On Thursday 29 November, the 16^th Bouygues Construction Challenge rewarded the achievements of a team made up of students from the Polytech network and Rouen Business School. Second and third places were awarded to a team of winners from an initial challenge organised on-line in partnership with Studyka⁽¹⁾ and another team of students from the 2ie (Burkina Faso), EPF and ESSEC schools, respectively. This business competition, unique in the Construction and Public Works sector, brought together 66 students - a third of whom were women - over two days, selected from some 30 schools and universities across five different countries. 

Grouped into multi-skilled teams (finance/commerce/management, engineers, architects and urban planners), the students were presented with a real-life project management case study, as would be encountered during the tendering process, and then asked to put forward their proposals in a presentation to a panel made up of decision-makers from the Group. This year, the case studied was the Beaugrenelle shopping centre. After a marathon competition, the students were assessed on the basis of their team spirit, their competitive nature, their ingenuity, their time management and their ability to negotiate.

This year, for the first time, a day was dedicated to teambuilding exercises (improvised role plays, Kapla^© block construction), to allow the teams to get to know each other and discover their individual personalities, and to provide a light-hearted aspect to the Challenge. The campus managers and higher education liaison officers took part in these games. 

Created in 1997 to build stronger links between the student and professional worlds, the Bouygues Construction Challenge helps students discover the wide range of professional disciplines within the world of construction and public works and services. It has been revamped this year through the introduction of a more interactive structure, with the creation of an initial challenge phase over the internet.

The Bouygues Construction Challenge is a recruitment tool that makes it possible to offer the most promising candidates internships, international work experience volunteer assignments and permanent positions at the end of the competition. Since its creation, more than 800 students have taken part, and approximately one third have joined Bouygues Construction for an internship, international volunteer assignment or full-time position, in support roles or in production activities. 

"This year's Challenge shows once again the enormous breadth of professional options offered by Bouygues Construction. With more than 2,800 staff recruited in 2012 and 2,200 envisaged for 2013, the Group is still a major recruiter nationally", highlighted Jean-Manuel Soussan, Human Resources Director for Bouygues Construction. 

Recruitments at Bouygues Construction include personnel profiles of all kinds, involving young graduates or those who already have professional experience, and a wide range of positions (commercial, technical, design/estimating etc.). The Group's principal needs are in works management, engineering, for technicians and those who work in the technical trades of mechanical and electrical engineering. 
Bouygues Construction was recently ranked 8^th in the Trendence 2012 study on preferred employers of future engineers, and is ranked 5^th amongst female engineers. 
 
⁽¹⁾ Studyka is a start-up company specialised in business games.