New year, new goals for the Rexel Foundation and Les Écoles de Production
3 minutes
February 25, 2026
“Learning by doing” is the motto of Les Écoles de Production, a network of vocational training schools supported by the Rexel Foundation. And on January 22, 166 of Rexel’s headquarter employees were able to experience firsthand this approach applied to the energy transition. At an immersive event organized by the partners, participants were also invited to celebrate the partnership’s successes in 2025 and discover the goals for 2026.
From strength to strength
In 2025, the Rexel Foundation supported four schools across France training students for work in a variety of fields (electrical work, mechanics, welding and boilermaking, industrial sewing, and market gardening). This new partnership has created a model for energy transition education that benefits hundreds of young trainees, aiming to raise awareness of the energy transition by exploring local initiatives, meeting local actors, and taking concrete action for the planet. Mission accomplished!
Among the 2025 highlights were field trips to eco-friendly facilities, such as a nuclear power station, a hydroelectric barrage, a wind farm, a district heating system, and a recycling plant, as well as virtuous corporate premises. Other awareness-raising activities were also organized, such as movie debates, quizzes, and climate workshops. The students’ own projects included creating a solar phone recharging station, organizing a “Repair Day,” setting up Energy Transition and Ecology committees, and many other initiatives. In addition, Rexel experts explained the evolution of electrical solutions to limit the environmental impact, and invited students to a guided tour of RexelExpo 2025 in Paris.
A broader scope of schools and activities
Now, in 2026, the partnership will continue with a more ambitious scope, involving more schools (12), more trainees (470 vs. 179 in 2025), an impact on a larger student population (737 vs. 297), and almost double the amount of projects (130 vs. 69). In addition to the Foundation’s funding, Rexel will continue to donate equipment, host training on its premises and provide hands-on support, such as branch visits, webinars and an energy transition awareness kit.
Discover the 12 partner schools for 2026:
Four pilot schools:
- L’École de Production Automobile de Lens (EPAL) in Lens, northern France (a school focusing on car mechanics)
- L’École de Production Industrielle de Couture et de Confection (EPICC) in Roubaix, northern France (sewing and garment construction)
- École des Semeurs in Beaumesnil, northern France (market gardening)
- Pros d’avenir in Limoges, southwest-central France (electrical work, welding and boilermaking)
Eight new schools:
- Institut de Formation Technique de l’Ouest (IFTO) in Cholet, western France (boilermaking)
- École Saint Eloi in Annecy, eastern France (jewelry making)
- École Libre d’Apprentissage de Grenoble (ELAG), southeastern France (machining)
- École Technique du Bois in Plateau d’Hauteville, eastern France (wood processing)
- ICAM in Lille, northern France (machining, metalworking and mechanics)
- Les Jardiniers de Macheville in Lemastre, southern France (gardening and landscaping)
- Jean-Marie Vianney in La Côte-Saint-André, southeast-central France (catering)
- Wood’Up in Châteaubriant, western France (woodwork)
For more information on Les Écoles de Production, please consult the network’s website: https://www.ecoles-de-production.com/