Paris, le 16 Juillet 1998

Assessment of industrial placements at the ECOLE des MINES OF Nantes

Particularities of the syllabus and the role of industrial placements

The Ecole des Mines of Nantes provides a general, multi-disciplinary 4-year engineering course, recruiting students one year after the baccalaureate (after their higher maths preparatory year). The school has adapted the model of the Ecoles des Mines of Douai and Alès by placing greater emphasis on information technology for industry. One of the specific features of the four Ecoles des Mines (historically Douai and Alès, and more recently Nantes and Albi) is the importance they attach to placements in industry, relative to the length of the curriculum.

The four-year curriculum is shared between

60% academic education

40% industry-oriented training

The 2 500 hours of industrial training can be broken down into a range of elements, some of which also incorporate an international dimension :

industrial visits (one week at the beginning of the first year)

a placement as an operative (from May to July in the first year)

simulation exercises for industrial project management (March of the second year)

3 training seminars in industrial methods and processes (end of second year)

a study of an industrial sector (third year)

a compulsory placement abroad (3 months from May to July in third year)

an international project (one week in fourth year)

an end of course industrial project (6 months at end of fourth year)

Assessment of the compulsory foreign placement

Great emphasis is placed on this international approach to engineering at the Ecole des Mines of Nantes, and the third year training placement must be done in a foreign country.

Assessment of the process of seeking a foreign placement

Finding a foreign placement is the responsibility of the students themselves, inasmuch as it is considered particularly beneficial to their overall training. Finding the placement forms part of the overall foreign placement experience as an exercise in project management, since it involves making contact with companies and organising the details of the placement. The School assesses the students’ placement-seeking skills, judging his ability to :

communicate and report

Assessment of placement results

The assessment is based on

- the training supervisor’s view of the trainee’s profile and performance, using an assessment form drawn up by the EMN

- the training supervisor’s assessment of the results of the placement, in comparison to the original objectives of the placement

- how the trainee’s work benefited the company

- the quality of the placement report , in terms of form and content

- the School’s assessment of the placement report and of the oral presentation of the report

- the trainee’s observations and remarks concerning the placement

- an assessment of the profile and behaviour of the trainee during the placement

The assessment chart drawn up by the EMN for the training supervisor’s assessment of the trainee’s performance shows the importance of personal development in the criteria for evaluation.

This chart contains three main headings :

General behaviour

presentation and behaviour

oral communication skills

Intellectual qualities

attitude to constraints and deadlines

problem-solving abilities

technical and general knowledge

Professional behaviour

attitude to work (energetic, conscientious, etc)

sense of responsibility

the supervisor is also requested to make observations about :

his general view of the trainee’s performance