Tenth-grade mandatory internship: 120 high-school students at TotalEnergies in Pau

• In 2024, the French Ministries of Education and Finance introduced mandatory two-week internships in companies, administrations and associations for tenth-grade students.
• TotalEnergies is actively involved in young people’s education through a range of programs and initiatives to help them develop key skills and make informed choices to take their future into their own hands.
• The teams at the TotalEnergies site in Pau organized themselves to welcome 120 high-school students from diverse social backgrounds to the CSTJF, and give them the opportunity to discover the world of work and prepare their career choices.

These new internships are a unique opportunity for young people to familiarize themselves with different sectors of activity, develop key skills and build a professional network. They are also an opening for companies to identify and train future talents. In short, according to the government, the internships are an investment in young people’s futures and the economic competitiveness of France. Where can tenth-grade students find an internship? We talked to Emmanuelle Bouvin, Head of internships and work-study programs at TotalEnergies in Pau.

TotalEnergies committed to taking on 1,000 tenth-grade students in France, under the aegis of the "My tenth-grade internship" operation.

On the CSTJF site in Pau, thanks to the mobilization of the teams who work there, you welcomed 120 students. How did you organize things to make sure students knew about your internship offer?

TotalEnergies has a very clear policy when it comes to young people’s training and integration. The Company rapidly confirmed that it would assume its role as a supportive, citizen-focused company on the issue of tenth-grade internships. We wanted to apply our values of integration and social diversity to this operation. Our Company aspires to gender equality and equal opportunities for everyone - it’s an efficient means of fighting discrimination and reinforcing social cohesion. Diversity is a determining factor for our company’s appeal and its capacity to innovate and adapt, which are crucial to tackling the challenges in a world of perpetual change. We looked to our associative and institutional partners in the sector of young people’s education and inclusion, and reached out to many high schools in the Pau conurbation and the Lacq basin. The student cohort is completed by employees’ children. We therefore have a population of students, some of whom have neither a network nor family support to find this kind of internship, and others who already know about TotalEnergies through their parents, family or friends. They all gathered in the CSTJF Auditorium on June 17 for the group induction.

Is the two-week internship a standard work-shadowing experience, or do you offer a specific program?

Every year, we welcome ninth-grade students for internships based on a well-constructed program, which goes far beyond a work-shadowing internship. We drew inspiration from this to develop a program whereby the students could find out about the different professions, and take part in structured, supervised activities. It’s a far cry from work experience just to "keep them busy" - our aim is for the students to find fulfillment in their internship, and for it to have an impact on their personal development, career choices and professional future.
Thanks to the mobilization of many TotalEnergies employees, the students will be able to discover the professional environment in a large, multi-national Company, to explore and understand the sectors of activity in energy - and renewable energies in particular - to familiarize themselves with technical and scientific jobs, as well as cross-business functions (Human resources, communication, procurement, intellectual property, etc.). Mentored by tutors, they will be incorporated into multi-disciplinary teams and will be able to chat freely to engineers, technicians, managers and many young work-study students on assignment at the CSTJF. The program includes presentations, visits of our facilities and interactive workshops, and of course, the free meals in our self-service cafeteria! 
I’d like to thank all my colleagues for their efforts and involvement to ensure the success of our internship program. They are all driven by the desire to convey their passion for what they do, and give students an insight into "a day in the life of...", in the hope of awakening their interest in a future profession.