Garage school: “Finding young people a career in a sector under great stress”

The Motul Corazon Foundation and La Fondation Norauto initiated this merger, quickly joined by La Fondation Identicar. As president of the Motul Corazon Foundation, which is the corporate foundation of Motul, and with Helene Zaugg, vice-president and our executive committee, we work around the world to promote the learning of young people in social and academic difficulties. The Motul Corazon Foundation has helped more than 50 projects, notably in Europe, Africa, South America and Asia Pacific, since its inception 10 years ago. Motul nominated me to represent the company in the association, and I was elected treasurer, alongside the president, David Tuchbant, who is the president of Club Identicar. Motul is committed to mobilizing its employees and its French network and will contribute 100,000 euros annually, like its two other partners.

This is the first initiative of this kind in France, bringing together three players in automobile mechanics. This is an important initiative because 60,000 to 100,000 students fail at school at the end of college, ill-suited to the school system. Finally, this is an important initiative because the young people trained in this way are certain of finding a career in a sector under great stress.

The program is national: two schools are being extended in Lens and in Lille; a kick-off meeting was organized in Le Mans, at the initiative of Thierry Quilan and Romain Grabowski from Motul. Three more meetings are planned for the fall in Paris, Bordeaux and Marseille.

Thanks to the principle of production schools, which gives young people self-confidence and pride, they are again interested in their future. These schools allow them to learn how to work in real conditions and as such they are in great demand. The auto service industry has so many unsatisfied job offers, but students on this course have no problem getting hired right out of school. In three or four years, these young people go from failure to professional recognition.