Opening of CAMI Aéro, a unique practical training workshop for work-study in industry jobs

Safran Helicopter Engines officially opened of the CAMI Aéro work-study center for aviation industry jobs in Bordes, near Pau in southwest France. CAMI Aéro is an industry-focused training workshop offering practical work-study programs in machining trades, such as lathe operator, milling machine operator and (soon) grinding machine operator. This new center boasts an autonomous 1,000 sq.m (≈ 10,800 sq.ft) state-of-the-art production workshop with 19 machine tool stations. 

CAMI Aéro is one of nine Safran industry schools set up in 2024, bringing the total number of schools in the network to over 70. Exchanges between these industry schools provide cross-disciplinary training with a strong emphasis on Safran’s culture of excellence, air transport safety and the highest standards of quality.

Apprentices are trained by a team of four instructors and work on parts similar to those used in Safran aeroengines, in an environment designed to provide the most optimal learning conditions. At the end of the course, trainees complete a work-study immersion placement on the production lines at Safran Helicopter Engines or one of its suppliers.

Cédric Goubet, CEO of Safran Helicopter Engines commented: “With CAMI Aéro, Safran Helicopter Engines is taking the initiative in partnership with the French government, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine regional council and the UIMM (French association of metallurgy industries) to build training  provision in aviation industry jobs and keep pace with the increase in the company’s recruitment needs and the strong growth in its markets. This industry training center effectively triples our capacity to accommodate work-study trainees in machining jobs, with up to 50 places a year, while providing the most optimal learning environment. CAMI Aéro also reflects our commitment to the local industrial ecosystem and employment in our region.” 

CAMI Aéro works in close partnership with the UIMM’s local training unit, which delivers classroom theory courses and part of the practical training. The work-study programs, of one to three years, are open to high school and university students as well as working people seeking to retrain. Several types of machining technician qualifications are awarded at the end of the course: the French vocational baccalaureate, a professional certification or an industry-specific CQPM certificate in metallurgy.

CAMI Aéro welcomed its first intake of 50 work-study students in September 2024: 20 for the vocational baccalaureate and 30 for the professional certification or CQPM. Of these, 30% are women and 60% are working people seeking to retrain.

The CAMI Aéro project represents a total investment of €6.7 million over five years and has the backing of the French government through the Banque des Territoires, which is providing up to €1.15 million over the five years as part of the Campus Aéro Adour (C2A) consortium, winner of the Compétences et Métiers d’Avenir call for expressions of interest under the government’s France 2030 stimulus plan.

Additionally, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region is providing a €275,000 subsidy for training engineering and project structuring as part of the Regional Innovation Fund for Training call for projects and, at a later stage, for investment expenditure through a complementary scheme.