Partnership engineering training (FIP) can be undertaken with an apprenticeship contract (students aged under 30) or on the continuing education track (age over 30). Engineers are awarded the INSA Strasbourg diploma, specialization HVAC and energy engineering in partnership with the ITII Alsace (Institute of industrial engineering techniques Alsace). The CFAI Alsace (industrial apprentices’ training center) is responsible for running and administering the course.

Aims

To train HVAC engineers for the construction sector and industry, capable of designing energy-efficient, low environmental impact systems, of supervising their implementation and of managing their operation and maintenance.

These systems control artificial climates in residential, tertiary and industrial buildings.

A qualified HVAC and energy engineer is capable of managing the technical, organizational, economic and human sides of projects in the main areas of HVAC engineering (heating, ventilation, air conditioning), sanitary installations, building energy engineering, thermal and cooling energy production and distribution and distributed generation, etc.

The HVAC engineers have a major role to play in the response to the energy and climate issues.

Training

The course runs over 3 years and includes academic training, mainly provided by INSA Strasbourg, and on-the-job training. The course alternates periods of two weeks in a company with 2 weeks at the School. The HVAC engineering sandwich course is recognized under the student status created in 1962.

Academic training

This aims to give the trainee engineer the knowledge and skills to enable him or her to adapt to changes in the profession or the environment and be operational as soon as he or she qualifies from INSA. The common thread running through the academic training can be summed up by the following keywords:

  • sobriety,
  • energy and environmental efficiency,
  • promotion of renewable and recovered energies. 

The training path also involves numerous technical projects.

These are mainly supervised by experienced engineers (building energy efficiency, HVAC engineering, renewable energies, thermodynamic systems, carbon balance, energy management, etc.). Some of these projects are done in English.

Every year, the content of the training is reviewed to adapt it to any technical regulatory changes: BIM process, smart buildings, etc.

On-the-job training

The host company’s job is to support the student in his or her development, to move on from a technician’s role to an engineer’s role.

Training objectives are set for each year of the course: awareness of companies and their environment and participation in the performance of technical assignments in Year 1, implementation of projects on a larger and larger scale in Year 2, practical application of knowledge acquired through the autonomous conducting of a “complex” project in Year 3.

Training with dual tutoring

During the three-year course, each student is supervised by two tutors: a company tutor and an academic tutor.

Their task is to support the student in his or her studies in a number of ways:

  • participating in different class panels,
  • completing tracking sheets, assessed at the end of each in-company period,
  • dual tutoring on the key projects in the course; namely:
    • the methods project done in Year 2, intended to introduce students to project management in response to a need or problem raised by the host company,
    • the final course project (PFE) done in the last semester, spent full-time in the company. The objective is to place the student in a situation of complete responsibility to carry out an assignment or an engineering project in the company.

International

The English language teaching includes traditional teaching, as well as being integrated into technical projects. It also includes:

  • four week-long seminars at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI Strasbourg)
  • technical classes given in English
  • a mandatory period of at least one month abroad, a condition for the award of the diploma.  This may be a placement or assignments carried out as part of the student’s activities in the company.

Openings

On completion of the course, the engineer will be capable of occupying the following positions:

  • project engineer in a technical equipment installation company
  • project engineer in an energy services, maintenance or operating company
  • design engineer in an engineering office, or project owner or project management assistance firm
  • project engineer in the R&D or marketing department of an HVAC equipment manufacturer
  • design, methods or works engineering in energy management in industry

Possibilities for continued study:

Following on from this training, students can continue their studies with:

  • a PhD or preparation of a teaching qualification
  • a specialized technical training course (e.g. a specialist master’s at Mines Paris Tech, etc.)
  • a management course (ESSEC, EM Strasbourg, etc.)

Contacts

Bernard Flament, Head of the HVAC and energy engineering sandwich course
00 (0)3 88 14 47 15

Marion Clauss, secretary of the HVAC and energy engineering sandwich course
00 (0)3 88 14 47 15

This course is organized in partnership with ITII Alsace

CFAI Alsace / ITII Alsace 

Micaele Gelhausen

8 rue de la Bourse – BP 1283 – 68055 MULHOUSE Cedex
0033 (0)3.89.46.89.92