Emploi et lien social
Location: France (Gironde)
Sponsor: Sophie Poumeroulie
Grant: €30,000 by the Selection Committee on 03/23/2026
Project Leader: Renée Academy
Since late 2022, the Renée association has focused on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). An initial project involving the collection, repair, and reuse of small appliances, Hi-Fi, TV, and multimedia eventually found its place within a limited liability company (SARL) created at the end of 2024. Since then, the association has devoted itself exclusively to its new training project: the Renée Academy.
Presented as a future center of excellence for training in circular economy and inclusion careers, this organization bridges ecology and inclusion, material value and human value, and technical know-how with interpersonal skills.
Addressing a shortage through an accessible mode
The project responds to a paradoxical observation: while 89% of French people wish to have their devices repaired (source: Ademe), the industry lacks more than 3,000 technicians to implement the Agec Law. While the desire to repair is present, the service offering itself is losing momentum.
The Academy offers a hybrid pedagogical model with no prerequisites, combining technical learning, adapted visual tools, and individualized support. The support from the Veolia Foundation focuses on the implementation of the e-learning platform, considered the cornerstone of the system.
Dual impact, dual support
The program's ambition is both environmental and social. The Renée Academy contributes to increasing the reuse rate of electrical equipment. On the social level, it offers a concrete professional perspective to adults with disabilities (particularly invisible or neuro-atypical) and to people far from the labor market. The Academy plans to welcome up to 20 learners in the first year, with an ambition to increase this figure to over 50 within three years.
The financial support from the Veolia Foundation is coupled with skills-based sponsorship offered by the region's Recycling and Waste Recovery teams for audits and training on safety topics. By supporting the Renée Academy, the Veolia Foundation is participating in the emergence of a local center of excellence in Gironde, where the recovery of objects becomes a powerful lever for the recovery of human skills.