Sylvain Taphanel belongs to the first graduating class of Ensicaen trained through apprenticeship in the engineering profession. A successful innovation.

With his stature and sporty appearance, Sylvain Taphanel does not go unnoticed during the graduation ceremony at Ensicaen, the engineering school in Caen. Originally from Île-de-France, rather reserved but with a friendly air, the young man speaks abundantly when discussing his academic journey. "While preparing for my STI2D technological baccalaureate (Baccalauréat sciences et technologies de l'industrie et du développement durable), I learned the basics of electronics." Then, Sylvain obtains a DUT GEII (Electrical Engineering and Industrial Computing) at the IUT de Vélizy (Yvelines), allowing him to continue his studies. "In my second year of DUT, I had the chance to prepare for it through an apprenticeship at Thales, a French flagship in the industry. As a high school student, I did not plan to pursue extensive studies. Entering the world of business made me realize that I wanted to continue studying and go a little further on this path."

"The criteria for my choice"

With an electronics diploma in hand, he successfully applies to Ensicaen, which, at that time, had just opened its apprenticeship program in electronics. "These were really the criteria for my choice." In parallel, the candidate for the apprenticeship program must also find the company that will host him. "At a fair, I met the R&D director of the company Factem." It is an SME, a leader in audio accessories, located in Bayeux. It has around sixty employees and mainly develops acoustic products for the aerospace and military sectors. "It immediately worked well with the company, which is of a human scale. This facilitates relationships among the staff, and that's what confirmed my decision to stay. It's a win-win situation for the company, and for me, a permanent position after school is also rewarding. I knew absolutely nothing about the Normandy region, and over the course of three years, I've come to really like it.