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Published on August 6, 2007

The Egyptians were the first to incorporate perfume into their culture followed by the ancient Chinese, Hindus, Israelites, Carthaginians, Arabs, Greeks, and Romans. But French perfumes are undoubtedly the most famous in the world with renowned brands like Hermes and Givenchy.

A visit to Institut Superieur International du Parfum (ISIPCA Group) gives a hindsight on how the French have maintained the fame throughout the 350-year history. Through this perfume school, French companies are supplied with qualified employees who will maintain their product quality and probably invent something new in the future.

Students around the world are seeking a seat at this school which admits 400 students a year and provides degrees on perfume, cosmetics and flavouring industries (which is highly popular as industries are seeking their own unique scents). In each branch, they are trained from product development, packaging to marketing.

Through over 180,000 bottles of perfumes, extract laboratories which are open to private companies, and over 200 teachers who are mostly professional perfume makers from various companies like Dior, Clarins and L'Oreal, this school aims to produce great labours for the industry.

"The companies need new recruits and their existing employees need to be updated on new technologies," said Patrick Le Bihan, a marketing officer of the school which was established in 1970 by Clarins.

Ninety per cent of the students are employees of perfume companies while the rest aim to start their own businesses.

At the tuition fee of 20,000 euro a year, the students are trained to familiarize with 350 fragrances and then how to blend different fragrances. Supporting the school is today's network of some 30 institutions devoted to technological training and higher education. Providing base fragrances are perfume companies like Clarins, Kenzo and Hermes.

It seems to be an independent educational institution. But ISIPCA Group is just one of 16 training institutions under the Versailles Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI), which set the missions to train people on any subjects not taught in universities, primarily to supply needed labours to companies in the region.

Like ISIPCA Group, CEPROC is another institution, but is under CCI of Paris. Welcoming students aged 14-16 years who have secured job contracts from shops or pork processing companies, CEPROC trains students from slicing, preserving, to product development.

Training is one focus of France to promote small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), aside from solid database. With assistance from the government, while existing operators thrive, new operators emerge everyday. And training is the key in helping the French come up with at least 200 SMEs a day.

France has the ministry to take care of SMEs in terms of finance, business registration process, database and training. Training is now undertaken by various units, with participation from the private sector. Most training institutions are semi-state-owned, having private companies provide funding and trainers, and these institutions are controlled by CCIs.

In charge of promoting business in the particular region, CCI has the control on airports in its area, meaning a substantial funding. Focusing on training, it also builds infrastructure as well as partnership with associations to provide the network for its members.

Each company operating in the area has the liberty to choose to which institution its tax money should go to. And some institutions with the public tax support provide free tuition.

CCI is considered a state unit. Though their staffs are not civil servants, they are considered state employees.

While CCI Paris is the country's largest chamber in terms of membership, CCI Versailles is the second's largest. It is now operated by a budget of about 100 million euro a year, which comes from three parts: business taxes, tuition fees, and regional taxes.

CCI Versailles is run by a committee of which members come from business operators in the region who is elected to serve a 5-year term without any pay. To date, it has 67,000 member companies.

In Versailles, at Enterprise Formalities Center (CFE), a new SME can be registered within 24 hours or 48 hours at the longest. Each new operator can require consulting services before the registration with free services from lawyers and accountants.

"Aside from advice on required document and other things, these professionals would also give advice what problems the SMEs will face. Certainly, while some SMEs prosper, others flop," said an officer of the CFE.

This one-stop service centre ensures that the new SME gains access to all units involved with the registration, be they Tax collection unit, social security unit, or trade courts.

"A focus is on training. SMEs need personnel who are familiarized with new technologies. We're ready to provide training for all businesses which employ workers," said the officer. 

He noted that CCI Versailles is capable of doing this due to the long history as it was established in the Louis XIV era. Moreover, on the card are about 67,000 professional trainers who are helping the 16 training institutions.

Aside from CCIs, France also has many other agencies to help new SMEs.

Under the Ministry for Small Business, it is the Society to Encourage Arts and Crafts (SEMA). Funded by the government budget and sales proceeds, SEMA has the main responsibility in helping new companies' formation and sale promotion. It is charged of promoting all handicraft companies.

Contacting SEMA for information, each company will be charged 50 euro. And for the amount, they are provided with integrated consulting service. They will know where to seek trainings on the business they are in, what products they should produced and for what target groups. They would also be provided the list of promoting organizations as well as trade fairs. It also has a library where over videos of over 600 professions are available for public use.

With 23 employees, SEMA helped establish over 60 companies last year.

The ministry also has the Institut for Crafts Enterprises - another unit which develops and manages the internet to where SMEs can access information. The unit also supplies master labours to big companies, to ensure they are coming up with more high-end products to boost the country's competitiveness.

All these institutions exist to facilitate business formation and ensure that with proper information and right labours they would thrive. The infrastructure demonstrates how dedicated France is in increasing its competitiveness amid cut-throat competition from old and new economies.

Chularat Saengpassa

The Nation, Versailles