After attending preparatory classes in Perpignan, Aurélien joined ENSTA Bretagne engineering school as an Armament Research and Technology Engineering student. His year of discovering the armed forces gave him an insight into team management. In his final year, he chose the “Engineering and Business Science” major to develop both his technical and managerial skills. Today, he is responsible for managing the French Army's equipment maintenance contracts, a job that requires constant interaction between manufacturers and military personnel.
Why did you choose to train as an Armament Research and Technology Engineer (IETA)?
I’ve always been interested in the military. When a friend told me about ENSTA Bretagne, I decided to apply. During my year of discovering the armed forces (year 0), I decided to join the French Army. After graduating from the St. Cyr Coëtquidan Military Academy, I was assigned to the 6th Equipment Regiment as a section leader. I was 19 years old and had 30 people under my command. It was an incredible experience that helped me mature and made me want to continue in a leadership role within the Army.
What was your experience abroad like?
During my second year, I spent a semester abroad in Argentina at the National University of Mar del Plata. I took a number of general courses (professional English, industrial economics, etc.), but I was also able to develop my skills in artificial intelligence (AI) and hardware simulation in the VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL). I loved my time in Latin America! I met and talked with a lot of people, all of whom were very open to discussion. I visited so many beautiful places and had the opportunity to taste many different foods.
What have you learned from your specialization?
After taking the Computing Systems Design course in my second year, I decided to specialize in Engineering and Business Science in my third year. It was an extremely rich training course. Classes were taught by a variety of speakers from outside the school who constantly taught us to adapt, reason and communicate.
For example, I really enjoyed the Lean management training we received in Nantes. It was very visual and I learned new methods that were useful for my final year project.
I use those six months of training the most in my work today. The Engineering and Business Science course enabled me to obtain a Master’s Degree in Management and Business Administration at IAE Brest. So it’s a major that I would highly recommend!
Were you involved in any clubs or associations during your studies?
I am very into archery. When I was attending preparatory classes, I was able to compete at a national level. In Brest, I trained after class at a club near the school. While at ENSTA Bretagne, I was the secretary of the Motorbike Club and we set up partnerships so that interested students could get discounts on equipment.
Which was your favorite project?
For my final year project, I decided to combine my love for archery with the knowledge of artificial intelligence I had acquired in Argentina. The application project consisted of using AI to create a posture recognition system for archers.
I received support from the ENSTARTUPS school incubator, but unfortunately I didn’t have enough time to complete the project. But I still use it when I train!
My advice to students would be to get started on their project as soon as possible, without necessarily waiting until they’re in their specialization years.
What was your end-of-study project?
I worked on my end-of-study project while at Dassault System in a team responsible for designing, developing and maintaining purchasing solutions. I was responsible for reporting progress, information and alerts and then communicating them to the team managers.
Based on this experience, I decided to work on internal communication and information sharing. My project focused on the following issues: the personal commitment of employees, the international dimension (the impact of different time zones on the way we communicate) and finally the use of internal communication tools (“dogfooding”).
I conducted semi-structured interviews with employees about these issues, which changed my view of the company. It was very interesting!
What position do you hold today?
My first assignment has been in the Onshore Industrial Maintenance Division at Satory, in the Contracts and Partnerships Management Office. The French Army has equipment (such as Leclerc tanks and Griffon vehicles, as well as smaller pieces of equipment) for which maintenance contracts are being developed. My job is to study the possibilities of having this maintenance carried out either by industrial companies (such as Nexter or Arquus) or by the Army’s own internal resources. Technically speaking, my job is to connect the Army with industry!
Do you have a message for anyone interested in joining the school?
There’s so much to do at the school!
As long as you get involved, you won't be disappointed. The school provides us with the means to achieve and do whatever we want.
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