RESULTS OF THE BUSINESS FRANCE AND EDHEC NEWGEN TALENT CENTRE SURVEY
V.I.E – a mechanism for promoting the professional integration and career of young graduates
Between February and March 2022, Business France, the agency in charge of the internationalisation of the French economy, and the EDHEC NewGen Talent Centre interviewed, 3,747 former French International Volunteers in Business (V.I.E.) programme participants who had completed their assignment between 2018 and 2021. This second edition of the study paints a portrait of the V.I.E experience and undertakes exclusive analysis of the impact of the programme on a new generation of young people.
- 97% of respondents would recommend V.I.E to young graduates
- 92% of V.I.E participants found a job in less than six months
- Three out of four young people consider V.I.E to be a career accelerator
- 60% of young people who have carried out a V.I.E assignment developed an attachment to the company that recruited them
- One in two young people pursued their professional career in the company for which they were on V.I.E assignment
- 77% of former V.I.E participants have an international dimension to their current career
V.I.E – a programme lauded by young graduates
Recommended by 97% of participants, international volunteering in companies offers a unique professional experience and fully meets the professional aspirations of new young graduates. With an international perspective, diversity of assignments and strong societal impact, three out of four young people now consider V.I.E an accelerator for their careers.
The survey reveals that 92% of young people found a job in less than six months after their V.I.E. assignment. This is a strong sign that for companies, volunteering is also an effective way of evaluating young talent in the field before potentially extending them a permanent offer.
Notably, the programme withstood the health crisis particularly well, with levels of satisfaction and recommendation equivalent to those gauged four years earlier. In particular, young people appreciated the quality of professional experience acquired internationally.
V.I.E – a tool for attracting and retaining young graduates
Amid worker shortages and high tension in the labour market, companies are now competing fiercely to recruit the best talent. V.I.E is a great tool for identifying, attracting and potentially retaining young graduates.
V.I.E promotes attachment to the company and is a true lock-in for recruiters prior to hiring. Sixty percent of young people who have undertaken a V.I.E assignment have developed an attachment to the company that recruited them, while one in two young people chose to pursue their professional career in the company for which they were on V.I.E. assignment. This is probably why the programme has been acclaimed by more than 8,000 companies since its inception.
V.I.E – a programme that meets new professional aspirations
V.I.E contributes strongly to the training of young people. At the end of their assignment, 73% of V.I.E participants are fluent in a second language or bilingual. The programme also plays a key role in the rest of the career, with 77% of V.I.E alumni maintaining an international dimension to their career.
Among the behavioural skills they acquire during their V.I.E assignment, adaptability and development, interpersonal skills and a sense of achievement are those they cite first.
"V.I.E is a great integration tool for young graduates. The vast majority (92%) were recruited directly after their V.I.E assignment," says Christophe Lecourtier, CEO of Business France. "With nearly 1,000 departing on assignment each month, young people’s endorsement has not weakened, despite the health crisis. The thousands of young volunteers are the concrete embodiment of the 'international culture' that our economy needs."
