[Apprenticeship] Opening up a realm of possibilities

10 February 2021 Human ressources Story

Florian Guichet has been working in Cherbourg as an Export Control Manager on the Australian Future Submarine (AFS) programme since last October, a position he applied for after completing his work-study course in the Business Program Equipment Industry Division (DIN-BPE) on the site of Angoulême-Ruelle. While acting as a Contract Manager on a work-study basis, Florian tried his hand at export control to help out the team - and found his way.

“I couldn’t dream of a better opportunity!” says Florian, aged 27, Export Control Manager for the AFS program at the Cherbourg site since last October. He moved to this position following the completion of his work-study course at the site of Angoulême-Ruelle. Originally from the French department of Charente, Florian has always been drawn by the military world and was of course well-acquainted with Naval Group. Following a Master 1 degree in Law in 2016, he came knocking at the door of the Ruelle site with a view to working for his Assistant Manager BTS (French advanced technician’s certificate). He joined the BPE department as a Contract Manager trainee, providing support for contract management activities. With its increasing international activity, the department felt the need to strengthen its export control team. Keen to make himself useful, and with the approval of his manager, Florian took his first steps in the field by offering the team a lending hand.

The possibility to explore different fields

“This field was completely new to me. I took an interest and ended up liking it. I discovered the specific regulations related to the export of combat equipment. I trained myself gradually by working on various files and then progressively moved over to working entirely on export control missions,” explains Florian, who adds: “Following my BTS, I continued my work-study training within the BPE department by taking a Master 2 course in Business Engineering that I landed in August 2020. These two years allowed me to develop my skills”. Florian completed four years in all of work-study training within the BPE department, during which he had the opportunity to discover a variety of fields and choose the one that now gives him a sense of personal and professional fulfilment.

Opportunity at Cherbourg

After graduating, Florian applied for the position of Export Control Manager for the AFS programme in Cherbourg: “It’s a fantastic opportunity! It's an exciting programme with huge needs in terms of export control. I am learning a lot about aspects like the transfer of technology and regulations. This is the ideal position for me! And I owe it to my work-study training which has enabled me to find my way, as well as a job! ”