The alternation for 2022, what does it give? 🧐 Work-study is a beneficial contract for both companies and students, but are you really up to date on its advantages? What aid can companies benefit from? What is the daily life of the tutor/work-study pairs? The special work-study mini-fair We Are COM x ISCOM took stock. 🙌 On the program: testimonials from a shock pair and a little administrative point.
🤓 For more information on work-study, do not hesitate to consult our episode #1 !
Talk to the pros!
Amelie Lenclud, Head of Sourcing, Attractiveness and Employer Brand of the RATP group, is the guardian ofHanae Zediri, student at ISCOM and work-study employer brand development manager.
For starters, what is each of your jobs?
Amelie Lenclud: After having held the position of HR Manager in the safety department and then in the railway maintenance department, I am responsible for the attractiveness and employer brand of the RATP group. This is why I am well aware of the problems of work-study, whether at the operator level, in a very specific way, or at the more general level of communication and human resources. From a personal point of view, my two experiences as a tutor were fruitful.
Hanae Zediri: I am a student at ISCOM, in the Marketing Communication Management course and I am currently doing my work-study program in Amélie's team at RATP. I am more specifically in charge of the development of the employer brand.
#1 – Amélie, why and since when do you prefer work-study?
AL: For many years, the RATP has been investing in work-study schemes. We even have our own training center, specializing in sustainable mobility trades and mainly maintenance. In 2021, we took up the challenge of recruiting 870 work-study students.
Betting on work-study has many advantages, it gives visibility to our professions vis-à-vis potential future employees, it allows us to enrich our candidate pools, to develop our partnerships, our networks and our fields of stock and thus contribute to the development of our ME.
In addition to its benefits for the employer brand, work-study allows apprentices to discover the workings of our professions and to be trained on site. We often refer to work-study as an “entrance ticket for apprentices”.
#2 – Hanaë, why did you choose the work-study program? How did you find this alternation and what is your rhythm?
HZ: It exists two main advantages of work-study as a student: funding and skills development. On the one hand, the training is paid for by the company and the salary that the apprentices receive is much more advantageous than that intended for the trainees. On the other hand, work-study allows you to understand the challenges and the functioning of a company, in my case, of a large Group with global resonance.
As for the practical side, it was ISCOM and its large network that allowed me to find this work-study program, the rhythm of which is 8 days in the company for 2 days of training.
#3 – Amélie, what are your missions as a tutor?
AL: The most important mission of the tutor is to support the apprentice in general, to expose him to clear objectives, while helping him to achieve them. It is a fundamental sharing of experience, which will leave more and more autonomy to the work-study student.
To support the tutor, the RATP has set up training modules for ahalf dayday or day, which specify the role to be played. It is certain that this type of contract gives more work to the tutor, who must supervise his apprentice on a daily basis. However, it is very satisfying to help a young person to integrate the world of work, it is in a way to give back what we have received in the past.
Urban artist this kind of collaboration is extremely enriching, it allows to exchange visions and feelings specific to different generations. For example, it is very interesting to take the advice of a younger person, more accustomed to the uses of social networks, in the implementation of an HR strategy.
#4 – Hanaë, how are you enjoying your work-study year?
HZ: The rhythm is quite intense! It is in particular the school load which is less obvious to manage. You have to learn to distribute your time well between school and work. I consider the 8 day / 2 day rhythm to be quite ideal, since it allows us to ensure the continuity of ongoing projects.
Compared to my internship that I did last year, I have no doubt, it is the alternation that I prefer. I feel more listened to and supported, it teaches me to communicate better on a daily basis. I am lucky to be surrounded by a benevolent and educational team, which knows how to give me autonomy. In other words, alternation is a very rewarding system, where the trust of some improves the work of others.
#5 – What are the differences compared to an internship?
AL: An internship is generally much shorter than a work-study program. Most often, a company recruits an intern to carry out a very specific mission, to which it is not able to respond, due to lack of time. Wheras'a work-study student is recruited to learn a trade by completing his training. Hanaë is currently in charge of the animation of our network of Ambassadors. One of its daily missions is to train and inform our Ambassadors, a collective of more than 80 people, which includes alumni and passionate collaborators. It is therefore a real job that we entrust to him.
And to fulfill this kind of task, the salary is obviously higher than for a sfloor. We are necessarily more demanding with an apprentice whom we support for an entire year. Thus, the salary of a work-study student goes hand in hand with his responsibilities.
HZ: I would add that, the more rewarding the missions entrusted to the work-study student, the more it is possible for them to fully develop their skills. I am actually more invested, in my work as well as within my team, when the contract lasts 1 year rather than 6 months.
#6 – What does a typical day look like?
HZ: Generally speaking, my day starts at 9 a.m., by checking my emails. I then connect to the employee advocacy platform we have to create new content, sort it or moderate content awaiting publication by the Ambassadors. I regularly offer 15-minute video sessions to new Ambassadors in order to answer their questions and familiarize them with our digital tools.
The afternoons are devoted more to meetings and various writings, to the preparation of the next workshops of the Ambassadors network or to employer branding events (fairs, forums, conferences, etc.).
Finally, once a week, I participate in what is called an AIC (short interval animation), a team meeting during which everyone shares their current projects and their questions with the others.
I have the chance to take part in missions that are very different from each other: student fairs, forums, conferences, employer branding video shoots... the diversity of tasks is extremely stimulating and allows you to acquire a fairly global vision of what employer brand attractiveness is.
AL: Although it is true that there is a certain trend, no two days are really the same. With Hanaë, we meet and exchange regularly every week, without however having set up ritual moments. Nevertheless, the AIC constitutes a crucial high point, where each member of the team presents his projects, the irritants he encounters and information on the subjects impacting the rest of the team.
Currently, for example, we are working on a preboarding project which will offer a fun and ergonomic reception module to people at the end of the recruitment process, but who have not yet integrated their position. This long-term work is structured by the initiatives and reports of Hanaë, who gradually gains in autonomy.
#7 – What advice would you give to those who are hesitant to get started, future tutors and apprentices?
AL: Rather, the question would be, why hesitate to start? The work-study program is beneficial both for the tutor, who ends up seeing his workload reduced, and for the apprentice, who acquires experience and discovers the business world.
My advice to future tutors would be to involve yourself throughout the training, to make your availability felt and to listen to your apprentice so that he feels in his place. You have to be aware that this requires an initial investment, it is not possible to release an apprentice into the wild. But this responsibility pays off very quickly. Work-study is a way to help future generations, it is both enriching and rewarding.
HZ: I would say that work-study is quite simply the best way to learn a trade and that the choice of an apprenticeship contract is the most relevant. Future work-study students, you have to dare to get started, dare to make mistakes and not be afraid! This is the best way to access a complete and empowering professional training!
Administrative bonuses
Work-study, what are the advantages?
💼 Are you an employer? Work-study is the tailor-made solution if you want to strengthen your team and provide it with new skills and resources.. The work-study is a talent at a lower cost, which you could recruit after having trained it in your company.
🎓 Are you a student? The alternation will allow you to combine theoretical education and practical education, to develop operational skills in communication. A professional experience will be greatly beneficial to your employability for your professional integration. Finally, you will be paid by the company that will host you during your work-study program.
Alternative, how much does it cost?
This year, the exceptional work-study assistance is extended until June 2022. 💪 We explain.
👀 The cost of an alternating varies depending on his level of study and therefore the added value he is able to bring to the company. Here is a summary table.
Work-study, sector figures
✅ Alternating is a sector that is on the rise, regardless of the level of study, region or sector.
Hanae Zediri,
Work-study employer brand development manager
