Ecole La Mache builds the future

(R) evolution

With their construction helmets screwed on tightly and orange safety waistcoats on their shoulders, Melvin and Matisse, two students from La Mache, wear smiles on their faces. “The new building is great, it’s a turning point for the school, which will finally open its doors to the outside world,” they agree. The Ecole La Mache is a Lyon institution which, from the outside, gives the impression of a housing project within a housing project. However, the La Mache School is home to many treasures. Founded more than a century ago, the Ecole La Mache stands apart in the educational landscape of Lyon. It is both a technical educational institution under contract and a company that trains young people in the industrial and construction trades, from the 3rd year of secondary school though the 5th year of higher education. Theory and practice in one place. Unfortunately, the reinforced concrete buildings of the 1930s, with their large, anonymous grey façades, did not allow the richness of La Mache to be perceived by the general public.

Copyrights : Gregory DUBUS   

The Ecole La Mache is not one of those institutions that rest on their laurels; it looks to the future. Its aim is to prepare young people for the technical professions of tomorrow. The spearhead of this “new La Mache” is a 5,000 square metre ecologically responsible building made of decarbonised concrete. It will include a 180-square metre showroom open to the city, a fab lab and a coworking space. In addition to the rehabilitation of the historic buildings, a student residence with 70 rooms will be built. Cost of the project: 20 million euros. Having raised two thirds of the sum from its own funds and a subsidy from the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region, the Ecole La Mache, which is recognised as being of public interest, is appealing to sponsors to raise the remaining 4 million euros.

Future-oriented sectors

The Societe Generale The Future is You Foundation is committed to supporting the development of the Ecole La Mache. With its new building, La Mache will be able to accommodate 300 more students in addition to the current 1,200 by 2024 and offer them new courses of study (industrial cybersecurity, industrial robotics, etc). More specifically, the Societe Generale The Future is You Foundation is supporting the development of new training courses, including training on industrial cybersecurity, which leads to opportunities for companies of all sizes that want to protect themselves from industrial cybersecurity attacks.

A major campaign will be carried out with young girls to introduce them to the various courses of study. The school’s goal is to have at least 10% girls in its student body, compared to the current 5%. “Technological advances, the widespread emergence of digital technology and the changes linked to the climate transition are leading to profound shifts in the way we learn and the need to acquire new skills.” said Sophie Sidos, Chairwoman of the Louis Vicat Foundation and Chairwoman of the La Mache Campaign Committee. See you in 2024 to discover the new La Mache!