The ''Corps des mines'' is the foremost technical Grand Corps of the French State (grands corps de l'Etat). It is composed of the state industrial engineers. The Corps is attached to the French Ministry of Economy and Finance. Its purpose is to entice French students in mathematics and physics to serve the government and train them for executive careers in France. Members are educated at the École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris, also known as Mines ParisTech. Each year, the Corps recruits between 10 and 20 members. Most of them are alumni from

École polytechnique École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savoi ...

, who are usually among the top ranked students, others come from

École normale supérieure École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savoi ...

(ENS),

Télécom Paris Télécom Paris (also known as ENST or Télécom or École nationale supérieure des télécommunications, also Télécom ParisTech until 2019) is a French public institution for higher education (''grande école'') and engineering research. Loca ...

or regular graduates of the Mines ParisTech. Upon graduation, ''Corps des mines'' engineers hold executive positions in the French administration. ''Corps des mines'' engineers tend to hold top executive positions in France's major industrial companies in the course of their career. Being admitted to the ''Corps des mines'' program is considered a significant fast-track for executive careers in France.

Missions

''Corps des Mines'' engineers contribute to the conception, implementation and evaluation of public policies in the fields of: *industry and economy *energy and natural resources *information and communication technologies *environment sustainability, industrial safety and public health *research, innovation and new technologies *land use planning and transportation *standardization and metrology *banking, insurance and financial services ''Corps des Mines'' engineers typically hold high-level technical or executive positions in various ministries or international organizations. After serving in the administration, part of the ''Corps des Mines'' engineers transfer to the private sector, where they hold top executive positions in large industrial companies.

Recruitment and training

''Corps des Mines'' engineers are recruited among the top students from

, École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris and Télécom ParisTech. About twenty engineers enroll every year. During the course of their training, the ''Corps des Mines'' engineers have to complete two one-year positions in private companies (one in France and one abroad), followed by a one-year training in public administration, hosted at École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris. The main aim of the training is to provide theoretical and practical knowledge about how companies operate, together with a sound understanding of government responsibilities in the technical and economic fields.

Notable members

These are listed by chronological order of birthdate. * Armand Dufrénoy (1792-1857) * Gabriel Lamé (1795-1870) * Élie de Beaumont (1798-1874) * Émile Clapeyron (1799-1864), one of the founder of thermodynamics *

Michel Chevalier Michel Chevalier (; 13 January 1806 – 18 November 1879) was a French engineer, statesman, economist and free market liberal. Biography Born in Limoges, Haute-Vienne, Chevalier studied at the ''École Polytechnique'', obtaining an engineering d ...

(1806-1879) *

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during the 3rd republic *

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and former

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and

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(1952), Chairman of

, former CEO of

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(1953) *

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* Jean-Bernard Lévy (1955), CEO of

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* Laurence Danon (1956) * Jean-Baptiste Leblond (1957) *

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, Chairman of Rhodia *

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* François Bourdoncle (1964) *

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(1966) * Thierry Garnier (1966) *

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(1971) * Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol (1977) *

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(1977)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Corps Des Mines (France) mines French mining engineers Mines