VINCI is committed to supporting career guidance for girls and women

Everywhere, increasing the number of women in technical and engineering professions is a major challenge. In France, only 30% of engineering students are women. To address this imbalance, it is essential to introduce students to the richness and diversity of engineering careers as early as secondary school.

The aim is to break down stereotypes, broaden everyone’s horizons, promote equal opportunities and, in the future, gender diversity in the workplace.

Thus, the partnership between VINCI, the EPF Foundation and the Elles bougent association to roll out the programme In the shoes of a female engineer is part of a concrete commitment to guiding young girls in secondary school.

The scheme offers a unique experience: as part of the compulsory second-year work placement, it provides a two-stage immersion in engineering professions. First, a week at an engineering school, to discover the curriculum and academic expectations. Then a week in a company, to immerse themselves in the reality of the workplace. The aim: to enable participants to envisage themselves in engineering studies and careers in a practical way and, why not, to inspire future careers.

Having already been successfully rolled out in 2025, the initiative is scaling up in 2026:

This scheme, which has been accredited by the French Ministry of Education, the CNRS and the Académie des technologies, won the AGIRES 2025 Trophy, which recognises synergies between education professionals and businesses.

Also, read in eMAG, VINCI’s online magazine: Addressing the challenge of gender equality in scientific and technical careers