The attractiveness of IMT Atlantique has been proven once again this year through the institution’s very good results in the "concours commun Mines-Ponts". IMT Atlantique is preparing to welcome nearly 2000 students on its three campuses in Brest, Nantes and Rennes. This new school year, which was marked by the public health crisis linked to Covid-19, has led the IMT Atlantique teams to adapt how students are welcomed back on campus in order to guarantee the best possible safety for students and staff.
The "concours commun Mines-Ponts" allows candidates to apply to 10 engineering schools through a common procedure. This 2020 edition reinforces the reputation of IMT Atlantique among students in preparatory classes for the Grandes Ecoles. Indeed, IMT Atlantique once again figures prominently in the wishes of the 15,000 candidates. IMT Atlantique has even strengthened its position vis-à-vis other universities, particularly in the fields of mathematics and physics. The class of 2020/2021 has 280 students, demonstrating the efforts undertaken by the institution in terms of social openness and the promotion of women in engineering professions. Nearly a quarter of the new students (23%) are women, and 19% of the new students benefit from a scholarship.
We are delighted with the quality of recruitment in all of our courses, says Paul Friedel, president of IMT Atlantique. Our position in the joint Mines-Ponts competition (the main admission route for general engineering training) reinforces our reputation and image of excellence among students in preparatory classes.
I have had the pleasure of welcoming students who were delighted to come to IMT Atlantique. The pandemic context has not dampened their enthusiasm one bit: although this class of students is starting the new school year in a new format, and in strict compliance with health regulations, the smiles can be seen behind the masks! This is a source of great satisfaction for all the staff, who were fully mobilised all summer long in order to set up the infrastructures and teaching and to ensure the best possible orientation conditions on our campuses.
Apprenticeship saved by COVID
Success was also confirmed for apprenticeship training, another key focus of IMT Atlantique. Nearly 90 students have registered for the three engineering courses accessible by apprenticeship: IT, networks and telecoms specialisation; Software Engineering specialisation ; and Digital transformation of industrial systems specialisation. For the last course, which opens this academic year on the Nantes campus in partnership with the Institut des Techniques de l'Ingénieur pour l'Industrie (ITII) of the Pays de la Loire, the stakes were high in the current situation.
A return to school with special care to health guidelines like all higher education institutions, IMT Atlantique has to deal with a complicated health context that weighs on the international mobility of students. Despite a slight slowdown in recruitment outside Europe, the proportion of foreign students still represents 7% of the class of 2020/2021 - 70 nationalities cross paths on campus. This new school year is therefore not quite like the others. The persistence of the public health crisis requires an organisation adapted to controlling the risks presented by Covid-19. The teams at IMT Atlantique have been working on this throughout the summer. Some students will be working remotely until September 21st. IMT Atlantique also insists on the respect of preventative measures (e.g. mask wearing, social distancing, handwashing) and has set up a reinforced system to ventilate and disinfect the work spaces. The classrooms have been equipped to allow teachers and lecturers to work at a distance. Several catering services have also been set up to limit large groups as much as possible.
by Pierre-Hervé VAILLANT
