Located in Seine-Maritime, the historic Renault Group plant in Cléon is undergoing a profound transformation. Its ambition is clear: evolve from combustion engine production to electric motor manufacturing. At the heart of this shift lies a critical priority, developing new skills and supporting the Group’s transition to sustainable mobility.
Key takeaways
In Cléon, Renault Group is deploying a University Factory dedicated to the production of electric motors.
This innovative model combines professional training and industrial production on a single site.
Learners are trained in real-life conditions, directly on electric motor production lines.
Since 2022, the campus has already delivered more than 23,000 hours of training in electric powertrain-related skills.
The training programs are certified, state-recognized and open to employees, students and people undergoing career transitions.
This initiative supports the shift to electric mobility while strengthening local employment and industrial skills.
As the automotive industry evolves, skills must evolve with it
Across Europe, the automotive industry is undergoing a major technological shift toward electric power. For those working in factories, this transformation brings significant challenges. Thousands of professionals must adapt, reskill and master new, highly advanced technologies. To meet this challenge, training itself must evolve. At Renault Group, we have chosen to invest where it has always mattered most: in our people and their expertise.
Where production and learning move forward together
ReKnow University was designed to support the transformation of the automotive sector and enable employees to acquire skills specific to electric mobility. In Cléon, this initiative takes on a very concrete form with University Factories, where production and learning are closely intertwined.
“This project was driven by a strong conviction: some skills can only be learned on the ground, not online or in a classroom. That is why we transformed our factory to produce electric motors and created a campus alongside it to train those who want to build them.”
A dedicated campus embedded within the industrial site, where employees train for electric motor roles using full-scale industrial equipment in conditions that mirror real production. This hands-on approach accelerates the transfer of skills to next-generation workstations.
This is not a prototype, but a new educational and industrial reality, built on a strong belief: learning by doing. And the results speak for themselves, with more than 23,000 hours of training delivered since the campus was launched in 2022.
A transition open to everyone
Building on the success of this new training model, Renault Group has decided to open the doors of these University Factories to a wider audience, including students and people undergoing professional reskilling who are not employees from the Group. This ensures that everyone can find their place within a certified, state-recognised training programme.
“From the beginning, we wanted this training to be open to everyone, within Renault Group of course, but also beyond it. Students, suppliers or self-employed professionals can all take part in the program. For the Group, the electrification revolution will only be a success if it leaves no one behind.”
Building the future on local expertise
Cléon is not just any plant. Since 1958, it has been one of Normandy’s industrial pillars. Generations of women and men have learned their professions here, passed on their skills and helped shape a strong local industrial ecosystem. