How did you first get in touch with Égide?
We first called in Égide when setting up the executive training programme some twenty years ago now. We were looking for an operator capable of managing the grants awarded to local businesspeople for attending training courses in France that would help their professional development in Nouvelle Calédonie. This would be a complex task because each individual would be a one-off case. Each programme would be individually tailored.
What form does Égide support take?
We’re in daily contact with Égide by email. We send them instructions each time we send someone over to France. But our grantholders will be in France for anything from one to eight years, and their situations can vary widely. So their grant amounts will be adjusted accordingly. Then with around 150 people in France at any one time, there are expenses to be reimbursed pretty much every day. We forward reimbursement requests through to Égide as soon as they come in.
How would you describe your business relationship with Égide?
I appreciate Égide’s efficiency. This has been a trust-based relationship ever since the programme started. We’ve got a specially assigned correspondent in Paris, who takes charge of our business. With Égide, I know grants will be paid on time. That’s very important, especially when people are going over to France with their families. The three regional governments in Nouvelle Calédonie also run grant schemes, and a few years back they decided they’d be managing these schemes themselves. But that didn’t work out very well at all!