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A field assignment has a primarily educational objective which is different from that of an internship; the objectives of these 2 exercises are separate but complementary. An assignment involves solving a given problem in a limited amount of time, with constraints and requirements identical to those of a tutor's colleague. It does not necessarily involve total immersion in the company, but a real close relationship with the tutor.  During the assignment, the students have to apply their scientific or managerial knowledge to a real case and, if necessary, add to it. The usual media are at their disposal: the School's course documents, laboratory resources, documentation centre, electronic media, etc., as well as the tutor's resources and those of the School's staff and departments.

During the assignment, the students have access to lectures on the École's website related to the nature of the assignment. On the advice of their tutor, the students have to :

• Surpass themselves to present an ambitious project ;
• sell their project to a jury with no knowledge of their subject ;
• learn to work as part of a team and share tasks ;
• work rigorously (respect meeting times, report submission dates, etc.) ;
• seek information by any means they choose ;
• combining efficiency and method ;
• organise and plan their work.

The aim is to create a corps of tutors integrated into the École's teaching staff. Each tutor will provide and tutor one or more assignments per year.

The choice of a tutor is therefore a decisive factor in the success of an assignment in the field. A company manager, a department or industrial unit manager, a sales representative or a manager within a company would potentially be good tutors. A tutor must meet three criteria:

• le dynamisme,
• l'enthousiasme,
• la générosité, notamment dans sa capacité à donner du temps.

So it's a good idea for the tutor to meet with his students 2 or 3 times a week to review the progress of the project and offer advice. If the students are with him, in his company, the task is naturally simplified.

The benefits of such an experience are significant for everyone, students and companies alike:

• it's the opportunity to quickly validate an idea or a dormant project
• a low-cost experience away from the competition and your own employees
• taking part in the training of young engineers can give enormous personal satisfaction
• rubbing shoulders with young people with agile and creative minds can open up opportunities
• it's a challenge for both the tutor and the students to meet a challenge in a very short space of time
• the tutor must take credit for the project and share its success with his students
• the tutor is free to organise his tutoring with his students as he sees fit; the School will simply check, during the assignment, that the team is working well together, that the assignment is worthwhile and that the tutor is available.
• the day on which the assignment is presented is an opportunity for meetings or technology watch
• Finally, it's an opportunity to identify talent for future recruitment.

The tutor proposes a subject for the assignment, which must have a significant economic impact. This subject is validated by the students' educational supervisor.

During the assignment, the tutor must position himself as a teacher. Even if the assignment is of economic interest to him, he must not lose sight of the educational objective. Finally, the tutor must advise, guide and correct, but not do anything: that's the job of his students.

Tutors are chosen mainly from the business world, although there are also tutors with an entrepreneurial profile who meet the criteria already mentioned in :

• local authorities
• humanitarian associations or organisations
• research organisations if the subject of the assignment concerns applied research or the development of innovative products.