A mother in the small town where I live here in France, recently commented in passing, ‘My son goes to school in Paris’. I had the vision of a young boy at boarding school. The extremely proud way in which she had spoken to me and the look of satisfaction on her face made me realise that I had not quite grasped what she had meant. Then she threw in the vital piece of information to clarify the point so that even a foreigner like me might understand – her son was 22 years old. Finally the penny dropped. He was at one of the prestigious Grandes Écoles.

Educating The Elite

The higher education system in France is made up of both universities and Grandes Écoles. It is the Grandes Écoles that prepare the administrative, scientific and business executives – or cadres – for their place as leaders in government or in private enterprise. Nowadays, over 60% of the chief executives in France’s 100 largest firms are graduates of the Grandes Écoles.

There is a nationwide awareness that they – rather than universities – are where France’s technical and managerial elite are educated.

Specialisation

In the Middle Ages, the higher education system revolved around the University but, from the Renaissance onwards, the royal power felt a need to create more specialised institutions. This trend continued particularly in the 18th century which was a period of industrial development and new techniques. At first military institutions of learning and those of civil engineers, were created.

So it was that the École des Ponts et Chaussées (the school of bridges and highways) was founded in 1747, the École du Génie Militaire (the army corps school of engineers) in 1748 and the Royal Shipbuilding School, the École des Constructeurs de Vaisseaux was founded in 1765. The Revolution led to the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers and the École Polytechnique in 1794. Other specialist institutions of this sort, providing engineering training, were founded during the 19th century in Paris and in other parts of France.

It was later, at the end of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century, that the first Grandes Écoles of management appeared.

One feature of all Grandes Écoles then is that these public and private schools provide a very specialised course of study.

Highly Selective

Another common feature is that they have a highly selective admissions procedure. Some require an excellent school record and a baccalauréat (secondary school diploma) with distinction.

Preparing For Entrance

Many others, however, require success at an entrance examination that is prepared over one or two years in the special classe préparatoire aux grandes écoles. These CPGE teach specific programmes which prepare students who have already obtained their baccalauréat and who want to enter a Grande École.

Given the selective nature of the admissions procedure there are, therefore, only a limited number of pupils who enrol at CPGE and they represent about 5% of the total number of those who enrol in higher education – 20 times fewer than those who enrol for places at university. Although very prestigious, many accuse this system of being elitist and contributing to the inequalities in society, especially since the State spends more on these students per head than on those students at university.

Hard Work

The rhythm of work and the stress at prépa are notorious. Those studying the scientific courses are known as taupins – moles – because they are so taken up with their studies that they see very little light of day! The aim is to succeed in the entrance examination set by the Grande École or group of Écoles. But even if students do not get a place, the high level of education that they get at CPGE and the methods of study acquired are said to hold the student in good stead for further studies at university or elsewhere.

Grande Écolemay Be Small

As for the Grandes Écoles themselves, whilst some of them are only small-scale institutions and are only as big as a university department, others including groups of schools, like the Instituts Nationaux Polytechniques for example, have over a thousand students and are comparable in size to a university.

Long Studies

Studies are characteristically long – sometimes up to six years – after the baccalauréat. The link between industry and business and the Grandes Ecoles is reflected by the emphasis on work experience and on specialisation, notable in most programmes.

Teachers And Visiting Lecturers

The teaching staff is usually diverse because in addition to permanent staff, visiting lecturers include guests from industry. Teaching itself is based on lectures and takes place in small groups working on individual or team projects.

More Aware

There is increasingly a strong emphasis nowadays at the Grandes Écoles on foreign language study and the awareness of other cultures. Even the engineering schools are waking up to the fact that they are competing in an increasingly global environment. At least two foreign languages are usually required and taught. Studies and internships abroad feature more and more in the programmes. Often a year abroad is integrated into the curriculum. Over the years European and international networks have been established and have led to cooperation in scientific and technical research between French Grandes Écoles and their foreign partners.

Qualifications

Once students have completed their studies, specialist qualifications are awarded. For example in engineering, the diplôme d’ingénieur (likened to the Master of Engineering or Master of Science), is accredited by the Commission des Titres d’Ingénieurs. In management and business studies, the diplôme de Grande École is accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education.

Better Prospects

Most Grandes Écoles belong to the Conférence des Grandes Écoles, which is an association dedicated to cooperation between members. Amongst other things, it promotes international partnerships, advises the government on programmes at the classes préparatoires and recognises postgraduate courses. According to the CGE, 76% of those who had obtained their diplomas at Grandes Écoles in 2004 had signed a contract of employment within two months of graduating. This group of newly qualified students seems to have been less touched by the slow economic growth than students leaving other further education institutions. In addition, students graduating from Grandes Écoles often seem to be offered good conditions of work in their contracts: for example many are recruited at the outset with the status of cadre and many of them hold long-term, as opposed to short-term, contracts.

So it is that statistics seem to show how French employers – many having come through the same institutions themselves – value the particular profile of newly qualified graduates fresh out of Grande École. All in all, those carrying such a diploma appear to begin their working lives with a certain advantage. No wonder the mother I met was so proud of her son!