Colomiers. Learning is a win-win

In the municipal workshops of Marots, the atmosphere is studious in the garage. Maxime, 22, is preparing for his vocational baccalaureate on a work-study basis and listening to the wise advice of Hugo, an experienced mechanic who has been his tutor for two years. Since the last school year, the two men have been working in pairs thanks to the town hall’s desire to support youth employment by developing apprenticeships.

“I’m very motivated because car mechanics is my real path”, admits Maxime. “But in 9th grade, I was dissuaded from following this course so I did business without conviction. After several jobs that I didn’t like, I decided to go back to school. Today I’m enjoying myself”.

For his part, the internship supervisor is just as enthusiastic. “This is the third time that I have young people in apprenticeship and I am very satisfied”, indicates Hugo, mechanic for 27 years at the town hall and foreman for 10 years. “The last one had his baccalaureate with honors which was a source of pride for all of us. The transmission of knowledge is a pleasure as is sharing his experience”.

Support and Versatility

Thanks to the versatility offered by the community, apprentice mechanics are trained on different types of vehicles. After two years, they are familiar with cars but also with utility vehicles, buses and heavy goods vehicles. “I have comrades who are in concessions and who do not see as many varieties by often working on the same brand”, adds Maxime who applied to become apprentices when he saw the ad on the City’s website. “Here I learn a lot of things. I’m even going to pass the CAP as a free candidate because I feel well supported between the town hall of Colomiers and the CFA of Muret where I study”.

Apprentices who are trained in sectors where demand is high, such as mechanics, IT, catering, public spaces or even building maintenance.

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