In 2002, Opticsvalley, as part of its mission to sustain and invigorate the optics syllabus, asked the AFPA (The French association for adult job training) to carry out a study to assess the requirements that businesses have for particular skills and to see how they match the existing training system so that we can be prepared for the future.

This study was completed on November 12, 2002, as part of the French national commission on jobs in optics and photonics that had just been created. It included the GIFO, the SFO and Opticsvalley and other French bodies involved in optics and the aim was to put in place a concerted policy to encourage training and heighten awareness of the jobs in the sector.

The study was carried out throughout France using:

• a questionnaire sent to 600 companies,
• qualifying interviews with 15 companies in the sector,
• interviews with establishments that provide the courses identified in the sector.

Across the three levels of qualification (engineer, higher technician and operator-technician) it appears that:

• the competences required as described by the companies seem to be "cross-disciplinary competences" involving mechanical engineering, electronics and optics,
• discipline, expertise, methodical working and dexterity are the essential qualities.

 Across the three levels of qualification (engineer, higher technician and operator) the trends that emerged were:

Excellent availability of courses, well spread throughout France.

- 20 engineering schools with syllabuses with reasonable optics content.

- 28 in-depth study diplomas and 16 specialist higher study diplomas majoring in optics.

In the syllabuses the companies found gaps in subjects such as management, commercial knowledge, project management, English, field knowledge and the mechanical engineering culture.

• Nine higher technician diplomas (BTS) in optical engineering with the "instrumental optics" option and four higher technician diplomas in optical engineering with the "photonics" option in 11 different teaching establishments fairly evenly spread throughout France.
• The University Technology Diploma (DUT) in physical testing is adequately spread throughout 25 technical university institutes across France.
• Five professional degrees relatively unknown to the companies and difficult to fit into a company's hierarchy.

The result of this is a good match between these first two qualifications and what the companies want:

• The Higher Technician Diploma (BTS) in optical engineering appears to be what the sector wants. The companies seem to like two options: telecoms and laser companies like the photonics option and companies that produce instrumentation and carry out testing like the "instrumental optics" option.
• The University Technology Diploma (DUT) for physical testing is highly valued for testing and calculation and for openness and ability to analyse.
• The optics content should however receive greater emphasis in some university technology institutes, particularly those close to areas where there are concentrations of optics companies.

There are no vocational syllabuses in "optics" for operators: the BEP at the Fresnel school for precision opticians disappeared two years ago. There is no vocational baccalaureate.

There are:

• Two baccalaureates in technology: the optics engineering STI baccalaureate and the laboratory physics STL baccalaureate in 34 different establishments. But these diplomas lead toward higher technician diploma studies (BTS) and do not lead on to jobs.
• A vocational qualification certificate (CQP) that was set up by the vocational branch of the Lycée Fresnel and no longer operates.

There are two different activities:

• glass polishing and inspection for the job of precision optician,
• assembling, adjusting and inspecting optical and optoelectronic components.

For these two types of activity, the companies identified a real problem: there is no qualification suitable for the required skills:

• The skill required for polishing is highly specific and the disappearance of the precision optician BEP poses the following question: how do we ensure the future of this skill which is required by a small number of companies?
• The skills required for assembly and adjustment of optical and optoelectronic components require a combination of mechanical engineering and information technology abilities.

After unprecedented growth since 1996, the optics sector is currently facing a sharp downturn essentially due to the problems in the telecommunications market. This sector, which represents approximately 15% of the optics market, should not obscure the other sectors which are unaffected by this problem and are demonstrating astonishing dynamism; look for example at Essilor, Thales or SAGEM.

New industries such as space, defence, automobiles, microelectronics or biophotonics contain companies that are developing their optics activities and need skills in this field.

Most analyses count on a revival of the telecoms business in 2004 and 2005. So we should now structure the training syllabuses and prepare to produce the skills that companies can use to face the technological and economic challenges of the resurgence.

 The study makes six recommendations that will be explored by the French National Commission on Optics and Photronics to produce concrete action to structure the optics syllabus.

1. Develop block release courses (apprenticeship contracts - qualification contracts) at all three levels (operator, technician and engineer).
2. Take action to heighten awareness of the optics business and more particularly precision optics.
3. Establish the criteria for an engineering course (levels V and IV) in precision optics reflecting the activities of optical production operators/technicians.
4. Plan to create a special year of block release in the regions that require it to complement the initial level V or IV course in machining/production IT.
5. With GIFO, set up a forward looking study contract at regional or national level.
6. Continue the work that started with the Microtechnical Vocational baccalaureate to include teaching in optics alongside mechanical engineering.