Bordes, February 20, 2025 

Safran Helicopter Engines is pleased to announce the official opening of the CAMI Aéro(1) work study center for aviation industry jobs in Bordes, near Pau in southwest France. The opening  ceremony was attended by Jean-Marie Girier, Prefect of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department; Jean Salomon, Prefect of Hautes-Pyrénées department; Alain Rousset, President of the  Nouvelle-Aquitaine regional council; Ross McInnes, Chairman of the Board of Safran; and  Cédric Goubet, CEO of Safran Helicopter Engines. 

CAMI Aéro is an industry-focused training workshop offering practical work-study programs in  machining trades, such as lathe operator, milling machine operator and (soon) grinding machine  operator. This new center boasts an autonomous 1,000 sq.m (≈ 10,800 sq.ft) state-of-the-art  production workshop with 19 machine tool stations. Apprentices are trained by a team of four  instructors and work on parts similar to those used in Safran aeroengines, in an environment  designed to provide the most optimal learning conditions. At the end of the course, trainees  complete a work-study immersion placement on the production lines at Safran Helicopter  Engines or one of its suppliers.  

CAMI Aéro is one of nine Safran industry schools set up in 2024, bringing the total number of  schools in the network to over 70. Exchanges between these industry schools provide cross disciplinary training with a strong emphasis on Safran’s culture of excellence, air transport safety and the highest standards of quality. 

“With CAMI Aéro, Safran Helicopter Engines is taking the initiative in partnership with the  French government, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine regional council and the UIMM (French association  of metallurgy industries) to build training provision in aviation industry jobs and keep pace with  the increase in the company’s recruitment needs and the strong growth in its markets. This  industry training center effectively triples our capacity to accommodate work-study trainees in  machining jobs, with up to 50 places a year, while providing the most optimal learning  environment. CAMI Aéro also reflects our commitment to the local industrial ecosystem and  employment in our region,” said Cédric Goubet, CEO of Safran Helicopter Engines. 

CAMI Aéro works in close partnership with the UIMM’s local training unit, which delivers  classroom theory courses and part of the practical training. The work-study programs, of one to  three years, are open to high school and university students as well as working people seeking  to retrain. Several types of machining technician qualifications are awarded at the end of the course: the French vocational baccalaureate, a professional certification or an industry-specific  CQPM certificate in metallurgy. 

CAMI Aéro welcomed its first intake of 50 work-study students in September 2024: 20 for the  vocational baccalaureate and 30 for the professional certification or CQPM. Of these, 30% are  women and 60% are working people seeking to retrain. 

The CAMI Aéro project represents a total investment of €6.7 million over five years and has the  backing of the French government through the Banque des Territoires, which is providing up to €1.15 million over the five years as part of the Campus Aéro Adour (C2A) consortium, winner of  the Compétences et Métiers d’Avenir call for expressions of interest under the government’s  France 2030 stimulus plan.  

Additionally, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region is providing a €275,000 subsidy for training  engineering and project structuring as part of the Regional Innovation Fund for Training call for  projects and, at a later stage, for investment expenditure through a complementary scheme.