The Cesi Engineering School and the SNCF have come up with a new training track for future railway infrastructure works managers.

This work-linked training course has been designed jointly by the ei.cesi engineering college and the SNCF, particularly via the Nanterre CNFI (French National Centre for Infrastructure Training). The first class of 20 students began their studies in September. Michel Morin, SNCF Infrastructure Skills Management Group Manager and David Failly, Director of the Bagneux ei.cesi, outline the project.

Why create this new option?

MM: Apprenticeships are becoming more and more common as a way for young people to study while joining a company. At SNCF Infrastructure, we already offered this programme to school leavers and those with up to 3 years of higher education. We wanted to extend it to include those with 5 years of higher education. In addition, when we recruit young engineers, they need to be trained for the specific aspects of railway works. They need to get to know the safety regulations that apply to people and transport, as well as more technical aspects such as track maintenance, signalling, overhead power supply...which you don't get anywhere else. Once they've graduated, the 20 young apprentices will already be trained in these areas, and will therefore be able to take on responsibilities in the area of railway works more quickly.

DF: Apprenticeships are the best kind of grant, because they allow young people to get paid while being trained. The apprentice gets to know the company, its culture and its requirements, and learns ways of working. For companies, it helps them develop a way of matching jobs and skills by creating a pool of potential candidates and seeing where they seem to connect. We've been working with the SNCF for 11 years. This project is entirely consistent with Cesi's philosophy - to train operational and pragmatic engineers who can organise, co-ordinate and manage maintenance on the ground.

What were the selection criteria? What shape does the training take?

DF: The young people were first selected by their motivation for the apprenticeship track and their level of knowledge by our teams (the majority have done two years of higher education in Buildings and Public Works or Civil Engineering). The SNCF then went through a selection process using its own criteria. The young people alternate between in-company phases (90 weeks in 3 years) and lecture phases. They are given 250 hours of lessons on railway works, which give them a general training in the particularities of railway infrastructure, and not just those aspects that apply to the SNCF.

MM: Our selection process included interviews and assessment tests. We were looking for particular qualities like initiative-taking, handling stress, self-organisation, problem-solving and open-mindedness. We now have apprentices in the works units of the big railway centres right across France. They have a mentor, an experienced manager based in their unit, who works with them for the 3 years of the training. Each apprentice has a course folder which both they and their mentor can use to see what theory module have been covered in order to put their learning into practice. The goal is to ensure a transfer of skills between an experienced manager and a young person, so that they learn methods of organisation and techniques. Our idea is also to create a sense of a group dynamic so that there is a sense of teamwork among these 20 young people. We want to see a network of apprentices and mentors undergirding this first batch of apprentices.

During their training, the young people are also going to get to see other departments of the SNCF to get a broader understanding of the company and the challenges it faces, and we are currently preparing their 3rd year training placements abroad.

Mr. Failly, what are the qualities of a good engineer today?

I think that engineers need to be open to changes in the company, both structural and cultural changes. They need to be adaptable, capable of anticipating and improvising new structural, technological or managerial solutions, while also managing the financial aspects of their cost centre and profit centre. Nowadays it is not enough to be a good scientist or technician - engineers also need to be managers who can motivate and train teams, and leaders who innovate and provide new suggestions for the company.

Mr. Morin, what are the advantages of the SNCF for a young engineer?

The SNCF has two undeniable advantages: the range of career opportunities and the number of investment projects it is involved in. Basically, our advantage is our size. For example, SNCF Infrastructure alone has 53,000 employees with 50 different job types. Depending on an individual's motivation, abilities and flexibility, we can develop a range of career paths. The SNCF is also a company with big plans for the future. The Government's stimulus package and the Grenelle Environment Act are opening up a number of new opportunities, and the years to come will see some significant long-term investments where railway engineers will have a key role.

Check out the talentsncf.com website