They make VEDECOM: Sylvie Thromas, Training Programme Director

Sylvie Thromas has a passion: human organisations. It’s a common thread that has ran through the career of this particular public works engineer, now a passionate leader of the VEDECOM Institute’s Training Programme.

From construction to training via logistics…

Working at an engineering firm 10 years ago, it was during a factory building project for PSA in China that Sylvie discovered the mobility sector. In fact, the car manufacturer was so impressed by Sylvie’s formidable efficiency as the public works engineer in charge of the project that they offered her a job… in logistics. Not exactly in line with what she’d been doing until that point, but it was all for one reason – Sylvie Thromas managed organisation to perfection. She was able to juggle factory supply chain management methods, from suppliers to the products arriving on the production lines, all whilst expertly sizing and locating the right storage areas. An intense, complex and ‘swirling’ role that she had done with passion for several years before giving in to a more pressing desire. “I wanted to help people bring out and develop their skills”.

In 2009, she took the leap and turned to a new role, this time in human resources. With her experience managing others, she began working on a new mission altogether, developing training courses to promote skill development amongst PSA staff in technical roles. Bodywork, electronics, mechanics… her team covered all the bases. She plunged ever deeper into every corner of the car industry, working closely with the people who design and build them. After a few years, she took on the role of Human Resources Manager, but she was still hungry for more.

Training to encourage the emergence of new mobilities

The opportunity to join the VEDECOM Institute, which was being set up at the time (in 2016), soon presented itself. It proved to be an extremely exciting offer “to build and deploy skill development tools from scratch within a brand-new structure, all in an innovative and very dynamic context”. In February 2016, she was made available by PSA to set up the Institute’s Training Programme, a programme built as an entirely scientific one. Its purpose is to provide the public with reliable scientific knowledge, all through a systematic vision that integrates vehicles and mobility services. By 2018, 340 people had benefited from the training programme, which combines theory and practical learning. The solution designed by Sylvie and her team works directly alongside researchers, targeting both designers and engineers working in the field of mobility, as well as the authorities. Awareness-raising campaigns for the general public and young people are also on offer.

“It’s a fascinating subject”, explains Sylvie Thromas, who fits perfectly within the agile structure that’s full of initiative that is VEDECOM. “The research context we work within is very stimulating, as is working with lots of young people. 50% of our workforce is, in fact, under 30 years old! I’ve had to be very creative and adaptable. Even 3 years on, I still learn something new every day. The mobility ecosystem really is very complex and enormously vast”.

A commitment to promote STEM careers amongst young girls

Always keen to promote the sharing of skills and expertise, Sylvie Thromas signed VEDECOM up to the ‘Elles Bougent’ [Women on the Move] Association, which works to promote technical and scientific career opportunities amongst young girls, especially in the field of mobility. A worthy ambition, and one that Sylvie couldn’t help but get involved in. “Until that point, I had reservations about some female associations, founded on the idea of keeping to your own and assimilation, but that’s not the case with ‘Elles Bougent’”, she explains, determinedly sweeping a piece of hair away from her animated face. It’s in this same committed spirit that VEDECOM will soon welcome a delegation of female high school students to the 2019 edition of Mobilité@VEDECOM this coming 11^th April. Ready to support the next generation?

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