IT landscape
in France
France is pursuing a very active higher education policy that produces a supply of particularly valuable competencies which feeds the IT sector.
Compared with other countries,
France is characterized by the large number of IT professionnal workers
in software services companies, reflecting the importance of externalization
of software jobs.
The training of computer professionals in France has improved from 1980, and the annual flow of newly qualified compuetr scientists from the higher education system increased from 4,200 in 1982, to 10,200 in 1991 and reached 20,100 in 1997. The comparison with other European countries shows that in 1996 the UK trained only 6,000 computer scientists and 4,600 electronic engineers.
Education level for technicians in computing
| Education | 1983 | 1998 |
| Master degree or above | 4 % | 10 % |
| Engineering school | 2 % | 3 % |
| Bachelor degree | 15 % | 33 % |
| High school or under | 78 % | 53 % |
| Total | 100 % | 100 % |
Education level for engineers in computing
| Education | 1983 | 1998 |
| Master degree or above | 19 % | 26 % |
| Engineering school | 2 % | 32 % |
| Bachelor degree | 15 % | 24 % |
| High school or under | 78 % | 18 % |
| Total | 100 % | 100 % |
Also France has a significant intellectual force of more than 3,000 IT researchers, for both higher education and different public organizations.
Various tracks provide
access to IT professions. The first track is through vocational schools
at Bac+2 (2 years after high-school) level, for programmers or IT technicians.
The second track consist in longer university courses and accounts for
one-third of total annual flows of computer specialists. Diplomas range
from degrees in IT (Masters, etc.) to doctorates. The third track is the
engineering schools, the "grandes ecoles" which constitutes the French
elite model par excellence. The entrance to these schools is very competitive
and they select a small number of students. France has 200 such institutions,
producing a total of 24,000 graduate engineers per year. The emblematic
figure of the graduate engineer in France is highly prestigious.
However, the mobility of these engineers between the public and the private
sector tend to constitute a technocracy of state engineers that support
major national projects but also refrain entrepreneurship and prevent access
to high positions for people with different backgrounds.
However, French universities are behind in terms of general computing education, especially in literary studies, and are accused of not having formed enough computing engineers and technicians. The Ministry of Education has decided in June 2000 to establish a certificate for Internet and computing studies in all universities and to create new "Internet schools" to train students to new qualifications. 50 000 certificates were delivered in 2000 and it should become compulsory in every school by 2003. French Universities also need more investment to connect classrooms and student rooms to the Internet. The effort is to focus more on collective equipment rather than individual equipment for students. Currently, the connection rate is close to 100% in high schools and 50 % in elementary schools. In January 2000, there was one computer for 6 students in high shools (there was one for 12 in 1997) and one for 23 in elementary schools (one for 100 in 1997). More than half of high schools have their own web sites.
In September 2001, the first "School of the Internet" has opened in Marseille with 25 students. It was created as a graduate school similar to other French "grandes ecoles" to train engineers exclusively in information and communication technologies.
Seven "digital universities" should open at the end of 2001, hosted
in major French universities (Bourges, Marseille, Poitiers, Grenoble).
These universities will be accessible for students who work and cannot
attend regular classes, for disabled students and foreign students. They
aim at providing an online education at an international level. Already
one thousand French students have subscribed to the British Open University.
However, the French government is worried about standardization of education
systems and about US domination on contents in e-learning.
Brain drain is defined
as the "departure of educated or professional people from one country,
economic sector or field for another usually for better pay or living conditions"
(Encyclopedia Britannica). Yet a new concept has been introduced by the
OECD that refers to "brain circulation", as the cycle of moving abroad
to study, then take a job abroad, and later returning home to take advantage
of a good opportunity. This concept is well adapted to European countries
such as France. The UK ranks highest in thetotal number of professionals
migrating to the US, then Germany and France.
In 1998, there were 5000 French engineers and researchers studying or working in the US. The motivation for young engineers and researchers is the higher salary than they would get in France, the possibility of rapid rise, more credits and more freedom in their research. This number, even if not high, preoccupy French authorities since they believe that they are the best who are leaving France. Moreover, they have been educated on public money in France and would not benefit French companies. The main cause of this migration seems to be the increase in number of doctorate students in sciences and the lack of job opportunities. More than the brain drain of young searchers, what preoccupies France is the flight of entrepreneurs.