Montpellier Management: apprenticeship, the key to employability!
On January 1, 2017, ISEM and the Faculty of AES merged to create Montpellier Management. An institute that has become a benchmark university in management on a European scale, and which, from the outset, has focused on opening up its courses toapprenticeships in order to boost the professional integration of its students.
"Apprenticeship is a path of excellence that is now well established in higher education, training students in a wide variety of sectors," asserts Pascal Mandelbaum. The head of administration at Montpellier Management explains: "Apprenticeship is one of our institute's strategic priorities. It enables us to create numerous partnerships with companies and is a source of great employability for our students".
529 apprentices
With 50% of its courses open to apprenticeship, Montpellier Management is the component of the University of Montpellier with the highest number of apprentices: a total of 529 students, i.e. over 15% of its total enrolment, have opted for this formula, enabling them to discover the world of work and earn a salary while preparing for a state-recognized diploma. " Right from the start of the academic year, our apprentices alternate between periods of coursework and periods of apprenticeship," explains Marie-Christine Lichtlé, Director of Montpellier Management. This overload of practical and intellectual work explains why, in the end, only those students with the greatest aptitude are attracted to this type of course. " The rate of professional integration of apprentices is much higher than that of students who have followed a conventional course of study", continues this specialist in management science, who, won over by the formula, opened up the Master 2 "Marketing, media and communication" course she co-directs to apprentices at the end of 2016.
Step 1 to 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 a job in the company of their apprenticeship master, or in the network they have built up during their company immersion periods," observes Marie-Chrtistine Lichtlé. " In 2016, we took on 6 students (apprentices) from Montpellier Management, mainly in support functions: auditing, inspection, management control, etc. 40-50% of these contracts subsequently led to permanent employment", explains the Human Resources department of Banque Populaire du Sud, where, as in many companies in our employment area, the advantages of apprenticeship, both fiscal (tax credits) and financial (salary costs fully borne by the Occitanie region), continue to appeal to many recruiters.
A student's view of the Instiut
Romain Wastiaux, 23 YEARS OLD, apprentice in his 2nd year of a Master's degree in Finance
"I decided to go into the world of finance after a degree in business administration. license AGE (general business administration). So I joined the Master of Finance at Montpellier Management as an apprentice to gain experience in this professional environment while continuing my studies.
In addition to my diploma, by the end of this academic year I'll have acquired no less than two years' professional experience in this sector. Two years that will really make the difference with recruiters!"
Key figures
- 3,583 students
- 92 professors-researchers and associate professors (university professors, lecturers, PRAGs, PRCEs, ATERs)
- 590 professional speakers
- 58 IATS staff
Apprenticeship: the reform in question
Opened up to higher education since 1987,apprenticeships have since been widely developed in universities, attracting more and more students every year. In early 2018, the government announced its intention to "massively develop" apprenticeships for people under 25.
On February 9, the French Minister of Labor presented the first measures aimed primarily at shifting the current financing of apprenticeships - which is exclusively publicly funded - towards a market-based approach. The bill currently being drafted should be definitively adopted this autumn.
The apprenticeship reform is expected to come into force on January 1, 2019 at the latest.