"Carving out my future"
Heritage preservation and its influence are among the priority actions of TotalEnergies Foundation. With our partner, the Fondation du patrimoine, we are committed to selecting projects with a strong local identity and whose restoration worksites are a means for young people to achieve professional integration, two criteria met by the project to restore the courthouse at Baugé-en-Anjou.
The monument was built during the Second Empire at the heart of the town, but its majestic frontage, columns, and imposing ceilings were showing signs of wear and tear. When it has been restored, it will welcome the City Council meeting room, offices for the elected representatives of 15 delegate communes and associations, and the Maison du citoyen connecté (connected citizens' center). This historical building will gradually become a place where the local population can democratically express its opinions.
This project enabled Alex, a history lover, to make a fresh start after his initial experiences in the world of work. Attracted to manual work, the young man undertook a career change to become a stonemason and entered an apprenticeship program with the Compagnons du Devoir. Supported by the GEIQ (Employers’ group for inclusion and qualification), he is really developing his full potential on the worksite of the Baugé-en-Anjou courthouse and is acquiring the skills required in a sector where the demand for expertise is high.
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"Carving out my future"
Former courthouse
Baugé-en-Anjou
(Maine-et-Loire)
Fondation du patrimoine and TotalEnergies Foundation present
"Carving out my future"
Alex Debelly
Apprentice stonemason – Lefevre Company
« “I’m Alex Debelly and I’m here to retrain as a stonemason. I spent around 8 years in the tertiary sector. IIt wasn’t right for me: the work wasn’t tangible enough. I needed to work with my hands.”
Jacques-Emmanuel Saulnier
General Delegate of TotalEnergies Foundation
“TotalEnergies Foundation has supported the Fondation du patrimoine for more than 15 years.Together, we’ve backed nearly 300 projects all over France, based on one criterion: they must include hours for learning, training, because TotalEnergies Foundation is about supporting young people and helping them find jobs.”
Célia Vérot
General Manager of the Fondation du patrimoine
“At Baugé-en-Anjou, in the 1970s, the courthouse was closed with the judicial reform. The building remained empty for years. Restoring it will bring it back to life. Our core activity is to return useful, living buildings to these towns.
In a year, some 15,000 jobs are kept or created on our restoration sites. And 900 people are involved in these back-to-work programs focused on heritage.”
Philippe Launay
Director of the company Lefevre
“We don’t just take on young people looking for a career or from difficult backgrounds. It’s about giving them skills, what I call a toolbox. Hiring today isn’t so easy.”
Angelina Trichet
Recruitment and support manager - Employers’ group for inclusion and qualification
“We want to create training programs that fit companies’ needs and the applicants’ backgrounds. The aim is finding the perfect fit, so that the employees feel good in their jobs, and join the company for the long term.”
Alex Debelly
“I hope to stay with my current company for as long as possible.”
Philippe Launay
“I'm very proud to see young people loving this work. You can’t imagine how happy that makes me.”
Alex Debelly
“It’s nice to think: “that leaf up there, I made that. You know it’s going last and it’s something to be proud of.”
Conclusion
Following the restoration work supported by the Fondation du patrimoine and TotalEnergies Foundation, the former courthouse at Baugé-en-Anjou will be converted into a Maison du citoyen connecté, which will welcome many young people for training, mediation and introducing them to new technologies.
La Fondation du patrimoine with Fondation TotalEnergies