Corps des mines
The Corps des mines is the foremost technical Grand Corps of the French State (grands corps de l'Etat). It is composed of the state industrial engineers. The Corps is attached to the French Ministry of Economy and Finance. Its purpose is to entice French students in mathematics and physics to serve the government and train them for executive careers in France.
Members are educated at the École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris, also known as Mines ParisTech. Each year, the Corps recruits between 10 and 20 members. Most of them are alumni from École polytechnique, who are usually among the top ranked students, others come from École normale supérieure (ENS), Télécom Paris or regular graduates of the Mines ParisTech. Upon graduation, Corps des mines engineers hold executive positions in the French administration.
Corps des mines engineers tend to hold top executive positions in France's major industrial companies in the course of their career.
Being admitted to the Corps des mines program is considered a significant fast-track for executive careers in France.
Corps des Mines engineers contribute to the conception, implementation and evaluation of public policies in the fields of:
Corps des Mines engineers typically hold high-level technical or executive positions in various ministries or international organizations.
After serving in the administration, part of the Corps des Mines engineers transfer to the private sector, where they hold top executive positions in large industrial companies.[2][3]
Recruitment and training[edit]
Corps des Mines engineers are recruited among the top students from École polytechnique, École normale supérieure, École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris and Télécom ParisTech.[4] About twenty engineers enroll every year. During the course of their training, the Corps des Mines engineers have to complete two one-year positions in private companies (one in France and one abroad), followed by a one-year training in public administration, hosted at École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris.
The main aim of the training is to provide theoretical and practical knowledge about how companies operate, together with a sound understanding of government responsibilities in the technical and economic fields.