FRANCE
THE EMA, A SCHOOL FOR HIGHWAY PROFESSIONS
The École des Métiers de l’autoroute (EMA) in Brive-la-Gaillarde was set up by VINCI Autoroutes in 2022 and is the first establishment in France to provide safety-focused training for road and highway professions. It prepares VINCI Autoroutes’ road personnel, highway workers and operational maintenance technicians for their main duties, contributing to the excellence of highway professions. It now offers a complete training pathway in operations for all new managers to take during their first year in their role. The school has also developed a tailored course with breakdown services to train these professionals in how to carry out their interventions safely. The two-day course teaches participants about risks, good habits, and rules to be followed when working near or on roadways. Additionally, the school has developed awareness-raising modules on multiservice interventions for firefighters and police officers. In view of the continued occurrence of accidents involving operations personnel and police officers, the EMA has partnered with the Commandement des écoles de la gendarmerie and the École de gendarmerie de Fontainebleau to take steps to improve safety on the highway network. In 2024, its trainers visited the national road safety training centre (CNFSR) to raise awareness among 63 future national police force motorcyclists about the risks associated with highway interventions. Lastly, EMA harnesses VINCI Autoroutes’ expertise in winter road treatments by offering technicians training in how to drive and use winter service vehicles, as well as courses for managers on how to organise winter service operations.
Almost500 interns completed training with the EMA in 2024