Interview with Eva Garraud - Development Director at Digital Campus
What observations and needs gave rise to the idea of creating Digital Campus? The companies we are regularly in contact with have made it clear that when recruiting for a position specialising in digital, they need to retrain their employees to allow them to work with different professional fields… students themselves, often leading projects carried out for companies, would like to be able to work more easily with their counterparts in sales or graphic design… it is from this observation that we wanted to create a link, and therefore a common language, between the following disciplines: Commerce Marketing, Multimedia and IT.
What is your competitive landscape at the regional and national levels? Digital Campus is not a new school, but rather the creation of a new networked teaching method. We have no direct competition and Digital Campus is truly innovative. There are e-commerce training courses and IT training courses, but none of them adopt a cross-disciplinary approach such as the one proposed by Digital Campus.
What are the strengths and distinctive features of the curriculum you offer?
Our strength lies in the 3 renowned schools grouped together under Digital Campus. These schools hold state-certified titles and Digital Campus faculty will be made up of both teachers from these schools and professionals specifically recruited to lead this network. After completing a common core (launching in 2012) offering a new form of learning, students will then return to the classic cycle of their home school (in Bordeaux: ECRAN, ESGC&F or Esarc Evolution), while continuing to participate in the projects and conferences of the Digital Campus method throughout their studies.
What are the emerging web professions taught as part of this common core?
They are divided into 3 main areas:
- Creation (Multimedia Project Manager - Web Videographer - Web Designer - Art Director - Multimedia Designer-Producer – Flash Designer - Web Manager - Graphic Designer/Layout Artist - Videographer/Visual Effects Artist - Video Editor)
- Development (Web Master - Databases - CMS and Development - Digital Applications - Web Developer - Project Manager (MOE / MOA) - Web Architect - Flash Developer/Animator - Web Integrator)
- Marketing (Project Manager - Campaign Manager - Community Manager - Web Copywriter - SEO/SEM Manager - Web Strategist - Web Risk Manager - Traffic Manager - Marketing Manager - Business Unit Development Manager - Sales Manager - E-business Consultant - Web Project Manager - Marketing and Sales Executive - Website Analyst).
You have already built a network of partner companies. Who are these companies and what types of projects do they offer your students?
Several partner companies are indeed supporting us. Among them is the Cultural and Tourist Centre of Wine, which is leading two magnificent projects. For more details… I invite you to wait for the evening of 29 September! We strongly emphasise the distinctive nature of Digital Campus as a European network currently based on partnerships with Dublin and Barcelona, Paris and Toulouse.
Digital Campus has established a governance committee. Who is on it and what is its role?
Made up of one institution and 3 private companies, it provides Digital Campus with a wealth of expertise and keeps watch on the professions that regularly emerge in this sector and how they evolve. Committee members will be involved both in the content of the training programmes and in monitoring the projects that will be created and developed here.
What will you present at the launch evening on 29 September?
We will officially launch Digital Campus to students, parents and professionals. Michel Augendre, Philippe Schoda and I will present the curriculum, the premises and resources, our partners, and the members of the governance committee. We will also discuss the projects that will be proposed in the first year, and potentially over the three years to come.