We are hiring for the following profession: industrial painter.

An industrial painter, sitting on top of a power pole, suspended from the metal structure of a bridge, or stationed in a factory booth, is a master of the paint gun. It is his best tool for thoroughly applying anti-corrosion and finishing coatings. And this is on a variety of spare parts or entire structures, from the nose of an airplane to a submarine, including the Gare d’Austerlitz or the Eiffel Tower.

“There is a painter in a workshop who works in a hut, and a painter on a construction site,” explains Philippe Sanfilippo, head of the Group of Entrepreneurs in Industrial Painting (GEPI). It is varied, teamwork and practical work. “To sum it up, “we paint everything that can be painted, with the exception of houses and car bodies,” states Michel Peyrefitte, director of IFI Peinture, the historical training center in the industry that created it all. 1994.

“Our professionals work in the fields of railways, aeronautics, agricultural machinery, furniture, fine sheet metal processing, etc.,” he lists. Industrial painters work in three main sectors: engineering structures (bridges, stations, monuments, etc.) or industrial structures (tanks, refineries, gas tanks, oil platforms, etc.) and concrete (drinking water installations, parking lot floors ). , nuclear power plants, etc.).

Open to all school levels

In any case, the work is quite physical. An industrial painter works standing, in the open air, when he is mobilized for construction sites and must wear personal protective equipment: a cartridge mask, gloves, overalls, goggles, etc. What does not prohibit women’s access is far from it! “Among our trainees, 20%,” emphasizes Claude Lafargue, regional manager of IFI Peinture. Companies are demanding because they are more careful. »

The big advantage of this career is that there is no minimum education requirement. “This is the least important thing, motivation and the desire to work prevail,” emphasizes Claude Lafargue. “We don’t necessarily need qualified people, we train them ourselves,” confirms Philippe Sanfilippo from GEPI. We are looking for dynamic and, above all, mobile candidates, because a bridge or a factory is not necessarily being built near you! “.

The only requirement is to be able to read and speak French, at least to understand the technical specifications provided by the manufacturers. “And yes, painting in our area is not ready-made,” recalls Claude Lafargue. It needs to be cooked, some in the oven. You also need to know how to calculate thicknesses and areas. »

Trained in four months

Career is open to adults only. “There is no national diploma for industrial artists. And we work with potentially hazardous materials, this would be too restrictive for minors,” points out Michel Peyrefitte. When students learn about shot blasting – a cleaning technique – they swing a tool that shoots out microbeads at 150 km/h!

In this way, IFI Peinture can train unemployed people who request it through Pôle emploi, people undergoing retraining, or even temporary workers seeking to gain a qualification. All in record time. “Within a maximum of 4 months of full-time study and internship, they pass the exam,” says Claude Lafargue. And since September last year, young people over 18 have been given the opportunity to join a new Apprenticeship Facility (CFA) opened by the organisation.

Participants leave with a diploma equivalent to CAP. With guaranteed work. “We estimate that 86% of those promoted get a job,” announces Michel Peyrefitte. Experts do not agree on the numbers, but the need for labor in France is in the thousands.

According to Philippe Sanfilippo, the salary reaches “an average of 2,000 euros.” But taking into account large business trips, this amount can rise to 25,000 euros or even 30,000 euros per year.” However, you should expect to earn minimum wage early in your career. “The offers I have at the moment range from 1,800 to 2,200 euros gross,” notes Claude Lafargue.

Career growth exists for employees. They can quickly become a team leader, then a site manager, and why not a works manager. “In my company, I have seen an operator become a site manager within 7-8 years,” says Philippe Sanfilippo.

The choice is yours: the training organization IFI Peinture organizes information meetings every Friday from 9:00 to 12:30, open to everyone without registration. IFI Peinture: rue Camelina, in Pierrefitte (Seine-Saint-Denis). Such. 49.01.71.19.00. Information about studying at www.ifipeinture.com. Information about professions and recruitment companies on www.gepi.fr.