This figure was only 65 three years later

Remember, in "We know the song," of Alain Resnais, for Agnès Jaoui bogged down in an interminable PhD thesis on "the peasants Knights of Paladru Lake in the thousand year"! No doubt: France, "candidate" status has most often been indifference or irony that envy or admiration. And businesses have long neglected this diploma. "There is a paradox of the doctorate," find the authors of the book "The research and Innovation in France", published in the Editions Odile Jacob under the direction of Jacques Lesourne and Denis RAND: "this highest higher education diploma gives less easily access to jobs indeterminate than level bac 5 degrees"A survey of the Centre for studies and research on qualifications (Céreq) demonstrates this. Doctors received a des 33 obtenu un CDI à l' issue de leur thèse en 2004 33 obtained a Commission at the end of their thesis in 2004. This figure was only 65 three years later. Conversely, among the masters, almost a graduate on two (44) had won a Commission from the output of his training and, in three years, 80 of them were hired.

Skills little monayables

Between the precariousness of their status, the uncertainty of their job opportunities and often modest earnings, some 70,000 French doctors are be all satisfied with their lot. Thus, the PhD in the Humanities still find it difficult to return on their intellectual investment market employment, sandwiched between the depletion of recruitment in the public sector and hardly marketable business skills. For their part, from doctors in "hard" sciences of the universities, are graduates of engineering schools competition: they were, until recently, from thesis, to become researchers in the private sector. Unlike their counterparts in German, English or American, from doctors to universities still suffer from a "image and visibility problem", recalls the Jean-Claude Lehmann physicist, co-author of "research and Innovation in France".

In addition, although even they operate in fields (mathematics, physics, chemistry ) of interest to innovative companies, these academics "pure juice" are always blame a lack of pragmatism. "Generally, when they choose their thesis topic, they do ask not enough on the scope of their work, or economic sectors that may be interested." It is true that the assessment of the thesis is on excellence, not on the relevance of the work. "It would be desirable to combine the two criteria," suggests Jean-Claude Lehmann.

However, the prospects are improving. First, companies are aware of the inherent qualities of the bac 8. The writing of a thesis, akin to a marathon, forged the character and specific skills: a great intellectual rigour, the refusal of conformism, the taste to explore new ways, the ability to detect weak signals or to conduct an in-depth on a sharp subject reflection...

Then, and most importantly, the success of the firms also based on innovation, the pool of engineers bac 5 no longer sufficient. Neither quantitatively nor qualitatively. "With globalization, PhD becomes the degree of reference for researchers in business", said Martine Pretceille, Director of the association Bernard Gregory, dedicated to the professional insertion in business of young doctors. Thus, in Saint-Gobain, "approximately 85 of our great Aubervilliers research centre recruits hold this title," said Armand Ajdari, Deputy Director of R & D building materials group.

Turn, engineering schools, or even trade, develop courses for doctors to bac 8 in the hard sciences or management. It is also for these schools to climb in the international rankings where they dehorn, foul, precisely, to invest in research. In so doing, these institutions enter into agreements with the universities, which retained the monopoly of the awarding of the title doctor.

Doctoral students "pragmatic."

However, University students "pure juice" are often still taxed to ignore the realities of the company. Many employers prefer thus engineers "doctoral students", including through the Cifre (industrial training through research Conventions) device that allows PhD students to perform their thesis in large groups or SMEs with a pay guarantee on thirty-six months. "The Cifre doctoral students are more pragmatic: these are real researchers, but they understand the requirements of the business world", summarizes Jean-Luc Schuppiser, Director of R & D at Essilor International.

Each year, these conventions enjoy a good thousand of candidates. And the France are 12,000 doctors or stamped PhD Cifre. According to a survey conducted by the ANRT (National Association for research and technology), 52 of the Cifre are, moreover, engineers, including 33 from A rank schools. A double curriculum that puts these "brain drain" to the rank of a privileged minority: 86 of respondents consider that their doctoral training served their professional ambitions. And 90 have accessed a job within six months. While 70 of them reported that the Cifre device has cleared them of traditional mistrust of the entrepreneurial environments to PhD students. Hired by Hydrocean, a start-up of the Ecole centrale of Nantes which carries out studies for the shipyards and the oil industry, Aurélien Drouet reflected: "I participates in interesting research projects which I can see the operational result and affects a correct salary of 28,000 euros per year, more attractive than if I was doing my PhD in a public lab."

On their professional development, "the companies better manage the mobility of their doctors because they do not expect that they are worn to propose something else." "In the public, there arise too late such issues", believes the Jean-Claude Lehmann physicist. Once integrated into the company, most doctors evolve, ultimately to other trades research. In Saint-Gobain, "more than half of the recruits in research and development spend, after ten or fifteen years in the House, to other duties", said Armand Ajdari.

Sign that times are changing in their favour, some doctors are able to propel itself in instances of corporate boards. Like Jean-Luc Schuppiser, Member of the Executive Committee of Essilor and himself doctor: "discussions in the executive committees tend to focus on strategy, competition or finance." "Our scientific and technological knowledge allow us to bring another dimension to these discussions," he said. The ANRT, the trend is remarkable: it is less than Germany (57.3) or Switzerland (31.4), but better than in the United States (8.1).