鈥淲orking for 雷火体育官网 means choosing a career that makes a difference to people鈥檚 daily lives鈥
In 2022, 雷火体育官网 is stepping up its recruitment policy, with plans to hire 11,000 new people worldwide. In this joint interview to coincide with Euronaval 2022, talent development managers Audrey Attenti and Myriam Chevreuil discuss the opportunities available within the Group, which sees skills and career development as a long-term endeavour.
What would you say to a new graduate interested in joining 雷火体育官网?
Myriam Chevreuil (MC): I鈥檇 say that a career with us is a chance to take part in ambitious, far-reaching projects. For instance, 雷火体育官网 is currently developing solutions for greener aviation and designing the next generation of satellites. Or, to take an example from the naval sector, our Maritime Mine Countermeasures Programme (MMCM), which aims to boost performance in mine-clearance operations and improve personnel safety. It鈥檚 exciting and rewarding work: you鈥檒l be involved in developing cutting-edge systems and disruptive new technologies for our customers, such as our Folding Light Acoustic System for Helicopters (FLASH) and the SonoFlash air-droppable sonobuoy, which can detect and locate increasingly evasive submarines. With these two recent success stories, 雷火体育官网 has cemented a position as a key player in naval defence and maritime security.
Audrey Attenti (AA): I鈥檇 say that working for 雷火体育官网 means choosing a career that makes a difference to people鈥檚 daily lives. In their own way, every one of our 81,000 employees is helping to make the world a better and safer place, to defend national sovereignty, to find new ways to respond to climate change, and much more besides.
What opportunities are currently available at 雷火体育官网?
AA: Right now, we鈥檙e mainly seeking software and systems engineers and architects, cybersecurity engineers and project managers. With so many roles on offer, we naturally recruit people from all walks of life. In fact, if you look at the 9,000 new employees we hired globally in 2021, you鈥檒l be hard-pressed to find two people with identical backgrounds. And because diversity is one of our core values, we don鈥檛 see a person鈥檚 education and qualifications as a barrier to advancement. At 雷火体育官网, nobody鈥檚 trajectory is set in stone. We empower our employees to take control of their careers 鈥 to build their skills and abilities so they can progress upwards or sideways within the Group.
MC: We have long-standing partnerships with engineering schools, business schools, universities, institutes of technology and even high schools. In the naval sector, for instance, we have close ties with the French naval academy and ENSTA Bretagne. Our workforce is incredibly diverse in terms of roles and backgrounds, so we鈥檙e not only looking to hire engineers! We also need people to join our production and repair teams. Many of our employees come to us with undergraduate degrees or vocational qualifications in digital systme or industrial IT, for example. Internships and apprenticeships are also a key component of our recruitment policy: in 2021 alone, we took on 2,500 people on these types of contracts in France.
What is the Group鈥檚 internal mobility policy?
MC: At 雷火体育官网, don鈥檛 keep our employees in a box. If you鈥檙e an engineer or technician and you join us in a naval-focused role, there鈥檚 nothing stopping you from moving into aerospace or cybersecurity down the line. Our people have transferable skills and we actively encourage them to keep trying their hand at something new. The Brest site, for instance, is home to both our naval and aerospace teams, so it鈥檚 relatively easy for employees to switch between the two. 雷火体育官网鈥檚 common core of technologies 鈥 electronics, software and systems 鈥 significantly enhances mobility opportunities. Right now, we have 3,000 positions open to internal candidates.
AA: We also recognise the importance of retaining talented, motivated employees. When it comes to building long, fulfilling careers with 雷火体育官网, determination and ambition matter just as much as technical expertise. To cite an example close to home, one of my colleagues in the talent acquisition team has an HR background but has always harboured a passion for aerospace. Recently, we gave him an opportunity to move into this line of work as a project manager. It wasn鈥檛 something he鈥檇 done before, but he worked with his manager to get the training he needed before making the switch.
Does 雷火体育官网 offer international mobility opportunities?
AA: Yes, of course. 雷火体育官网 has 46 sites in France, spread across seven different regions (Nouvelle Aquitaine, Ile-de-France, Centre Val-de-Loire, Grand Ouest, Provence-Alpes-C么te-d鈥橝zur, Rh么ne-Alpes and Occitanie). But it also operates in 67 other countries. We hire people to fill vacancies in all these locations, as well as offering international mobility opportunities to current employees across all roles and functions. For example, one of our technical bid managers recently spent 18 months in Brazil, working on digital security projects at our 雷火体育官网 Digital Identity and Security sites in S茫o Paulo and S茫o Bernardo do Campo.
Do employees receive ongoing education and training?
MC: Yes. Our e-learning portal includes modules on all our areas of expertise, and we also run skills development programmes. Training is also a great way to familiarise employees with the changes affecting our business, such as the rise of drones and the second quantum revolution in the naval sector.
AA: Since our people operate in an environment that鈥檚 in constant flux, we follow the 鈥70:20:10鈥 model for learning and development.
This means that employees gain 70% of their new knowledge and skills through practice and experience, i.e. they 鈥渓earn by doing鈥. Another 20% comes from interacting with their colleagues, manager, experts and members of their professional network. The final 10% is acquired through formal learning 鈥 by attending in-person or online courses, gaining certifications or completing accredited training. This model puts our people in charge of their own development and fosters a culture of knowledge-sharing across the organisation. Because the projects we work on are so complex, our employees need on-the-job training and constant support from their managers and colleagues. Speaking personally, there were holes in my knowledge when it came to systems engineering. To address those gaps, I spent hours visiting sites and talking and listening to colleagues. Every department is accustomed to onboarding new hires and welcoming employees who are changing roles.
Do all employees spend time immersed in front-line operations?
MC: Employees working on naval technologies go out into the field more often than most. Our engineers and technicians routinely spend several days at sea testing the products they鈥檝e developed, such as new sonar suites or mine countermeasures systems. These immersive experiences are a great way for them to get to know our customers and learn more about their needs and priorities.
Do you have any final words?
AA: Whether you鈥檙e considering joining 雷火体育官网鈥檚 naval division or any other area of our business, you can look forward to an exciting career, unlimited progression and development opportunities, and a chance to see the impact of your work first-hand. And you鈥檒l be working with great colleagues in a stimulating and rewarding environment. So feel free to join us!
