Paris, September 8, 2023 – EDF Renewables signs a partnership agreement with the Ecole Centrale d’Electronique (ECE) to create a teaching chair specializing in energy and the environment. In this context, specialty courses will be updated and reviewed according to the needs of the sector. ECE students will also be able to benefit from internships, VIE (International Corporate Volunteering) missions, work-study contracts and jobs within the company.
EDF Renouvelables, a major player in renewable energies in France and around the world, supports the training and professional integration of students and young graduates in a growing sector. This partnership, EDF Renewables' first with higher education, provides, among other things, for the mobilization of EDF Renewables experts to provide specialized and professional courses on renewable energies, the participation of these experts in conferences and master classes organized by the ECE, and also the possibility for students to visit EDF Renewables wind and solar installations.
Driven by the objectives of the French authorities which are targeting, by 2050, 100 GW of installed solar capacities, a doubling of capacities in onshore wind power and 40 GW installed for offshore wind power, the rapid development of the renewable sector today presents numerous opportunities for students who wish to engage in the energy transition.
Working within EDF Renewables means joining the subsidiary of the EDF group specially dedicated to the development of wind and solar power, i.e. more than 4,500 employees who all over the world are building a CO2-neutral energy future thanks to value-creating and climate-friendly renewable energy projects. The company recruits more than 350 people each year in France on fixed-term or permanent contracts, and several thousand worldwide. Today, employees with experience are largely in the majority in these recruitments and the company's ambition is to reverse this trend, by recruiting more juniors who are better trained in its professions but also more women, with the objective that they represent 40% of the workforce before 2030. This is the reason why EDF Renewables welcomes more than 200 young people each year on work-study or internship programs. Engineering profiles, IT and data skills are particularly sought after to strengthen the development of digital technology in EDF Renewables' businesses.
Bruno Bensasson, Executive Director of the EDF group in charge of the Renewable Energy Sector and Chairman and CEO of EDF Renewables, declared: “I am very happy to sign this partnership which makes it possible to strengthen the link between the world of business and that of education in order to facilitate students' access to internships, work-study contracts and recruitment while ensuring strong coherence between the offer of training and the needs of our professions. This agreement is part of the EDF group's “skills” project which aims to develop the skills necessary for the implementation of the energy transition in France and in all our countries of operation. A stronger industry calls for more well-trained engineers and technicians. »