Audembron Junior High School students from Thiers discover the many cutlery professions
A successful educational class visit
The 9th grade students from Audembron Junior High School (Thiers, France) taking the optional class DP3 “discovering professions” were ecstatic about their visit to the Tarrerias-Bonjean enterprise which took place last Thursday May 21st. The students were accompanied by their teachers Ms. Robert and Mr. Chazal.
During this visit the students discovered the different steps necessary to manufacture knives as well as the diverse posts available within a cutlery enterprise.
Thiers’ cutlery industry and its professions
The educational class visit organized for those taking the optional DP3 class astonished many students. Lots of the students were surprised at the number of machines needed during the knife manufacturing process as well as by the large number of employees needed to produce them.
The students were also impressed by how modern and precise the robots were. Some students were particularly impressed by the modern and automated techniques used by the laser marking machines to emboss the blades.
The photographic exhibit featuring TB Groupe employees which lines the factory walls was another point of interest. This series honors the Tarrerias-Bonjean employees’ skill and their collective expertise. This experience was very stimulating; the entire class found the visit to be gratifying and thought that the factory was "aesthetically pleasing."
This very positive and informative class visit allowed the students to discover the professions within the Thiers cutlery industry. This interesting and surprising day will probably stay engraved in these junior high school students’ minds forever!
DP3 optional class: more than just an educational class trip
Building the bridge between junior high school and the working world
For some time now certain teachers and entrepreneurs have been concerned with the gap existing between the academic world and the working world. DP3’s aim is to bridge this gap and expose young students (starting with 9th graders) to alternative satisfying careers.
The 3 hour long professional discovery (DP3) is an optional class offered to 9th graders. The classes’ main objective is to expose young students to different professions, enterprises and government administrations. The aim of this course is to build a bridge between the academic and professional world through taking informative class visits.
This allows these students to become familiar with the realities of the professional world by experiencing the wide array of professions and training available. This course is also a way for them to expand their overall cultural understanding.
The students from Audembron High School (Thiers, France) were greatly enriched by this educational class visit where they were saturated with information about the cutlery industry! Some of these students’ vocational destiny opened before them that day…
DP3 helps high schoolers begin to appreciate the scope of the vocational options which are open to them at this formative time in their education.
DP3 in action
It is important to note that the DP3 course is not just for students who will be attending vocational high school. This course is available for high school students who are interested in knowing more about the working world, enterprises or the intricate world surrounding this universe.
The DP3 course is comprised of many components and consists of the following:
- Research and analyzing documents, class presentations and writing essays analyzing information that was collected
- Meeting professionals that explain their line of work or meeting other students who explain the educational path they have followed
- Observing, visiting or doing internships with companies, government administrations, laboratories or workshops and writing reports on these professions
The student’s grade depends on their overall understanding of the information presented to them during these visits. The students are asked to create oral reports, posters, typed reports, etc. The students may choose to do these reports in groups. The annual average of grades received during this course is taken into account for the diplôme national du brevet (school certificate).