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Junior-Enterprises are educational consulting associations governed by the French law of 1901. Their social purpose is to enable students to enhance their skills by providing services to companies. We spoke to Aurélien MAILLET and Antoine ACCETTONE, Vice-Presidents of IÉSEG CONSEIL Paris and Lille, who explained what a Junior-Enterprise is in practice, what students learn and what these organizations can do for their clients. 

Can you tell us what a Junior Entreprise is in a few words, and how IÉSEG CONSEIL compares to Junior Entreprises in other schools?

Junior Enterprises are part of the largest student organization in France, led by the CNJE (Confédération Nationale des Junior Entreprises). In France, there are over 200 Junior Entreprises, affiliated with universities, business schools and engineering schools. All in all, the Movement represents more than 25,000 students, who complete more than 3,500 projects every year, generating over €10 million in sales.

At IÉSEG, IÉSEG CONSEIL (made up of IÉSEG CONSEIL Lille and IÉSEG CONSEIL Paris) carries out over 100 studies each year, generating nearly €500,000 in sales. Whether market research, benchmarking, customer or employee satisfaction surveys, opinion polls, mystery visits, process audits, financing plans or communication strategies, the assignments carried out by our students are highly diverse. They are equally suited to large groups, SMEs, entrepreneurs and start-ups, whatever their sector of activity: automotive, retail, luxury goods, industry, new technologies or tourism.

Every year, IÉSEG CONSEIL is recognized for its professionalism and excellence, as IÉSEG CONSEIL Lille and Paris are regularly included in the list of the 6 best JE in France, and in 2023 IÉSEG CONSEIL Lille won the prestigious EY award for Best Consulting Study of the Year.

What benefits can students gain from being part of IÉSEG CONSEIL?

A day as a Junior-Entrepreneur can be very different, depending on your position within the organization. Junior-Entrepreneur missions can be as follows: a prospecting campaign during the day, preparing a proposal for a company and, in the evening, taking part in a networking event to meet professionals and develop a network of potential clients.

One of the key positions at IÉSEG CONSEIL is that of Project Manager. He or she is responsible for guiding the customer through the entire process, from the initial request for a study to the drafting and presentation of the proposal. In addition, he/she ensures ongoing follow-up to guarantee optimum customer satisfaction.

In addition to the highly professional dimension of a Junior-Entreprise, the human experience is also an essential element. Being a Junior-Entrepreneur gives you the opportunity to help your customers resolve their strategic, commercial, marketing and financial issues. 

What does a company can expect from a Junior-Enterprise, and especially from IÉSEG CONSEIL? 

IÉSEG CONSEIL differentiates itself by offering consulting services or by making human resources available to companies. IÉSEG CONSEIL stands out in a number of ways.

Firstly, the Junior-Enterprise brings an innovative approach to consulting firms. Junior-Enterprises bring together students with little experience of the workplace, who may have different views on issues such as employer branding. This enables them to develop a new vision on issues already identified by companies.

Another of IÉSEG CONSEIL’s great assets is its academic excellence. There are two aspects to this academic excellence. Firstly, our professors-researchers are recognized for their expertise, and can assist IÉSEG CONSEIL in solving their clients’ problems. The second is the academic excellence offered to IÉSEG students, who can then put it into practice within the Junior-Enterprise.

Finally, the last aspect relates to the flexibility that Junior- Enterprises provide. IÉSEG CONSEIL stands out for its ability to provide the best possible support to customers, and to propose relevant solutions. This flexibility is reflected both in the speed of execution and in the prices offered by the Junior Enterprise.

Can you give an example of an outstanding study you’ve carried out recently?

IÉSEG CONSEIL has many references and has helped many customers with a wide variety of studies. For example, IÉSEG CONSEIL Lille signed a study with Keolis, one of the world leaders in shared mobility. The aim of this study is to build a profitability and development strategy for the 14 intercity subsidiaries in the Hauts-de-France region. The aim is to put in place concrete actions that leverage opportunities and maximize resources, in order to achieve profitable and sustainable growth. This study brings together a large part of our expertise in many fields (benchmarking, demand analysis, qualitative interviews, mystery shopping, sales strategy, auditing…). After 7 months’ work, the final product will be a strategic development plan for the next 5 years.

For its part, IÉSEG CONSEIL Paris had the opportunity to support the Toyota group in early 2023, which aims to develop sales of its light commercial vehicle range in France, as their market share is very low in this category. IÉSEG CONSEIL Paris therefore began with an analysis of the positioning of Toyota’s various competitors in the commercial vehicle range. To understand what changes Toyota needed to make, IÉSEG CONSEIL Paris carried out both a quantitative and qualitative study of the demand on the commercial vehicle market, in order to build an effective commercial strategy for the group to increase sales in this range.

As a final word, do you have a message for IÉSEG graduates, on whom you are obviously counting to continue your development?

Today, IÉSEG is fortunate to have a high-quality Junior Entreprise on each of its two campuses, which is very structured and professional. We can only encourage all graduates, whatever the size of their company or their sector of activity, to contact us when they need a study. They will then see the quality of what we can produce, the added value we can bring to them.

Today, IÉSEG CONSEIL is one of France’s leading Junior-Enterprises, thanks to the excellence of its approach to customer needs. What’s more, IÉSEG CONSEIL is committed to donating 5% of the cost of a study to the IÉSEG Foundation when the study comes from an alumni… So don’t hesitate!