"Working with stone helped me know myself better"
After four years of unemployment, 32-year-old Pierre-Yves chanced upon Acta Vista, an organization specialized in helping jobseekers gain qualifications and employment through heritage restoration. He seized the unique opportunity to take on a year’s training on a truly exceptional site: the Port-Miou castle and future harbormaster’s office on the edge of France’s Calanques National Park in the port of Cassis. Through the program, Pierre-Yves is learning skills which will help him get back into the world of work and rediscover how rewarding it can be to form part of a team.
The project ended in June 2021, thanks to the support from the partnership between TotalEnergies Foundation and La Fondation du Patrimoine. The partners have been working together since 2006 to restore heritage sites in the territories of France.
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"Working with stone helped me know myself better"
Cassis, Bouches-du Rhônes
Pierre-Yves:
My name is Pierre-Yves, I’m 32 years old, I live in La Ciotat.
I started working in the construction industry after doing a training course in electricity.
I was unemployed for roughly four years and I started working for Acta Vista when a position became available on the construction site of Port-Miou.
So now we are a team of eight people.
We all have different backsgrounds, the atmosphere is very good. Everyone provides their skills and know-how and helps others.
Jean-Michel SELVA – Formateur BAO Formation Acta Vista :
This project took place over three years, the first and second years were focused on the assembly of the old building and this year we focus on an AEB training.
We are restorating what is inside the building, the plasterboard, house painting, floors, plumbing and electricity.
Pierre-Yves:
When I wanted to start my own business I realized that to do what I wanted to do I needed skills in lots of different work sectors.
The AEB training, building maintenance agent, allows me to have a qualification in all business sectors that I target.
We’re bound to work on electricity, plumbing, wall coverings like platerboards and finishing touch components.
With Acta Vista we have the opportunity to both practice on the construction site and to be trained, which is a very good thing.
This is what interesting, to work on a full-sized site where we’re allowed to make some mistakes, so Jean-Michel is here to explain to us what we did wrong and supervises us while we fix our mistakes.
At the end of the work, the harbour master’s office will also become the gateway to the Calanques National Park.
A « must-see » to raise the awareness of the walkers and tourists at the National Park’s entrance.
Jean-Michel SELVA :
We’d love to stay on sites like this, not for life because we do need some change at some point, but we feel so good here… the sea, the view, the calm. It is an exceptional setting to work in.
In 2019, Acta Vista, pioneering structure for the professional qualification and integration of job-seekers, made it possible, for Pierre-Yves, Wajih, Jean-Philippe, Antoine, Philippe, Khalil, Yannick et Thomas to be trained during one year on this heritage’s restoration working site.
Port-Miou, a professional integration construction site is supported by TotalEnergies Foundation and the Fondation du Patrimoine.