In partnership with the Ile-de-France - Paris region and the Colombbus association, we are supporting the Numerik’up organisation, which is helping young people aged 16 to 25, who are unemployed and have dropped out of education, to reconnect with the world of work, encouraging them to turn to the digital trades.
Through to May 2021, we will be organising 6 sessions of 15 students each, with the support of other Orange Group entities (Orange Campus, Orange d’Ile-de-France and the Innovation department).
A unique initiative
This educational programme combines theoretical teaching (5 weeks) with practical (3 weeks of introductory internship in a company) and should enable these young people:
- to learn about the main areas of digital technology (software development, robotics, connected objects, graphic design, etc.) ;
- to identify and develop their own skills and give them back the confidence to plan a career;
- to move towards qualification courses.
The second Numerik’up session has, since mid-September, been welcoming fifteen young people from the region to the Orange Gardens site in Châtillon (Hauts-de-Seine), while complying strictly with health restrictions. This new cohort has risen to the challenge of gender equality and is an illustration of our purpose and our capacity to encourage complete inclusivity.
This is a commitment that is re-affirmed by Isabel Lejeune-Tô, who helped develop the Numerik’up concept and is leading the project: “The future of the economy is digital, and women need to be fully involved. Better gender balance is essential for society, and first and foremost for these young women. The digital economy is where new jobs and the best paid jobs will be created. We need to train many more women in programming, robotics, artificial intelligence... so as to improve their representation in society. The first Numerik’up cohort included only 10% women. This time we have been able to improve female representation among the interns in the new cohort, with 60% women. We will be careful to achieve this balance in future sessions.”
Following the theoretical teaching, these young people have the opportunity to discover the business world and the diversity of Orange trades, within the teams of Orange Ile-de-France. Even before beginning the practical element, the interns are fully behind the scheme. Like Aïssa, who has no hesitation in saying: “The course is very interesting and helped me see that the various aspects of digital technology are within everyone’s grasp. The team of trainers was very attentive and good at teaching.” Or Yanis, who appreciated the length of the course: “Instead having to study a field for a year to see if we like it, we were able to discover several fields in a few weeks.”
The Colombbus association
Colombbus is an association that works in education, training and professional integration, using IT and the internet. For Numerik’up, the association works with the interns on their “soft skills”, and helps them plan a career path.