UniLaSalle Amiens, an engineering school specializing in energy and digital technology, took a major step forward on October 19, 2023 with the inauguration of its Usine-École 4.0. This new initiative is part of the school's mission to train over 600 students a year, offering them an innovative educational experience, perfectly adapted to the demands of the industrial world. 

 At the heart of this Usine-École, students are faced with a genuine production workshop, equipped with cutting-edge technologies and featuring a robotized transfer chain, as well as 4.0 technical platforms. This facility enables the design and production of industrial parts using 3D printing techniques, opening the door to a variety of products in different sizes and colors.

Jérôme Fortin, Director of UniLaSalle Amiens, stresses the importance of the Factory School in representing the real-life factory environment.He emphasizes its crucial role in training students, offering them an operational experience that effectively prepares them to enter the world of work. This hands-on approach to learning is designed to meet companies' training needs while guiding young people towards promising careers. 

The school distinguished itself in July 2022 by being one of 41 participants in the "Territoires d'industrie 4.0: anticiper les compétences de demain" call for expressions of interest. This program, with an overall budget of 1.4 million euros, contributed to the realization of the Usine-École, providing essential funding. UniLaSalle Amiens has received 340,000 euros, of which 170,000 euros have already been released, with the balance to be paid after April 2024. This contribution represents 50% of the overall budget, while Institut polytechnique UniLaSalle has invested the remaining 50%.

In addition to its current educational programs, the Usine-École is strengthening the school's training offering. This includes a new Bachelor's degree in Digital Engineering, which opened in September 2023.Sonia Lalheb, teacher-researcher at UniLaSalle Amiens and Usine-École 4.0 project leader, confirms that this initiative is designed to meet the changing needs of the industrial sector and train the engineers of tomorrow.

The Usine-École is also equipped with a Procter & Gamble line, comprising two Fanuc robots, to develop the Bachelor's degree in digital engineering and update the current engineering cycle. These programs are designed to prepare students for the industrial professions of the future, focusing on areas such as the Factory of the Future, factory connectivity, robotics and cobotics, automation, connected maintenance, additive manufacturing, virtual and augmented reality, and many others.

Christopher Devernay, plant manager at Procter & Gamble Amiens and a 2003 UniLaSalle graduate, underlines the importance of this collaboration. Students will have access to modern machinery and technologies used in industry, preparing them for careers that are already well trained and adapted to the needs of industry. 
 
Jérôme Fortin points out that the rapid evolution of skills and professions in the mobility and agri-food sectors calls for innovative educational programs. He stresses the increasing digitization of production and processing chains, and the need to adapt human resources to the changing needs of industry. 

 This year, UniLaSalle Amiens is training over 650 students in four key specialties: energy and sustainable development, energy efficiency, IT networks and connected objects, and the digital factory. Usine-École 4.0 is in line with the school's mission to train the engineers of the future, ready to meet the challenges of modern industry thanks to a practical, technologically advanced education.