The business forum is organised in partnership with the School and the Purpan Engineers’ Association. This platform provides future engineers with a gateway into the working world.

Round-table discussions featuring recruitment professionals, company directors and human resources managers offer students valuable information on the job search process, the profiles that companies are looking for and employability.

The business forum earmarks time to simulate job interviews based on real-life vacancies. The forum simplifies networking between future graduates and the company directors interested in their profiles.

Every year, it brings together 50 companies looking to hire as part of a one-day event where fourth and fifth-year students are either looking for an end-of-course internship or their first job.

Students are intensively prepared to interact with companies:

• Completion of a personality indicator test
• Definition of their future career plans
• Preparation of a CV and cover letter

Since the forum is held every March and the number of companies is limited, you are advised to contact us as early as January.

Contact : Frédérique Poirieux

In partnership with the Purpan Engineers’ Association, the School organises a meet with young engineers employed in various jobs and sectors within the agricultural industry.

Students can discover the wide range of jobs on offer, the duties involved and the associated responsibilities based on testimonials from their peers. The forum gives students the ideal opportunity to present their career plans during talks and discussions.

Contact : JL Monlon Borrel

In accordance with PURPAN’s teaching philosophy, internships play a fundamental role in giving students an insight into real working conditions.

All internships represent a total of 15 to 18 months during the five-year programme. First-year, third-year and final-year internships are mainly based in companies.

Second-year internships are mandatory in English-speaking countries to improve language skills and show the wide variety of technical and economic cultures around the world.

First-year internship on a farm

One of the core concepts of PURPAN’s teaching methodology is gaining a clear understanding of the agricultural production process.

At the end of the first year, students are assigned to a farm that brings them into direct contact with agricultural work, the farmer and his/her family for three and a half months. By sharing in the farmer’s work and life, interns become familiar with the profession and the actual realities facing rural and agricultural society and the profession. Students lodge with the farmer and take part in all work, while following the farming lifestyle. This is also the ideal opportunity to demonstrate their ability to adapt. The keywords for this internship are observation and discovery, following which students are required to produce a written report, which they must defend before a public jury during the second year. Students must express and clarify their global understanding of how the farm relates to its specific environment. During the internship, students are visited by a lecturer.

Third-year corporate internship

This 10-week internship prompts engineering undergraduates to get involved in companies that are active in the upstream and downstream sectors of the agricultural industry, whether agricultural organisations, suppliers or product marketing firms.

The third-year internship must be carried out in France and is primarily aimed at motivating future engineers to understand how companies are structured and how to lead a research project.

This internship gives future engineers the opportunity to:

Compare their technical training with the realities facing the different engineering profiles within the company.

Improve their understanding of how trade organisations operate and the role that they play.

Deepen their knowledge of the economic, social and human problems in the agricultural world.

Broaden their awareness of the agricultural problems in foreign countries and the initiatives spearheaded by development organisations.

Become familiar with the process of assuming accountability and taking decisions.

Hone their ability to see the big picture when assessing how companies operate and the projects developed.

Students choose their internship from a range of offers advertised by the School or by contacting companies directly. Projects are submitted to the School for approval and before internship agreements are prepared. The internship report is presented during the fourth year.

Final-year internship

This six-month internship is actively supervised by a lecturer and allows for a long immersive experience in a company or trade organisation.

Future engineers must produce an end-of-course thesis meeting PURPAN’s strict list of requirements, while giving due consideration to all the company’s technical, economic and human issues. The thesis must produce scientifically analysed results, achievements and proposals whose merits can be justified by the future engineer.

Contact : Josiane Lacombe

Companies wishing to post their job vacancies, especially where their research programme requires a specific profile, can always notify the lecturers with whom they are in regular contact.

More specifically, if companies would like PURPAN to take part in their recruitment drive, they can contact: Corinne Caruel