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Safran Boosts Its Partner Start-Ups With Skills Loan

Human resources

As a signatory to the Large Companies’ Manifesto for the promotion of start-up companies, Safran has launched a pilot skills loan project aimed at supporting the growth of partner start-ups. Under this initiative, a Safran Transmission Systems employee has been seconded to Turbotech – a young company specializing in new-generation turboshaft engines – since September 1, 2022. Here are the stories of those involved.

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“A practical commitment by the Group”

Through its voluntary creation of this pilot scheme, Safran is demonstrating its practical commitment to the growth of industrial startups and deeptech**). This sends a strong signal to our ecosystem. We initially worked with a long project format, but our discussions with start-ups have shown that they are also interested in one-off projects. So we may offer shorter secondments in future, which will also make it possible to support more start-ups. We have already shared our feedback on the implementation phase with the other signatories to the major companies’ manifesto in order to assist them in launching their own skills loan schemes.

Aurélie Girou, Director for External Cooperation, Safran Corporate Ventures

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“Access to highly specific profiles”

Turbotech is at a pivotal stage: With the design of our product now complete, our next step is to set up an industrial production structure. However, for a small structure like ours, it is difficult to recruit certain highly specific profiles with a combination of technical fundamentals in aeronautics and specialized skills in quality, processes, industrial methods, etc. The skills loan scheme enables us to benefit from Safran expertise and co-financing, making these skills accessible. It also represents a way of strengthening our partnership in ways that go beyond the merely technical. We have also fully involved the Group in the recruitment of the staff member who joined us.

Damien Fauvet, Chairman, Turbotech

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“Enriching my skills”

After fifteen years in a design office, and then as a manager in the configuration management sector, I was looking for something new. I was attracted both to the innovative nature of the skills loan, and to the technological challenge facing Turbotech in designing an innovative product for a buoyant market. All these things drove me to get involved in this adventure. In addition, I’m doing more than just lending my skills; I’ll also be acquiring new ones, particularly in supply chain management, understanding financial issues and agile, collaborative working methods. This experience will be used when I return to Safran to improve cooperation between the various sectors.

Sylvain Canard, Configuration Management manager, Safran Transmission Systems – seconded to Turbotech since 1st September 2022.

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“Develop, retain and attract talent”

Skills loans provide the Group's employees with an opportunity to acquire new knowledge in an environment other than the one they’re familiar with: Small structures, more agile working methods, new products, etc. These are skills that they can exploit upon their return, both to enrich their own career paths and to support the Group in its growth. This initiative also provides a means of increasing our employee loyalty by offering them a unique experience at Safran partner start-ups. Lastly, it helps to make the Group more attractive by demonstrating its openness to new approaches to career development.

Julie Desseaux, Talent Development Manager, Safran

*An initiative launched in 2021 by France Industrie and Bbifrance to support the development of technology start-ups. 28 large industrial companies, including Safran, have already signed the manifesto.

**Term describing innovative companies who develop emerging technologies in various fields (artificial intelligence, biology, chemistry, robotics, electronics, photonics, etc.).