Setting up a sociotechnical training programme at an engineering school in France: 1976/1977, a transitional year

Abstract

The École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures was founded in 1829 by a manager, a chemist, a physicist, and a professor, to give engineers the extensive and general knowledge necessary to be efficient in the different sectors of industry. It is considered to be one of the most prestigious engineering schools in France, second only to the École Polytechnique and on a par with the École des Mines de Paris. Every year it accepts 300 students for a three-year period. The campus of the school is thus comprised of more than 1,000 people, 900 of which are students, plus personnel and professors. The students are recruited by competitive examinations. Preparation for the examinations, which usually last for two years after the baccalauréat, is comprised mainly of mathematical knowledge. During the first two years at the school, the technical training is not specialized and treats mainly basic scientific knowledge: mathematics and probability, mechanics, physics, chemistry — on both the theoretical and applied levels.