Leather goods, watches, fabrics… To respond to rising orders and recruitment difficulties, luxury companies, such as Hermès and LVMH, have created their own training program.
“What company is this here? asks the taxi driver after driving on the roads of the Isère countryside. His journey will stop at the foot of an automatic gate and his question will remain unanswered. Hermès does not want to shout from the rooftops that the building nestled in a green setting at the exit of the village of Fitilieu hosts one of its nineteen leather goods workshops and its first training center. Since September 2021, the site has welcomed a promotion of 35 apprentices selected to train in the trade of saddler-leatherworker and obtain a CAP. Last February, 35 other recruits began their eighteen-month apprenticeship in this former weaving factory.
Inside, Lana Coomans, 21, is busy at her table. Between his fingers, pieces of leather that will make up a Kelly bag, one of the flagship models of the house, which cannot be bought for less than 7,000 euros – it can cost two to three times more. Already holder of a CAP in leather goods and a BTS in fashion and footwear, she knocked on the door of Hermès. “I was drawn to the quality and history of this band,” she says. I wanted to work as much as possible by hand, without using machines. She chose well: here, most of the tasks are done manually, starting with the saddle stitch, which characterizes all the brand’s bags.
The “professional future” law of September 2018 allowed private companies to open their own apprentice training center (CFA). Hermès therefore jumped at the chance and founded the Hermès School of know-how last September. “For us, it was obvious,” explains Vincent Vaillant, Hermès human resources director for leather goods and saddlery. This system allows us to enhance our in-house training, to transmit our know-how and to issue a diploma recognized by the National Education. »
A commitment that the carriage brand also pursues out of necessity. The curve of bag orders being inversely proportional to that of the number of operational craftsmen, it was necessary to react so that the production lines continue to turn. “We train to meet the growth needs of our workshops,” admits Vincent Vaillant.
