21 years old
Assembly workshop in prefabrication since 2016
Attracted to manual trades since childhood, Mathilde began her professional career with a CAP in metalwork and continued her studies with a vocational baccalaureate TCI (Technician in Industrial Boilermaking) alternating with the Doucet high school. “I have always wanted to create things with my own hands”, Mathilde confirms.
Her 2 years of apprenticeship took place entirely within the CMN, then on obtaining her diploma, Mathilde was hired on a permanent contract in the assembly department.
Mathilde was the first woman to join the assembly department. First of all, she prepares her working environment: setting up the hose, adjusting her workstation, preparing tools and plans. Then, she uses the grinder to clean the parts and assemble them, marking and noting them down afterwards.
One may wonder if it is easy or not to find one’s place as a woman in a trade that is mainly practised by men. Mathilde answers: “In our generation, mentalities are changing and so are working conditions, which helps to integrate women. I was very well received at the CMN and I think that it is now possible for any woman to enter an environment that is essentially male”.
Maël tells us about his career path: he began his studies with a vocational baccalaureate TCI (Technician in Industrial Boilermaking) in initial training at the Doucet high school, then chose to continue with the complementary welding speciality in the same establishment. Welding was his favourite subject when he was preparing for his baccalaureate.
Mael did his last year of study at the CMN on a sandwich course. Six months after the end of his degree, he was called back and offered a permanent job in the welding team.
A typical working day as a welder: every morning, he is assigned a work area where he will have to weld the current part or area. He welds directly on board the boat. The processes used are varied (TIG, MIG, MAG…) and this is what Maël likes about CMN. “What I like about CMN is the diversity of the work. It’s very interesting to see the concrete progress of the work carried out, and the entire construction of the ship”.
In 2018, Maël decided to register for the WorldSkills, a high-level competition that begins with pre-selections and regional selections, a national final and then a European EuroSkills final: “I went there with peace of mind because I had nothing to lose”.
In spite of increasingly difficult soldering events, it is with his calm and patient temperament that Maël excelled by finishing first in the preselections and selections, then finished silver medalist in the national final in Caen. The surprise was total for Maël: “I didn’t expect it, there was a very good level in the group. I’m proud of myself, I worked hard to get there”.
From now on, Maël will represent France at the EuroSkills in 2021 in Austria. The international competition will oppose the best in each field and each country. For Maël, this unique experience is a chance and he is delighted to be able to live this experience
During the interview, Maël expresses his gratitude to all those who helped and supported him in this adventure, especially his coach, Stéphane GERVAISE, who was his former welding teacher at Doucet high school when he was in complementary mention: “Without him, I wouldn’t have been able to do all this and I wouldn’t be where I am today. I thank him for following me to the end of this trial”.
Maël thanks Doucet High School for providing him with the technical facilities for his preparation. He also expresses his gratitude to the CMN, who followed him in his project and supported him, notably with the purchase of equipment for the competition.
CMN is looking for motivated employees with a taste for challenge, attracted by a technically rich sector and an attractive living environment
51 Rue de la Bretonnière
BP 539
50105 Cherbourg Cedex
France
Tel. : +33 (0)2 33 88 30 00
Fax : +33 (0)2 33 44 04 34
Email : info@cmn-cherbourg.com
19 Avenue Franklin D.Roosevelt
75008 Paris
France
Tel. : +33 (0)1 42 56 33 14
Fax : +33 (0)1 40 75 00 60
Email : cmn@cmn-paris.com