Work-Study Tutor: Training to provide better supervision – Meeting with the trainers
Training to become a tutor for work-study students (on apprenticeship and/or professional training contracts) is essential to provide the best possible support to your new recruits in the company.
Short Course: " Acting as tutors for work-study students " is 11 hours of training spread over 1.5 days.
During this short training course, you will learn about the challenges of work-study programs, the role of the tutor, the development of the mentee in the company and at school, the different stages of tutoring, and the transmission of knowledge, skills, and attitudes.
To best present this training course and introduce the next two sessions, we called on Céline Legay and Blandine Pitie Euzet, both of whom are speakers on this training session.
Summary
- Training that meets real needs
- The work-study supervisor: role, responsibilities, challenges
- An educational approach that adapts to participants' needs
- Two upcoming training sessions planned
A short training course that meets real needs
Work-study programs in 2024: some figures
In 2024, France recorded a total of 1,042,543 work-study students (including apprenticeship and professional training contracts), of which:
Despite these growing figures, 53% of SME managers feel they do not have the time to supervise a work-study student and are not trained for this role (source). To overcome this, some SMEs are setting up personalized support systems for work-study students and investing in training for mentors (source).
The objectives of the training
The Continuing Education Department collaborates with the Ensup-LR Apprentice Training Center (CFA) on various projects dedicated to work-study programs and, more specifically, apprenticeship contracts (managed by the CFA) and professional training contracts (managed by the Continuing Education Department).
For several years now, the CFA and the Continuing Education Department have been co-hosting a webinar for future work-study students and future work-study tutors to address the key concepts of work-study programs, which, despite their development in many companies over the past several years, remain a source of confusion.
The short training course "Tutor for Work-Study Students in Companies" was designed to complement this webinar, with the aim of going beyond the unilateral transmission of information and offering a genuine training course based on exchange and sharing of experience.
The objectives are clearly defined:
- Define the regulatory framework
- Placing the role of guardian in its context
- Identify your role and responsibilities as a tutor
- Define your rights and responsibilities
- Support the mentee and adopt the right attitude throughout the process
- Assessing to support progress
To enrich this article, we met with Céline Legay and Blandine Pitie Euzet, who both contribute to this training program.
Celine LEGAY
"With a background in science, I have been working for 25 years in work-study programs as a development officer. Before joining the CFA ENSUP-LR and the academic world, I worked in two other CFAs in the health and industrial sectors.
I also work as a part-time lecturer at the university, where I lead teaching units on "Career Planning."
Blandine PITIE EUZET
"With a background in communications and nine years of expertise in learning development, I use my skills to ensure the success of training projects. I am currently overseeing the development of training programs for the Montpellier University Institute of Technology and Paul Valéry University at the CFA Ensup LR."
The work-study supervisor: role, responsibilities, challenges
The tutor plays a key role in supervising the work-study student.
He is one of the three key players in ensuring that the work-study program runs smoothly. We refer to this as a "triad": the work-study supervisor, the academic supervisor, and the training organization (apprenticeship training center or continuing education department).
Given the importance of this role and the tasks involved, it is absolutely essential that the tutor be a volunteer and not appointed. The level of commitment will be completely different if the tutoring is imposed by the organization.
"To be motivating, you have to be motivated!"
Celine LEGAY
When it comes to human relationships, it is important to bear in mind that mentoring can be complex at times. It is therefore essential that the mentor is committed and motivated by a desire to guide someone and pass on their knowledge.
"The primary challenge for a tutor is to lead students to success."
Blandine PITIE EUZET
The tutor supplements the training program by introducing the work-study student to the profession and enabling them to envision their future and determine whether this profession meets their expectations and career goals.
Céline LEGAY: "It is absolutely not a failure if the work-study student realizes that the job or the organization does not match what they envision for their future, as long as the mentor has given them all the ins and outs."
An educational approach that adapts to participants' needs
This short training course for work-study tutors is built around a key value: sharing. sharing. Learning is not limited to the transmission of information; Céline and Blandine affirm their desire to offer a participatory learning.
Whether or not participants have previously been tutors, their backgrounds and experiences contribute ideas that enrich the exchange.
Blandine PITIE EUZET: "Depending on the structure in which they work (small group, large group, public institution, or private company), there are clear differences in the support provided and, in particular, in the procedures put in place internally."
At the end of each training session, CFA Ensup-LR and the Continuing Education Department analyze participant feedback and suggest adjustments.
The first training session ended on February 7, 2025. Based on feedback from participants, Blandine and Céline plan to make changes to the format, tools, and methodologies used.
Blandine PITIE EUZET: "It's important to keep things dynamic so that the group can engage in discussion. We've found a tool that we can't talk about yet, but we'd like to use it in future sessions to make the training even more dynamic and practical."
TWO upcoming training sessions planned
Are you interested in this short course?
The upcoming training sessions are available here:
To apply, please contact sfc-formations@umontpellier.fr