EPF students at the Usine Extraordinaire
23 EPF students from Year 3 to Year 5 took part in The Usine Extraordinaire on the inside from November 22nd to November 25th at the Grand Palais, in Paris. What was their purpose? Arouse curiosity, experience today’s industries, discover tomorrow’s factory breakthroughs, listen to our industry’s pulse, and meet start-ups and major groups that could hire them tomorrow…
An event over 13.000 sqm to rediscover today’s factories
For 4 days, l’Usine Extraordinaire hosted various events to share and exchange between the public and today’s industries. Demonstrations, conferences, presentations of careers, programs and innovations by different participants, agoras and other speeches were offered to the 50.000 visitors expected at the Grand Palais.
They had the possibility of discovering a plural, connected, collaborative, and innovative factory through the women and men who relentlessly work to face yesterday, today and tomorrow’s challenges.
EPF students took part in the event from the inside in order to improve the visitor flow and inform them on industry.
EPF students’ missions during the event
Students were associated to four different sectors of the Usine Extraordinaire : invent, produce, connect and share.
They were in charge of sending visitors towards agoras by encouraging them to discover the industrial careers presentation program, but also of surveying visitors and getting feedback; interacting with the speaker and questioning the audience so as to get as many reactions as possible; and finally compiling their own impressions as well as the visitors’ during the closing ceremony Sunday afternoon on the Grand Palais’ main stage.
Besides the missions entrusted by the event agency, this experience was an opportunity amongst others to meet major CAC 40 companies, ask unfiltered questions to Bruno LE MAIRE, French Minister for Economic Affairs and Finances, debate with Catherine COUSINARD, Engie’s Chief Digital Officer, meet future potential employers and exchange with the 10.000 pupils expected at the event.
Through their participation in this dynamic exchange between industrial companies and the public, these involved and enthusiastic EPF students were given an opportunity to exchange with young pupils from secondary and high schools, their parents and teachers, with a view of sharing their experience as engineering students at EPF and guide them towards industrial careers.
Feedback
Charlotte REYNAUD-MENDEL, 3rd year general engineering student from the Sceaux Campus
“I was given the opportunity to participate in the Usine Extraordinaire event which took place at the Grand Palais from November 22nd to November 25th. During this event, I was able to attend small conferences on various subjects: invent, produce, connect and share, and I then had to compile this information at the end of the week-end. If I had to describe this experience, I would say it was rewarding and exciting and I would suggest everyone took part in it, should the opportunity arise!”
