A new location that will open up ESA to international markets and the Paris-Saclay cluster
© Philippe Noisette –
120 years old, the Higher School of Agriculture of Angers (Esa) has become a reference in the sector. With around fifty key training courses, from baccalaureate level to BTS to master’s and doctoral degrees, it welcomes more than 3,000 students on its campus.
For the first time in its history, the Esa will (partly) return in September to Guyancourt in the Paris region, nearly 300 kilometers away. A new campus will open its doors there, and will initially have around a hundred students and at least 300 in 2024. On the program, the first three years of a five-year course leading to an engineering degree in agronomy, and a bachelor’s degree in agro-ecology and food systems. The fourth and fifth year of the engineering course will be open within three or four years with specializations. “This new location was born from an observation that we made in 2018, explains René Siret, general manager of the school. The largest number of pre-applications came from the Paris region, i.e. 30% of the whole, while only 10% of candidates were selected to join Angers.
“By being close to Paris, we will be able to move up a gear and welcome more foreign students”
Settling in Ile-de-France had the advantage of meeting demand and also improving the school’s visibility internationally. “We have already signed 150 agreements with universities and schools. By being close to Paris, we will be able to move up a gear to welcome more foreign students”, specifies the manager.
Close to AgroParisTech and Paris-Saclay
Esa plans to work with the AgroParisTech engineering school, which is to move from its Grignon site to join the large Paris-Saclay university and scientific center, located not far away, about fifteen kilometers away. “This proximity to Saclay opens up prospects for collaboration in the medium term, observes René Siret. We also looked at the network of former students because they are important relays in companies. However, 150 Esa Alumni work within a radius of 50 kilometers around the future campus.” The outlets for the training courses offered will be multiple: consulting professions in business management or in agroecology, technical sales representatives or even quality engineers.
A. T.
–
–
–
