Find Your Way with Compas
Starting in the first semester of 2022, theUM will recruit and train student ambassadors each year to work 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 the University of Montpellier Paul-Valéry and the Regional Education Office.
“Student ambassadors are the best advocates for high school students because they are currently going through their own college experience and, with proper training, are able to explain their university experience as honestly as possible, ” explains François Mirabel, director of SCUIO-IP and dean of the School 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 school district as they choose their future paths. “For this first year, we are recruiting 20 students from the ‘UM ’; next year, that number will rise to 30. The remaining 70 will come from other institutions,” the director explains.
A Smoother Transition from High School to College
This initiative is modeled after one implemented several years ago for first-year health studies, after SCUIO-IP observed that private health prep schools were lobbying high school students.“This was a real source of social inequality that, moreover, undermined the effectiveness of the free tutoring available at theUM , which often yields better results than those of students in private prep programs.” TheUM will extend this initiative to all programs at all higher education institutions participating in the Compas project.
Compas, designed to “help students 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 Office, 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 127 high schools in the academy. 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 main focus is on improving the effectiveness of career guidance and establishing 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 initiative aims to promote 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—male or female—must find a purpose for their educational journey, so they can envision their life as a student and their future professional life.”
To achieve this equality, each partner has proposed to take on one or more initiatives. “The one we’re leading requires a significant investment, which we’re 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 offer advice beyond their own field of study: on how to structure their university studies, financial aid programs, support services, student life, andmore. 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 program to recognize the value of this training.
9 actions, 5 actors
Paul Valéry, for its part, proposes creating 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 regional education office responsible for monitoring high school students’ academic paths will also be tasked with training and equipping career guidance counselors and setting up a digital workspace dedicated to high school students’ career guidance.
While the University of Perpignan has chosen to focus on combating discrimination, the University of Nîmes will be responsible for addressing the issue of the educational continuum between high school and university. This is a real necessity for François Mirabel, who laments the lack of communication between secondary schools and higher education“regarding what students can expect in terms of prerequisites, skills, and knowledge when they enter university. “Study methods, independence, time management… All these elements must be the subject of discussions among teaching staff.” LIRDEF, LAGAM, and Cereq—three partner laboratories in the project—will evaluate the initiatives, “an essential step that allows us to evolve and that must be conducted scientifically and independently,”concludes François Mirabel.
*Humanities and social sciences, languages, literature, and the arts.