In May 2022, NEOMA presented major changes to its Grande École program. On the agenda: international and sustainable transition and sustainability and strengthening support for students.
NEOMA envisions its Grande École Program as a “creator of opportunities”. It is this dynamic that the institution has kept in mind to implement the main innovations that will mark the beginning of the 2022 school year for students.
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How NEOMA redesigned its Grande École program
It is also drawing lessons from the crisis and the unstable geopolitical context that NEOMA has preferred to focus on several pillars: international transition, sustainable and sustainability, but also the strengthening of student support both on the personal and well-being side, and on the professional and academic level.
Furthermore, the novelties of the Grande École Program also derive from the aspirations of the students, which evolve every year. In fact, the business school was based on a survey by the BETC agency on the wishes of 15-25 year olds and 80% of them want to discover a foreign culture. Furthermore, 72% of young people want “build a world less driven by consumption“. Finally, 65% of them believe that soft skills are more important than technical skills. “Leadership and creativity are among the skills students need to develop to build their professional future.l ”, indicates Delphine Manceau, managing director of the plant.
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International at NEOMA
International is one of the students’ concerns and therefore of NEOMA which has placed it at the center of the novelties of its Grande École Program. “The international helps young people to build themselves and is a fundamental element of their training”, explains Delphine Manceau. “They will have experiences of structuring throughout their lives.“
International at NEOMA involves four pillars: a vast network of partners abroad (88% of which are accredited), cultural immersion in small groups, a great wealth of destinations (the school is present in 58 countries spread over all continents) , a rich offer of double degrees abroad and a variety of experiences, lasting between one semester and up to two years of study abroad.
NEOMA: a redesigned international immersion
To build its new EMP, NEOMA identified several trends, notably the attractiveness of the United States and Canada for everything related to CSR, but also South Korea and new European countries, such as Portugal. Thus, among the main innovations that will mark NEOMA’s PGE at an international level, we find the signing of 18 new partners, including: HEC Montréal, Universidad de Monterrey, University of Pretoria and University of Porto. Additionally, NEOMA has just signed six new double degrees, including one in the United States, at Elon University, and another at UCP Porto.
International diving has been redesigned with 5G, allowing students to go abroad for up to 3 years:
- Global 2: 2 exchange semesters in 2 countries
- Global 1000: 6 months of exchange of your choice between 315 partners
- Global Incubator: 6 months of exchange + incubator
- Global Double Degree: one year abroad to obtain a double degree
- Global internship: international internship
In total, in the year 2022-2023, 2,150 students will be able to go abroad.
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Train the actors of the sustainable transition
NEOMA also intends to train those involved in the energy transition. According to the survey conducted by the BETC agency, 89% believe that the climate emergency must have the same importance as the pandemic. “We want students to transform the world and businesses, which is not an easy challenge”Says Delphine Manceau. “Our role is to help students transform their commitment into a capacity for action. We need to provide them with the keys and tools to transform organizations and give them enough self-confidence to do so.“
To meet this challenge, NEOMA has three ambitions: to go beyond good intentions, integrate dilemmas and promote interdisciplinarity, involving, within the school, scientific experts in biology, ecology … A new course has been imagined at the internal PGE to meet the aspirations of students in terms of sustainability.
Sustainable development: new features of NEOMA’s EMP
Already in the first year of PGE an ethical capsule of the contemporary world had been put in place. It concerns 100% of L3 students. A sustainable transition capsule and seminar were also introduced in the second year, complemented by thematic courses in all MSc in M2. NEOMA had also launched double degrees in Malaysia and Italy.
At the beginning of the 2022 academic year, the PGE of the business school and in particular the Global 2 changes to CSR thanks to the new partnerships with HEC Montréal (Canada) and Lappeenranta University of Technology (Finland). Students have up to 400 class hours dedicated to this topic.
Furthermore, since the beginning of the academic year 2023, NEOMA is launching a new Master that allows students to complete their education in sustainable development. This is the Master in Sustainability Transformation. This 400-hour master aims to give students the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in real problems, but also to confront them with concrete dilemmas faced by companies.
