Career pathway. Léo has been captivated by the sea since childhood. After earning a technical certificate (BTS) in carpentry, he enrolled in a certificate of professional competence (CAP) program to become a shipbuilder, a profession he thought had disappeared.
While looking for an internship and then an apprenticeship, Léo met the team from Tourville, a nonprofit organization that had set itself the extraordinary challenge of building a replica of a 17th century ship named the Jean-Bart in Gravelines.
The project, blending history, culture and economics, kicked off in 2002 in a traditional village. The ship will be displayed in a living history museum dedicated Louis XIV’s navy and privateers. The project helps socially vulnerable people re-enter the workforce though two initiatives. The first in partnership with AGIR, a welfare-to-work organization supported by the city of Gravelines, allows for the placement of some 12 interns with a qualified shipbuilder. The second is a European-scale initiative funded by Interreg with two partner sites in England and Belgium working on similar projects.