Montpellier Management: apprenticeships, the key to employability!
On January 1, 2017, ISEM and the Faculty of AES merged to form Montpellier Management. An institute that has become a leading university school in management at the European level and which, from its inception, has focused on opening its programs toapprenticeships in order to strengthen the professional integration of its students.
"Apprenticeships are a path to excellence that is now well established in higher education and trains students in a wide variety of sectors," says Pascal Mandelbaum. The administrative manager of Montpellier Management explains: "Apprenticeships are one of our institute's strategic priorities. They enable us to forge numerous partnerships with companies and are a source of high employability for students."
529 apprentices
With 50% of its training programs open to apprenticeships, Montpellier Management is the component of the University of Montpellier with the largest number of apprentices: a total of 529 students, or more than 15% of its student body, have opted for this program, which allows them to discover the world of work and earn a salary while preparing for a state-recognized degree. "From the start of the academic year, our apprentices alternate between periods of study and periods of work experience," explains Marie-Christine Lichtlé, director of Montpellier Management. This heavy workload, both practical and intellectual, explains why only the most gifted students choose this type of course. "The professional integration rate for apprentices is much higher than that of students who have followed a traditional educational path," continues this management science specialist, who, won over by the formula, opened the Master 2 "Marketing, Media, and Communication" program, which she co-directs, to apprentices at the end of 2016.
Step 1 toward a permanent contract
Apprenticeships are often the first step in the recruitment process for stable, long-term employment. "At the end of their training, many apprentices find jobs with their apprenticeship supervisors or within the network they built up during their work placements, " notes Marie-Christine Lichtlé. "In 2016, we took on six students (apprentices) from Montpellier Management, mainly in support roles: auditing, inspection, management control, etc. Forty to fifty percent of these contracts subsequently led to permanent employment," explains the human resources department at Banque Populaire du Sud, where, as in many companies in our employment area, the tax (tax credits) and financial benefits of apprenticeships (the cost of the salary is fully covered by the Occitanie region) continue to attract many recruiters.
The Institute as seen by a student
Romain Wastiaux, 23 YEARS OLD, apprentice in his second year of a Master's degree in Finance
"I decided to move into the world of finance after a AGE license (general business administration). So I joined the Master's Degree in Finance from Montpellier Management as an apprentice in order to gain experience in this professional environment while continuing my studies.
In addition to my degree, by the end of the current academic year I will have gained no less than two years of professional experience in this sector. Two years that will really make a difference to recruiters!
Key figures
- 3,583 students
- 92 Professors affiliated teachers (university professors, lecturers, PRAG, PRCE, ATER)
- 590 professional speakers
- 58 IATS staff
Apprenticeship: the reform in question
Open to higher education since 1987,apprenticeships have since become widely available in universities and are attracting more and more students every year. In early 2018, the government announced its intention to "massively expand" apprenticeships for under-25s.
On February 9, the Minister of Labor presented the first measures aimed primarily at shifting the current funding model—exclusively public funds—towards a market-based approach. The bill currently being drafted should be definitively adopted at the start of the new school year.
The apprenticeship reform is expected to come into force no later than January 1, 2019.