An acknowledgment of l’X’s personal development and military training
École polytechnique will welcome 300 teenagers volunteering to do their Service national universel (SNU) during two weeks at the beginning of the summer. On February 3rd, the French Education minister Jean-Michel Blanquer and two junior ministers Geneviève Darrieussecq (secrétaire d’Etat auprès de la ministre des Armées) et Gabriel Attal (secrétaire d’Etat auprès du ministre de l’Education nationale) came to École polytechnique to launch the 2020 recruitment campaign for the SNU, designed to promote a sense of civic duty and national unity among teenagers.
After an initial test in 2019 during which 2.000 teenagers from 13 counties participated in a two weeks cohesion intership, the scheme will be extended nationwide this year. It will involve between 20.000 to 30.000 young volunteers aged from 15 to 17. There will be an hosting venue in each county of the country and l’X will be one of them.
The 300 volunteers their supervisors staying at l’X from June 22 to July 3rd will be accommodated in the new building which will house the Bachelor students from the next school year. They will have acces to the school’s teaching, catering and sporting facilities.
L’X has a widely recognized know-how in personal and military training. After an induction week at École Polytechnique in September, French newcomers move to the Courtine camp in the Creuse county at the very heart of France to attend a mandatory three weeks development and military training course.
This training addresses the notions of command, leadership and interpersonal skills taught in the management internships. Students acquire military management skills, which will be essential in their future jobs as supervisors or managers, learning to identify the challenges leaders face, take a step back and anticipate.
The personal development internship is compulsory for all first year students for a period of six months, in either the armed forces or a civilian organization. Students have the option of completing their internship abroad, in an international military or civilian organization.