The Institut Supérieur de Formation par Alternance de Richemont (and MFR des Charentes) welcomes us to the capital of liquor – Cognac, or, more precisely, Cherves-Richemont. Below we discover a range of courses focusing squarely on practice – the secret to the institute’s success.
The interview was conducted with Caroline Boitelle (Programmes Manager) and Yannick Laurent (Director of the Institut Richemont).
Your Institute is an MFR (maison familiale rurale) offering numerous programmes focusing on agriculture, viticulture, oenology and human and social services. That’s quite a range. Which are your most popular programmes?
We have two sections. First, a social section (Professional Baccalaureate in Human and Regional Services, BTS in Social and Family Economics, DE: Social and Family Economics Advisor, plus a diploma in management of social and solidarity economy-based establishments). And, secondly, a production sector (Professional Baccalaureate in Agricultural Business Management – Arable Crops Support or Wine Businesses; three BTS programmes – Business Analysis, Management and Strategy, Viticulture and Oenology, and Wines and Spirits: Sales and Technology; we also offer equine business options). We offer numerous short-term courses for adults as well. The number of students enrolled in our programmes varies from year to year.
At the moment remote learning and working have become super important. Have you changed the way you teach?
Yes, of course. All of our programmes are based on sandwich training. When they are at the Institute, our students attend lessons, masterclasses and practical sessions led by instructors. They have access to a range of equipment, including a sensory analysis room, a scientific analysis lab, digital screens in each classroom and an audiovisual studio. The studio was really useful during lockdown since our instructors could record their lessons. It also allowed us to organise a live open day via our YouTube channel. Our instructors are also organising visits to our business partners and events in our conference room.
The town of Cognac has a reputation for luxury and tradition. How long have you been offering your course in viticulture and oenology? Do you have a large number of international students from, for example, in Japan, which is known for its luxury liquors?
We’ve been offering the BTS in Viticulture and Oenology since 1992. Our current students are French, mostly from the Nouvelle Aquitaine region. We have also had a Moroccan student. In our other programmes we’ve had Senegalese and English students.
You organise a lot of international exchanges. Which countries do your students generally wish to go to? Is the choice based on their career plans?
Students go abroad through the Erasmus programme and study in establishments relevant to their course. Options have included England, Lithuania, Poland and Spain. Students in the BTS in Business Analysis, Management and Strategy do an internship abroad; they can go to countries such as Australia and Canada (Québec). Regardless of whether they go abroad for a study trip or an internship, students always have to choose an establishment or business appropriate to their course.
Your Institute has been going from strength to strength and has developed an international dimension. Any upcoming plans?
Yes – many. In particular, we will soon be offering a FEDE Bachelor’s degree in Fermented and Distilled Products. The programme will be available internationally.
