Pôle Formation Adour

What Pôle Formation Adour does

Pôle Formation Adour is a French non-profit vocational training organization (association Loi 1901) grouping two legal entities — ADAI Adour-CFAI Adour (SIREN 440 104 651) and AFPI Adour (SIREN 414 412 965) — both headquartered at 4 rue des Frères d'Orbigny, 64000 Pau and presided over by François Raffarin. Founded in 2009 and operating under the UIMM Adour (Union des Industries et des Métiers de la Métallurgie) umbrella, the organization delivers industrial apprenticeship and continuing vocational training across three physical sites — Assat (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), Lanne (Hautes-Pyrénées, near Tarbes airport), and Tarnos (Landes) — totaling 12,400 m² of workshops, computer rooms, and pedagogical facilities. The portfolio spans CAP-level certificates through engineering degrees (in partnership with CESI), covering aeronautics, boilermaking/welding, machining (CNC and conventional), industrial maintenance, electrotechnics, IT/digital systems, and cybersecurity.

The business model relies on French apprenticeship financing mechanisms rather than direct tuition: revenue is generated via taxe d'apprentissage (employer apprenticeship tax contributions), OPCO (Opérateurs de Compétences) flows, and co-funding from Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine for job-seeker programs. Apprentices pay no tuition and receive employer-paid salaries; job seekers receive Région-funded stipends. Technology stack is industrial-pedagogical: CNC machines, industrial workstations, a Hexagon (HxGN) Machine Trainer simulation platform, an immersive VR room (ESI IC.IDO) deployable as a mobile unit, 360° VR headsets with exoskeleton-manufacturing scenarios, and the interactive 'Odyssée de l'Industrie' digital orientation program. Distribution is fully in-person and regional — no online or distance learning channels — with direct enrollment via cfa-adour.fr, in-person open days, 'Rendez-vous de l'Apprentissage' sessions, and the 'Ambassadeurs de l'Industrie' apprentice-ambassador referral program.

Customers include four primary segments: young people (CAP-to-engineering apprentices), employed workers seeking certifications (CQPM, CQPI, Titre Professionnel), industrial employers (370+ partner companies for apprenticeships, 480+ trusting enterprises overall), and job seekers. Named employer partners include Dassault-group affiliates (Daher, Safran Helicopter Engines, Tarmac Aerosave, Héli-Union) plus Fareva, EDF Hydro-réparation, ESI Group, ECCI, Mecaprecis 64, and Bioenergie du Sud Ouest. The organization reports 89% diploma pass rates, 89% employment-or-further-study within 6 months, and 91% apprentice satisfaction, and holds Qualiopi certification plus the official 'Apprentissage en Nouvelle-Aquitaine' label.

Name

Pôle Formation Adour

Legal name

Pôle Formation Adour (groupant l'ADAI Adour-CFAI Adour et l'AFPI Adour)

Website

https://formation-industries-adour.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pôle Formation Adour is a French non-profit vocational training center (3 sites, 12,400 m²) delivering industrial apprenticeship and continuing training from CAP to engineering level across aeronautics, machining, welding, maintenance, and IT, serving ~630 apprentices and 1,500 employees/job-seekers annually under the UIMM Adour network and Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Vocational Training

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Incumbent Worker Training & Upskilling (EDAAAOAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Workforce Development, Employment Readiness & Job Placement (BPADAKAE)

Keywords

• Industrial vocational training
• Apprenticeship programs
• Professional certification
• Technical diplomas
• Workforce reskilling

Headquarters

HQ city

Assat

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Apprenticeship Training (Alternance): Funded through employer Ausbildungsversicherung contributions and regional (Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine) co-funding. Apprentices receive a salary paid by their host employer; the training itself is free for apprentices. Revenue is derived from public financing mechanisms rather than direct tuition fees.
2. Continuing Vocational Training for Job Seekers: Training programs for job seekers and employees financed by Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine, with additional stipends provided to learners. Programs include CQPM, CQPI, Titre Professionnel, and modular training.
3. Inter-Company Training (Formation Inter-Entreprises): Short training programs for employees of member companies, potentially funded through the OPCO (Opérateur de Compétences) system. These generate revenue through per-participant fees paid by companies or their skills operators.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Pôle Formation Adour is a non-profit vocational training organization that delivers industrial and technical training programs ranging from CAP-level certifications to engineering diplomas. It operates through two legal entities (ADAI Adour-CFAI Adour and AFPI Adour) across three sites in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region (Assat, Lanne, Tarnos), training more than 630 apprentices and 1,500 employees/job seekers each year.

