpose for their educational journey, to envision their student life and their future professional life.”
To achieve this equality, each partner has proposed to lead one or more initiatives. “The one we are leading requires a significant investment, which we are happy to provide, ” emphasizes François Mirabel, whose department will be responsible for recruiting students and providing their training. “They will need to be able to provide guidance beyond their specific field of study: on structuring their university studies, financial aid programs, support services, student life…They will also be invited to create a short video to‘build, over the years, a library of testimonials for high school students.’” The director is even considering establishing a certification to recognize this training.
9 actions, 5 actors
Paul Valéry, for its part, proposes to create 1,000 portraits of students in the SHS LLA* program, as well as immersion and exchange experiences through virtual tours of schools and “Live Career Guidance Sessions.” The school district office responsible for tracking high school students’ academic paths will also be tasked with training and equipping career guidance counselors and establishing a digital workspace dedicated to high school career guidance.
While the University of Perpignan has chosen to focus on combating discrimination, the University of Nîmes will be responsible for addressing the educational continuum between high school and university. This is a real necessity for François Mirabel, who laments the lack of communication between secondary and higher education“regarding what students can expect in terms of prerequisites, skills, and knowledge when they enter university. “Work methods, independence, time management… All these elements must be the subject of discussions between teaching teams.” LIRDEF, LAGAM, and Cereq—three partner laboratories in the project—will evaluate the initiatives, “an essential step to allow us to evolve, which must be conducted scientifically and independently,”concludes François Mirabel.
*Humanities and social sciences, languages, literature, and the arts.