A multi-disciplinary school of civil
engineering and public works
The ENTPE has long been a school for training engineers for the state public works departments. Engineers from the ENTPE, along with those of the ENPC school, formed the engineering corps known as ‘Ponts et Chaussées’. The reduction in the need for civil servants led the school to open its doors to non-corps students, who today represent just under a quarter of the school’s graduates.
The school should be considered as multi-disciplinary in its field, seeking to cover a wide range of subjects through 8 in-depth programmes offered in the third year : Civil engineering, Environment and Hydraulics, Transport planning and management, Construction, management, Information technology, Urban planning and management, and Marine and waterway engineering.
Three integrated training placements and
an end-of-course project.
The ENTPE organises three integrated placements :
A two-week “professional discovery” placement : this takes place in the first year at the very beginning of the curriculum and amounts to a sort of initiation period, under the guidance of a qualified civil engineer. It is validated as a first-year requirement through assessment by the training supervisor.
The student can choose two forms of training :
introduction
to the professions through local government
introduction
to the professions through technical skills (placement in technical services
departments or laboratories to discover the customers of these services).
A four-week placement in a professional environment : this takes place at the end of the first year between July and September and is validated as a second-year requirement through assessment by the training supervisor. The student can choose two forms of training :
placement
favouring the trainee’s participation in a production team with the
emphasis on organisation theory and Human Resource Management
placement favouring customer awareness and user awareness : a “front-desk” placement emphasising attentive listening and organisational skills.
A ‘professional situation’ training placement of a minimum of three months at the end of the second year, aiming to put the student’s education into context in a real professional engineering situation.
It should be noted that the end-of-course project is not directly linked to a training placement.
The relative shortness of the placement periods is seen as a motivating factor which ensures good follow-up and assessment.
The last placement is the longest, and particular attention is paid to it for assessment purposes.
The ‘professional situation’ training placement is presented as an opportunity to prepare the end-of-course project, although the latter is done outside the placement period. Two forms of placement are offered to the students :
1) A production activity, with two options
· A “study” option (technical feasibility study, development, impact, or strategic planning study, etc.)
· A “project management” option (e.g. participation in works supervision, site monitoring or management, setting up a quality plan, etc.)
2) Observation and analysis, with two options :
· A “human resource management” option
· A “cross-cultural” option (usually carried out abroad)
The ‘professional situation’ training placement has the following objectives, reorganised here under four headings :
· The practical application of knowledge acquired at the School. The student is placed in a situation of real responsibility as leader of a production activity and applies his acquired knowledge to the task.
· The testing of certain qualities useful in a professional context. The student must show he can adapt to unpredictable circumstances.
· The ability to observe and report. The student observes other customs and methods of working and draws up a placement report.
· The ability to communicate through oral presentation. The student presents findings to a jury.
This placement gives rise to the signing, by the student and the placement supervisor, of a personalised contract setting out aims and objectives. The written report is prepared with the aid of contributions from human and social science specialists.