English 
Français François-Xavier Salmon - STU 2007 / INET 2010 - Technical Advisor to the Director General of Services of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais Regional Council
During the trip to Lille in 2011, the students realized a speed networking in the morning. We found one of the portraits made!
It was during my studies that I discovered that I really wanted to work in the public sector, in the service of the general interest.
I started my studies in business school, at ESSEC, where I followed the Urban Economy cycle. The specialization starts in the second year and combines management with knowledge of local development and local government service companies. During my studies and internships, I realized that what I really wanted to do was to work in a local authority. I entered Sciences Po with this in mind. I hesitated between the Science Po Urbanism cycle and STU, and found that STU corresponded better to my expectations.
I did my internship at the Paris City Hall, on their Agenda 21 project. My collective project was already for the Paris City Hall: a study on the economic and commercial impact of the southern Maréchaux tramway.
After graduating from STU, I took the Sciences Po administrative exams. After having passed and integrated the INET (Institut National des Etudes Territoriales) at the level of territorial administrator, I went 18 months in training, with some courses in common with the ENA. In our class, there were about as many externs as interns. The difference between an administrator and a territorial attaché is both in the difficulty of the exam (more tests, fewer places for the administrator exam) and in the position you get afterwards: the position of territorial attaché is also a position with a high level of responsibility, but generally on a more specific subject. But it is possible to evolve internally afterwards...
Are we well trained in economic development in STU? I would say yes, but perhaps more in the sense of territorial strategy. Because when we talk about development of territories, or even when we make a diagnosis, we obviously take into account this aspect too.
Today, my mission with the DGS implies following a very large number of themes and requires a lot of investment. I work very closely with him, and must therefore take advantage of his availability, early in the morning or late at night. But it is very interesting. For my next missions, I would like to move more towards cities or inter-municipalities, in order to reconnect with my more urban background, and certain interests, such as the policies that some cities may have in terms of education...
Élisa Lelard - STU 2006 - Associate at Open Communities Consulting
