Grandes écoles face a fresh revolution
By Ian Wylie
Published: July 25 2010 20:12 | Last updated: July 25 2010 20:12
Alice Guilhon: French schools need more muscle to compete on the international stage
The French Revolution gave birth to les grandes écoles, the elite schools that have dominated France’s higher education landscape ever since – and provided most of its political, business and professional leaders. But some of the French business schools – the grandes écoles de commerce – believe they are on the cusp of another dramatic revolution, sparked in part by the higher education reforms of Nicolas Sarkozy, French president.
Business schools in France have traditionally been part-funded by local chambers of commerce to serve their regions. But recent months have witnessed a flurry of boundary-crossing mergers, partnerships and acquisitions: the merger of Ceram Business School and ESC Lille to create Skema Business School; the Paris Executive Campus, an executive education joint venture between Rouen School of Management and Reims Management School; and the acquisition of the International University of Monaco by Inseec, making Inseec the largest business school group in France, with more than 10,000 students.
Further opportunities
One French business school actively seeking mergers and acquisitions is Inseec, recent buyer of the International University of Monaco.
“There is real globalisation at work in this market and we aim to be like L’Oréal, with lots of brands but centralised administrative functions,” says director Catherine Lepine.
“We are looking for small schools with good reputations in their sector in France and elsewhere in Europe and north Africa. We are hoping to pursue two or three opportunities in the next 12 months.”
Inseec is owned by Career Education Corporation, a Chicago-based, Nasdaq-quoted leader in online education that offers about 3,000 courses to students over the web.
Without ever leaving the “virtual campus”, students attend classes, visit an online library, meet face-to-f