Social inclusion at Centrale Lille
Since 2007, Centrale Lille has been involved in a number of social outreach programmes with the aim of promoting higher education in the sciences to people from lower socio-economic backgrounds who are less inclined to take up these subjects.
The school is firmly convinced that social and cultural diversity among its students and teaching staff is a major asset in training responsible and humane engineers to serve society.
This involvement is based on two major areas: A programme run by the school as part of the Cordées de la réussite (success networks) scheme and a strong partnership in programmes run by Sciences Po Lille.
Every year, students, staff, and lecturers take part in one or more of the social initiatives offered by the Institute.
Une grande école, PourQuoi Pas Moi?
An initiative supported by the school under the “Cordées de la réussite” scheme
This equal opportunities programme helps secondary school students from working-class backgrounds gain access to higher education. It helps them to prepare for their future career path, as well as their entry into upper secondary school (lycée) and/or higher education, by developing the skills expected there.
Since 2007, Centrale Lille has been a leader in the “Une grande école, PourQuoi Pas Moi?” (“A Grande Ecole, why not me?”) and has committed to welcoming and supervising students from three lycées (upper secondary schools) and six collèges (lower secondary schools) in the Lille area.
Centrale Lille, partner of Sciences Po Lille
The school is heavily involved in the social outreach programmes run by Sciences Po Lille. Indeed, our students are a significant pool of tutors for these programmes.
Integrated Scientific Studies Programme (PEIS)
Aimed at final-year students, this programme targets those who are disadvantaged due to economic, social, familial, cultural, disability, or regional reasons. These conditions contribute to creating situations of inequality of opportunity that are detrimental to success at school and university.
It is formalised by:
- Individual work on the Sciences Po platform (sequences in maths, physics, chemistry, engineering sciences, natural sciences)
- Group work (groups of 2 to 4 students)
- 4 days of meetings
Plan d’Investissement d’Avenir (PIA) — A vous le sup’ (To you the sup)
The programme involves supporting secondary school students in their decision to go on to higher education. Surrounded by socio-educational and higher education players, company directors, decision-makers, and career guidance specialists, the students are offered activities such as career watch and professional integration.
We have been partners of: À nous la lecture! — since 2021, À nous les sciences! — since 2022, and we joined À nous les idées ! in 2024.
Every year, our students get involved in several of these activities
Centrale Lille, partner of Sciences Po Lille
Our students get involved on the Article 1 platform: inspire-orientation.org by answering questions from high school students. Students can also be trained by the association to run workshops. They can then deliver these courses in secondary schools.
Our students, in turn, have the opportunity to access DEMA1N.org, a free platform that allows each student to be accompanied by a volunteer professional who is right for them in the form of mentoring!
L’Arbre des connaissance association: Apprentice Researchers
The scheme allows secondary school students to be hosted in pairs in laboratories to carry out a research project over a school year. Young people are supervised by research professionals, so they can discover science in the making, learn about the scientific process, and broaden their horizons. Like researchers, at the end of the year they present their work orally at the Apprentice Researchers conference.
Centrale Lille has stated its intention to become involved in the programme from September 2024.
