A special edition 

The UIMM Lyon-France is a professional organization which supports the industrial and metallurgical companies in the Rhône region. Every year it organizes the learning expedition program which allows the students in the second year of the M.Sc. in Human Resource Management of iaelyon to visit industrial sites abroad. This year, Aurélien Barby and the students focused their expedition in the exploration of the European Union’s institutions. 

From the 17th to the 21st of June, the 26 students of the second year of the M.Sc. HRO, in the company of Camille De Bovis, co- Academic Director of the M.Sc. and Aurélien Barby, went to Brussels. After a visit of the emblematic city-center, and for some of the city of Bruges, the students deepened their knowledge of the European Union through various meetings.  

“Think large, Thing European” 

On Monday, 17th, the students visited the quarters of the Permanent French Delegation in the European Union. They were welcomed by David Errard and Emilie Marquis Samari, Counsellors for Social Affairs, who introduced their roles and the duty of this entity. The Permanent Delegation has a central role in the communication between Paris and Brussel since their members conduct the negotiations in the heart of the different instances of the European Union Council as well as contribute to the relation with the other institutions, particularly the European Parliament and the European Commission. 

The group visited two museums in the afternoon: The Parlementarium, Parliamentary visitors center and the House of European History.

In the next day the students have attended two conferences. The first one was a introduction of the executive branch of the European Union, the European Commission. It was granted by Fatima Velez in the quarters of the Directorate-General for the Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs. The second presentation was mainly to inform the students about the importance of the European Union in the development of social policies and the labor market. There they encountered Matteo Dulella, at the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, with whom they exchanged about the latest directives adopted by the European Union in social affairs (directives on the most adequate minimum wages and the work via a digital platform). 

Just after noon, Marc Valleys explained to the group the role and the organization of the European Parliament. His introduction was followed by the visit of the hemicycle where European Union’s deputies have debates. 
 

To conclude their second day of discovery, Delphine Rudell received the students in the quarters of the CEEMET - European Tech & Industry Employer where she acts as General Director. Mainly known as the social partner of the European Union, this entity represents the interests of the employees of the metal, engineering and technological industries in Europe. In addition to learning about the organization and mission of CEEMET the students also discussed the current social events in the European Union.

To complete the Learning Expedition, the 21st of June, the students met Jérôme Chabanne-Rive, full professor and former Dean of iaelyon, at the European Institute of Applied Science and Management (EIASM). This Institute is an international network of research and teaching in management which units more than 70 000 researchers from around the world. 

Gratitude 

The class warmly thank Aurélien Barby and the students from the project team (Léa, Fanny, Emma, Hugo et Garance) for the organization of these seminars. 
It was a memorable experience that provided insights into the challenges in Brussels as well as of the texts being written on the outlining of the AI, the management of algorithms, management of work and the revision of the remote work directive.