Read also: NEOMA signs a partnership with the National Gendarmerie.
Strengthen student support
“This is a great lesson from the pandemic, our profession has changed. We need to support our students even more than before when it comes to well-being and balance”, Indicates the CEO of NEOMA. Of course, the school also continues its commitment to professional support “to help them choose the right job for them and where they will thrive.“
The professional approach was therefore redesigned by NEOMA. From now on, it is fully integrated into the EMP. “This is part of the program and we hold the hand of the students from the first year to make them think. ” The school has also established a “safe zone“To allow students to ask alumni as many questions as they want, outside the context of recruiting,”questions they wouldn’t dare ask in an interview”Explains Delphine Manceau. The approach proposed by NEOMA aims to be generalist and sectorial. Business experts can help students prepare for interviews in very specific areas such as consulting or luxury. In total, students will be able to have up to 300 hours of support during the Grande École program.
The new student path of NEOMA
The new support path goes through a phase of exploration. In L3, students go through My Exploration, a moment in which they reflect on themselves and their expectations, they can especially benefit from “Safe areas””.. With My Orientation, students benefit from professional workshops.
In M1, with My Pitch, students present their project to a jury of alumni. Finally, in M2, support is more business oriented. Students organize workshops by sector within the My Talent system. In 2022, NEOMA also launched My Expertise, which allows you to pass certifications to strengthen your skills and knowledge.
Develop certifications
“The job market is increasingly demanding”, Explains Imen Mejri, director of NEOMA EMP. Depending on the different specializations chosen by the student, the business school allows to obtain certifications such as Basic Google Ads with Google, CFA, in finance, or even FRM (Financial Risk Manager). Since the beginning of the academic year 2022, NEOMA has been strengthening the available certifications by offering preparation for CFA Level III and CMA, for those who are in apprenticeship.
| Graduated in Science | Certificates |
|---|---|
| International marketing and brand management | Google Ads Fundamental, Google Product Ads |
| Digital competence for marketing | Google Analytics, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, HubSpot Content Marketing |
| Wine & Gastronomy | WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) – Level II and III |
| Development of international projects | PRINCE2 (Projects in Controlled Environments) |
| Business analysis | Certification in Business Data Analytics |
| supply chain management | PMI (Institute of Project Management) and Six Sigma; Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management (CIPS) |
| Financial markets and technologies | FRM (financial risk manager) |
| business Finance | Private Equity Wall Street Prep, Bloomberg |
| Finance, investments and wealth management | CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) – Level I, II and III |
Develop student welfare
The BETC survey shows that 68% of young people between 15 and 25 think it is harder to be 20 today than it was 20 years ago. “Young people need personal support”Says Delphine Manceau.
NEOMA therefore decided to upgrade the Wellness Center with the implementation of two new systems:
- D-Stress on demand: virtual reality workshops to overcome fears (departures abroad, public speaking, etc.) that can disrupt students’ learning and social life.
- Feeling good on demand: 100% online interactive modules that revolve around sports, nutrition, personal development …
The dynamics of NEOMA in recent years
NEOMA has significantly developed research production. The number of articles doubled in four years when the number of stars for these research publications was multiplied by 2.5. Today, research in NEOMA is oriented around several pillars: The World We Want, Future of Work, AI and data and finally The Complexity Advantage in an increasingly complex world.
Over the past four years, NEOMA has also climbed the charts and fielded a significant number educational innovations: virtual reality case, virtual campus, etc. This dynamic has not come at the expense of recruiting, as NEOMA has strengthened its systems of social openness, such as of the partnership with Veuve Clicquot. Today, 27% of students are supported financially.
Finally, the NEOMA dynamic translates into EQUIS re-accreditation for a maximum duration of five yearsbuilding a brand new campus in Reims which will replace the two existing campuses, but also the strong appeal of the school to preparatory students and baccalaureate holders (growth between 65% and 110% for baccalaureate applications).