Veolia successfully opened its doors to teachers
As part of the 'Professeurs en entreprise' initiative, Veolia offered professional immersion to bring schools and businesses closer together...
Thus, in November, Veolia welcomed about ten secondary school teachers and managers from the Éducation nationale to the drinking water production plant in La Valette-du-Var, as part of the 'Professeurs en entreprise' program led by the Fondation CGenial. This initiative aimed to introduce teachers to careers related to science, digital technology, and technology in a professional environment, to help them better guide their students. As the world leader in ecological transformation and present on five continents, the Veolia Group designs and deploys useful and concrete solutions for water, waste, and energy management.
For its part, created in 2006 and recognized as a public utility, the Fondation CGenial aims to spark young people's interest in science, technology, and associated careers. EDUCATION AND THE PROFESSIONAL WORLD For Veolia, this day was a real bridge between education and the professional world. It represented a unique opportunity to present its sector of activity, its professions – especially those in high demand – and to forge lasting links with local educational stakeholders.
For teachers, it is also an opportunity to gain a concrete understanding of the corporate world and to enrich their career guidance. Indeed, the company offers many careers of the future that it wished to promote: 'We are very pleased to commit to the Professeurs en entreprise initiative,' said Anne Suppa, Human Resources Manager for Veolia Var Provence Méditerranée. She added: 'This is an essential opportunity to raise awareness of our exciting careers among teachers, who are valuable guides for the orientation of new generations.
This approach allows us to value the work of our employees, to attract more diversity within our teams, while highlighting the importance of our commitment to the preservation of water resources and the environment.'
DIRECT LINKS This day enabled tailor-made meetings for teachers, as Hélène Chahine, General Delegate of the Fondation CGenial, pointed out: 'One of the major strengths of this initiative lies in the organization of meetings specifically designed for teachers and career guidance professionals, without their students. These visits offer them the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the professions and challenges of a sector, while establishing direct links with their teaching and guidance mission.'
Pour Veolia, cette journée était un véritable pont entre l'éducation et le monde professionnel. Elle représentait une opportunité unique de présenter son secteur d'activité, ses métiers – notamment ceux en tension – et de tisser des liens durables avec les acteurs éducatifs locaux. Pour les enseignants, c'est aussi l'occasion d'appréhender concrètement le monde de l'entreprise et d'enrichir leur accompagnement à l'orientation. En effet, l'entreprise propose de nombreux métiers d'avenir qu'elle souhaitait faire connaître : « Nous sommes très heureux de nous engager dans l'action Professeurs en entreprise », a déclaré Anne Suppa, responsable des Ressources Humaines pour Veolia Var Provence Méditerranée. Elle a ajouté : « C'est une opportunité essentielle de faire connaître nos métiers passionnants auprès des enseignants, qui sont des relais précieux pour l'orientation des nouvelles générations. Cette démarche nous permet de valoriser le travail de nos collaboratrices et collaborateurs, d'attirer davantage de mixité au sein de nos équipes, tout en soulignant l'importance de notre engagement pour la préservation de la ressource en eau et de l'environnement ».
At the end of the day, the organizers recorded enthusiastic feedback, as shown by the initial reactions of the participants: 'A wonderful and enriching experience that should be made mandatory for everyone. Thank you to all the speakers for their testimonies, making concrete things that we can share with our students,' said a physics and chemistry teacher.
The 'Professeurs en entreprise' operation already has 16 years of commitment. It is one of the flagship initiatives of the Fondation CGenial. In 16 years, 20,000 secondary school teachers have had the opportunity to participate in one of the 2,000 visits offered.
The Foundation works to spark young people's interest in science and technology, and to help them discover the careers associated with them. For this 2025-2026 edition, more than 300 visits have been organized across 25 académies.
Photos DR.