An unprecedented study reveals that CESI Engineering School generates €49.8 million in GDP and supports 1,941 jobs in Bouches-du-Rhône.
The impact of a higher education establishment on its territory goes well beyond simple training. A new study published today by CESI School of Engineers, and carried out by the specialized firm UTOPIES, precisely quantifies this economic contribution. For the Bouches-du-Rhône department alone, the activity of the Aix-en-Provence campus represents an annual contribution of 49.8 million euros to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and supports a total of 1,941 jobs.
On a national scale, the economic footprint of the school, which has 26 campuses and nearly 20,000 students, is even more significant: 927 million euros of GDP generated and more than 36,000 jobs supported throughout France.
A powerful engine for the local economy
The analysis highlights a strong territorial anchoring. In Bouches-du-Rhône, 65.1% of the wealth created by the Aix campus is directly reinvested locally, which represents an injection of more than 32.4 million euros into the regional ecosystem. This effect permeates a wide variety of sectors well beyond education, affecting services, commerce, housing, catering and even transport.
This dynamic is based on a virtuous circle: salaries paid to campus employees, purchases from local suppliers, student spending and economic activity generated by graduates, a significant portion of whom choose to begin their careers in the region where they were trained.
A rigorous methodology for detailed analysis
To arrive at these figures, the study relies on the Local Footprint® tool, a method of analyzing monetary flows which distinguishes three types of impacts. The direct impacts concern jobs and added value created within the campus itself. Indirect impacts measure the impact on suppliers and service providers. Finally, induced impacts are generated by the consumption of student salaries and expenses in the local economy.
Added to this are the “catalytic effects”, more difficult to quantify but just as structuring, linked to the presence of a network of more than 120,000 former students (alumni) and the numerous partnerships established with the entrepreneurial community. The complete methodology of this study is detailed in a document accessible online (https://bit.ly/LivretMethodo).
A value-creating ecosystem
The study shows that one job created within CESI supports on average three other jobs in the French economy. This ability to multiply its impact makes the school a central player in economic development. HAS” For nearly 70 years, CESI Engineering School has combined academic excellence, research and social responsibility. Our commitment goes well beyond training: it translates concretely into the wealth generated for the territories and the jobs supported thanks to our action.”, underlines Jean-Marc Ogier, general director of CESI.
The school, which is a non-profit association, positions itself not only as a place for training engineers, but as a true hub of innovation and skills, essential to supporting the industrial, digital and environmental transitions of businesses in the region.
Investment in education, a strategic lever
This analysis confirms that investment, whether public or private, in higher education and research constitutes one of the most effective levers for sustainably stimulating the attractiveness and competitiveness of a territory. By training the talents that businesses need, campuses like that of Aix-en-Provence not only prepare the future of their students, but actively contribute to the economic vitality of an entire region.
