On Wednesday, December 10, UniLaSalle and Coopérative U formalized a new partnership during a signing ceremony held on the Beauvais campus, attended by Dominique Schelcher (CEO of Coopérative U), Séverine Delebarre (HR and CSR Director), Philippe Choquet (Managing Director of UniLaSalle), and Stéphanie Pineau (Director of Corporate Relations).

This moment marks a natural rapprochement between a school committed to training talent and a group based in Rungis, at the heart of France's food hub.

A new alliance that opens doors to the professional world

This collaboration opens up a world of possibilities where the school and the company move forward side by side, each contributing its strengths: UniLaSalle's academic expertise and the field experience of a major player in food distribution. Together, they are building clearer career paths for students, who will benefit from easier access to jobs, sites, and teams within a group that is particularly committed to food transitions.

Internships, work-study programs, engineering projects, on-site immersions, and meetings with professionals: the planned initiatives will give students a concrete understanding of the challenges facing the sector today. Product quality, traceability, changing consumer practices, and the development of plant-based alternatives are all topics that are central to the group's priorities and are fully in line with the courses offered at UniLaSalle.

For the school, this partnership is an important lever: it strengthens its roots in the agri-food industry and offers its students privileged access to professional environments undergoing transformation.

Training differently to keep pace with changes in the profession

In a world where skills must constantly adapt, the partnership includes a particularly important training component. Coopérative U and UniLaSalle will conduct annual monitoring and exchanges to identify needs and devise formats suited to both employees and students.

The school will share its educational innovations, offer continuing education programs, and support the development of certification and degree programs. This dynamic reinforces UniLaSalle's role as a committed trainer serving the industry, while offering students greater clarity on market expectations.

Innovation and food issues: a shared field of exploration

Beyond training and recruitment, this partnership paves the way for joint projects on topics that shape today's societal expectations: product quality and formulation, environmental impact, development of plant-based offerings, food sovereignty, fair remuneration for producers, and affordability.

These topics, which are central to Coopérative U's CSR strategy, are directly reflected in the scientific expertise developed at UniLaSalle. Working together will enable us to devise new approaches, feed research work with real-world issues, and offer students high-impact projects rooted in the realities of the sector.

By joining forces with Coopérative U, UniLaSalle confirms its desire to strengthen its ties with the players who are shaping the food of tomorrow. This collaboration, which combines training, professional immersion, and applied research, offers a rare opportunity for both students and teaching staff. It is a forward-looking alliance, where the school and the company combine their expertise to work together to support major food and societal transitions.