The town of Surgères, in Charente-Maritime, remains the historic cradle of Charentes-Poitou AOP butter, prized by chefs all over the world. Its public high school for food, however, houses another strategic activity for the region and France: the National School of Milling and Cereal Industries (ENSMIC). Future millers are trained there thanks to a real pilot mill.
“There are only five in the world. Ours is the only one in Europe attached to a school. We reproduce all the milling processes there to train future executives of the industry,” explains Arnaud Oble, director of the technological workshops. More than 400 mills mesh the territory, generate nearly 6,000 direct jobs and recruit with a vengeance.
“I already have proposals without even having done any research,” assures Pierrick Prangère, who will complete his course this year. A 26-year-old baker, this student from the Gard chose to extend his skills to the milling trades. “It’s very rewarding. With the same batch of grains, we can create very different flours only with a few small adjustments,” he says. “Each variety has its particularities. It’s never the same routine, ”confirms Mattéo Texier, a 20-year-old from Rochelle who was directly offered a position as team leader on a permanent contract.
Formerly established in Paris, the ENSMIC moved to Surgères in 2007 before benefiting from its own mill in 2010. Thirty-five students are currently following the courses offered by the ENSMIC, in particular their BTS. “We could double our workforce, underlines Arnaud Oble. For an apprentice candidate, four offers are available in the company. Originally from Meknes, Morocco, Karim Boularf also studied in Surgères. “I came to specialize and acquire new skills. Here, we don’t stay in front of a desk, we do a real job, ”smiles this 22-year-old student who also received a permanent contract offer before graduating.
With a throughput of between 200 and 400 kilos per hour depending on the seeds used, the fully computerized mill in Surgères is an exceptional training tool. And nothing is wasted here: the flour from the pilot mill is immediately used in a nearby processing workshop. ENSMIC students make bread, pastries and biscuits there using professional equipment. “We try to find outlets for everything our students produce. We have a range of flours and a range of biscuits sold in particular in short circuits to local authorities, on the Surgères market or in stores. This allows our students to confront all the technical constraints and realities of the sector,” says Arnaud Oble.