Ramping Up HEC Student Employment

HEC Dean Eloïc Peyrache formally launched the school’s first-ever job matching platform for students and staff at the September 22 Townhall meeting. RAMP-UP, invented and designed by Associate Dean for Research Christophe Pérignon answers both a growing need for academics to find Research, Teaching and Support Assistants; and a strong student demand for jobs which combine revenue and a learning experience.

“RAMP-UP” is a particularly appropriate name for the brand-new employment platform at the service of HEC’s personnel and students. Etymologically, the composite noun straddles geographical and linguistic divides. The concept has its roots in 12th century France and was popularized by the American business community from the 1960s onwards. At present, Pérignon seeks to use its multiple idioms to catalyze mutual interests between the school’s entire staff and its students. Yet, the project began at a purely student/professor level: “I noticed a growing demand from my colleagues for assistants of various sorts to help in their research and instructional responsibilities. And, on the other side, my exchanges with students revealed a desire to find short-term and interesting work to make some money, all the while exploring the unique research fields HEC is involved in.”

The result was an ergonomic platform which racked up a dozen job offers and more than fifty applications within a day of its launch. These offers ranged from case writing to assisting research on government data truthfulness, and a study of online consumer privacy. ‘This can be a great learning experience for students seeking to dig deeper on a given topic,” says Pérignon.

Christophe Pérignon with new doctoral students (© HEC Paris)

He hopes to see the platform expand to other HEC staff departments. “We’d like to make RAMP-UP a campus-wide, multi-disciplinary service that will serve everyone’s interests. I insist, this platform is open to all our campus staff. This could include creating jobs in administration, communication, marketing, etc.”

Pérignon’s own experiences abroad enrich his vision for RAMP-UP: “I’ve worked and visited dozens of higher education institutions worldwide in my 20-year academic career and I think there’s a widespread need for such platforms.”  

The free service is available to all HEC faculty, staff and students (regardless of the program and year they are enrolled in).