“With a 5-axis CNC machine, the sky's the limit!”

Lucie’s eyes light up with excitement above her face mask as she describes what she’s working on. She may be only 16 years old, but she knows where she’s going and how she plans to get there. Lucie started an apprenticeship at EPFL’s mechanical engineering workshop in the middle of last August and has taken to mechanics like a duck to water. Her four-year program will lead to a Swiss federal vocational certificate coupled with a technical high-school diploma.

Enrolling in the program was a natural choice. At the age of 13, Lucie was already thinking about a career in watchmaking, as she’d already built up a collection of watch movements and spent endless hours taking them apart and studying the mechanisms. But she soon saw that job opportunities in watchmaking were limited, so she took another route towards her goal. “I found out about careers in mechanics from my sister’s boyfriend, who had completed an apprenticeship at EPFL,” says Lucie. She signed up for a three-day course at EPFL’s civil engineering workshop and realized she was on the right path. She also completed a short internship at a local company. When it came time to apply for an apprenticeship, Lucie cast a wide net and sent in forms to both organizations – and was accepted by both! But it didn’t take long for her to choose EPFL, attracted by the many different subjects on offer and the range of opportunities available.

In the program, Lucie is discovering mechanics on a larger scale, but finds the work “just as interesting and precision-oriented.” She enjoys building parts and is intrigued by the field more generally, which she’s learning about in both theory and practice. “I’m really lucky to be in a workshop where I get to explore hands on all the topics we cover in class and discuss them with my instructors,” says Lucie. “That shows me the link between the classroom and the actual work.” She looks forward to the two days a week she’s in the workshop, as well as the in-depth lessons on topics in materials science, electrical engineering and physics (which will be covered in the third year).

A lot of diversity

Once enrolled in the program, Lucie got busy right away. “At first I built parts just for myself, but now they let me make some simple parts that customers have ordered, using the workshop’s small machines,” she says. “This gives me real-world experience.” Lucie has already made nuts out of various materials, turned parts, and created a number of odd-shaped components. The workshop’s “customers” are mainly EPFL labs, primarily (but not only) from the School of Engineering. For instance, the workshop made parts for the Swiss Solar Boat.

What Lucie finds particularly fascinating is the process of starting with a hunk of raw material and turning it into a sophisticated piece of machinery with the help of the right tools. “I really like the variety in this job. You never make the same part twice,” she says. “You’re always faced with new problems to solve and situations to manage. You’ve got to adapt continuously, think up new methods and always learn as you go.” She’s busy and fulfilled by her work, and her days fly by.

“We’ve got to change things”

The prospect of learning such a vast range of skills fuels Lucie’s imagination. “Whenever I see a 5-axis CNC machine, I think about all the things we can do with it and all the different parts we can make. With this kind of machine, the sky’s the limit!” she says. But Lucie still needs to get a few more years of experience under her belt.

Considering that she was initially on an academic track for her schooling, what was it like for Lucie to jump into a vocational program? “I loved it!” she replies. “I was already used to being around people older than me. And the staff at the workshop have made it a fun place to work. They’re really open and take the time to listen – it’s been easy to fit in! I also enjoy being in the classroom and getting to share my experience. The balance between theory and practice is perfect.”

However, she finds that the balance between men and women is less than perfect. “People often ask me about that,” says Lucie. “It’s true that I’m the only girl in the class. But I’m lucky to be with students and teachers who are open-minded and receptive. I’m also the only girl in the workshop, but that’s never been a problem. Sometimes people are surprised to see a girl in the program, and I just tell them that I’m interested in mechanics.” Does their question bother her? “You’d think that in 2021 people wouldn’t still be making those kinds of remarks. But I know they mean well.” Lucie describes herself as a feminist, and – as with most things she does – those aren’t hollow words. Last year she was involved in a successful initiative to get local high schools to provide feminine hygiene products free of charge. “We’ve got to change things,” she says. “And my generation is really motived to make that happen!”

Making things happen is something Lucie excels at, and not just in her schoolwork. On Friday evenings she can often be found rock climbing at the university sports center. She also enjoys burning her energy by snowboarding or climbing in the mountains, or by diving in Lake Geneva.