From the source: What is the SigEx Foundry ?

There has been much talk about the SigEx Foundry recently and I wanted to ensure that people are getting all the information on what it is about directly from the source.

The Foundry, it's process and more specifically its founders are nothing mysterious. You can access information about all three subjects on our website or contact our staff at recruiter@cantellcommunications.com. The founders bio is public information and as far as I am concerned, my previous experience speaks for itself if you do a search on "artru odisei" in Google.

So what is it all about ?

The Foundry is an advanced training center based in Pau, France. It's purpose is to provide real-life business experience for talents around the world (we have welcomed students from over 50 countries in the world !). The training is primarily focused on leadership following best-of-practice methodologies such as Fifth Discipline, 6 Sigma, Extreme Programming among others. All these methodologies are well known in top universities around the world and we believe should be taught to all talents that want to succeed in a global world.

The Foundry program is based on a mix of learning and practicing. Though most projects are based on team work, with leadership students promoting their "build" to other students with the support of the founders, each student is responsible for his/her own practice and we insist on personal mastery (one of 5th Discipline's practice) and have a one to one relationship in the training.

Like all leadership training, the training is intense and is geared towards excellence. The Foundry expects nothing less than the best and always encourages students to perform beyond what they typically believe they can do. Not all students (especially in the leadership program) make it through and students are free to leave anytime, though we expect fellows to give us due notice. We will not dismiss students unless they show bad manners, do not participate or conduct side freelance activities, especially when provided with a full scholarship.

The Foundry also offers full scholarships for students both in the leadership program and the fellowship program. the scholarship depends on the program and is among the best available worldwide. Though this type of training is expensive in equivalent programs, the Foundry does not charge for any of it's programs. All material and equipment are provided by the Foundry.

In addition to the learning part of the Foundry, we provide practical experience for our students. Based on actual projects and client relationships, our students are able to create strategic communication plans, publish articles, deploy working code and promote their project with all the tools available to top companies. We insist that the students are not here to work and that the only purpose of their practical experience is to show leadership in successfully achieving their project.

At the end of the program, be it fellowship or leadership, the student has no obligation to the Foundry or its clients. The best students are offered to return to the Foundry to pursue their training or be hired to become a practitioner.

As a founder of the SigEx Foundry, I will be glad to answer any (legitimate and non-anonymous) question regarding the Foundry and its programs within the scope of public information.

Best Regards,

Frederic Artru