There was a crowd, this Thursday, November 29, 2018, at the Caen exhibition center for the first day of competition of the national finals. The organizers are already talking about success.

"We saw everything. It's fascinating. Retired from the Caen region, Jacqueline Pellet and Konrad Kohlhaur made their way through the thousands of visitors to the first day of the national trades Olympiad finals at the fairgrounds on Thursday. "We were attracted by the competition side. It's even more fabulous than we imagined. They are artists, these young people. This competition reconciles with many things: France is beautiful and full of hope. "

Jacqueline and Konrad, from Caen. | West France

The Olympiad trades are successful. It was enough to try to park around the park early in the morning to check it ... The simultaneous arrival of school buses, accredited persons and schoolchildren in a poor area has created slowdowns.

Even the bridge, whose maximum attendance, measured in real time by sensor, is 86 people, has known traffic jams that required the intervention of the police to prevent impatient to cross the boulevard.

The bridge is limited to 86 people maximum. | Stéphane Geufroi.

Aya Seddik wants to become a lawyer, but likes mechanics too. | West France

Return on Saturday

The first day will lead some discussions at Aya Seddik, a third grade student. "I want to be a lawyer. But there are demonstrations I liked: cooking and car repairs. I want to come back with my parents on Saturday, to show them that we have to break the codes. That we can succeed without the ferry. "

Sergjo, 4th grade student, on the right, wants to come back as a family too. "They are the candidates. It makes you want to have a job ", support his friends, Kilian, Leo, Henzo and Romain. | West France

Coming with family, Carole, Philippe and their daughter Julia are amazed by the level of the candidates. They also think back, with their grandson aged 12. "At the time of our children, we had to get the information to help them in their orientation. We looked around our house. We think there may be a way to not be caught off guard today. It allows to discover trades and better to understand the world in which one lives. "

This is the challenge. Offer the opportunity to the 30,000 young people expected over two days to see other young people, just older than them, passionate, determined, who have developed remarkable skills through hard work. "It's the society of trust and optimism. We need events like these and we will develop others ", announces Didier Rolland, Rector of the Normandy Academies.

The professionals are delighted. "The demonstrations are a great calling product. If a young person who comes to see us joins us, we consider that we have won ", confide Philippe Lefèvre and Didier Chastrusse, for the trades of the hotel and restaurant industry. One of the most tensioned sectors in one of the most touristic regions of France.