Product overview

Pôle Formation Adour operates as a network of three vocational training centers (Assat, Lanne, Tarnos) offering industrial trade education from CAP through engineering diploma levels. The portfolio includes vocational certificates (CAP RICS), professional bachelor's degrees (Bac Pro TCI, TRPM, Aéronautique, MSPC, MELEC), higher technician certificates (BTS MS, CRCI, CPRP, SN, ATI, CIEL), professional titles (TMI, TSMI), bachelor's degrees (Maintenance Avancée), and engineering degrees (CESI). Supporting educational services include L'Odyssée de l'Industrie interactive orientation experience and VR-based immersion programs. The organization specializes in apprenticeship-based training for young people, employees, job seekers, and business owners across industrial sectors including aeronautics, maintenance, machining, boilermaking, welding, and electrotechnology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Apprenticeship Programs (CAP to Engineering Diplomas)
• Employee Continuing Education (ADAI Adour-CFAI Adour)

Quantifiable outcome

• 89% diploma success rate among apprentices
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ADAI Adour-CFAI AdourcoreOthersAssociation loi 1901 constituting one of the two legal entities forming the Pôle Formation Adour. Based at 4 rue des Frères d'Orbigny, 64000 Pau. SIREN n°440 104 651. Represented by François Raffarin. Operates CFAI Adour (Centre de Formation des Apprentis Industriels).
• AFPI AdourcoreOthersAssociation loi 1901 constituting the second legal entity of the Pôle Formation Adour. Based at 4 rue des Frères d'Orbigny, 64000 Pau. SIREN n°414 412 965. Also represented by François Raffarin. Provides continuing professional training.
• UIMM Adour (Union des Industries et Métiers de la Métallurgie)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe parent industrial union representing metallurgy industries in the Adour territory. Provides governance, industry connections, and access to the network of UIMM member companies. Its logo appears on the organization's communications. The organization's legal entities operate under the UIMM Adour umbrella.
• Région Nouvelle-AquitainecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe regional council co-finances training programs for job seekers and apprentices. It provides funding for the 4 industrial training pathways for job seekers mentioned in recent news, including maintenance allowances for participants. The organization is part of the regional ecosystem of approved training providers.
• FASAPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership mentioned in the news section. Details of the partnership scope were not available in the source material beyond the announcement of the partnership signing.
• Safran Helicopter EnginesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSafran Helicopter Engines donates a helicopter cell to the Lanne training site for apprentice training in aeronautical maintenance. This in-kind contribution enhances the realism and quality of practical training at the site. Multiple apprentices are hosted by the company for their apprenticeships.
• Section Paloise (Rugby Club)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerA partnership with the Section Paloise rugby club is mentioned as a 'winning alliance.' The nature of the partnership appears to be promotional or community engagement-focused, connecting the organization with a major regional sports brand.
• Héxis H glycans (mentioned via Forum Coq Louest)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerNoted as a participant in the Forum des Métiers, Coq Louest — an industry career fair where companies engage with potential future employees and training providers promote programs.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights10 records

Others

• France Travail (formerly Pôle Emploi): French national employment service that both funds training (AIF, POEC) and refers job seekers to providers including Pôle Formation Adour. Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor, but the primary public channel through which job seekers reach the organization's training pathways.

Broad incumbents

• GRETA: National network of public continuing education providers attached to the French Education Nationale. Comparable as a publicly-supported adult vocational training operator with regional coverage, but typically focused on lower-level certifications and broader services rather than the metallurgy-specific specialization.
• AFPA: France's largest vocational training organization, delivering certified programs across many industrial and service trades. Directly comparable to Pôle Formation Adour in mission (adult vocational qualification) but operates at national scale and offers both apprenticeship and continuous training across much broader geographic and sector coverage.
• UIMM (national federation): National federation representing French metallurgy industries, providing the umbrella under which Pôle Formation Adour operates regionally. Comparable as a structurally related institution governing industrial training policy, sector employer coordination, and apprenticeship framework design in France.

Direct peers

• AFTRAL: One of France's largest private professional training organizations, specializing in transport, logistics, and industrial safety. Comparable as a French professional training operator offering certified titles (Titre Professionnel), apprenticeship pathways, and continuing training with regional centers across France.
• Maisons Familiales Rurales (MFR): French association of vocational training centers specializing in alternance pedagogy for rural and industrial trades. Comparable in non-profit status, alternance model, and target learners (young people entering trades), though with stronger geographic dispersion into rural areas.
• Compagnons du Devoir: French apprenticeship-based training organization for craft and industrial trades, structured around the traditional 'tour de France' model. Comparable in its alternance pedagogy, employer-embedded training model, and focus on producing qualified artisans and industrial workers, though with a more traditional guild-style orientation.
• AFORP: Industrial training organization in Île-de-France closely tied to UIMM, offering apprenticeship and continuing training for metallurgy-sector trades. Highly comparable in mission (industrial alternance for the metallurgy industry under UIMM umbrella) and structure, though geographically focused on the Paris region.
• CESI: French engineering school and professional training organization offering apprenticeship-based engineering and BTS programs. Already a partner of Pôle Formation Adour for the Ingénieur CESI program, making it both a peer (in apprenticeship delivery for industrial trades) and a collaborator.
• BTP CFA: National network of apprenticeship training centers for the building and public works (construction) industry. Directly comparable as a sector-specialized French CFAI network using the alternance model with regional sites and employer-embedded training.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/pole-formation-adour

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pôle Formation Adour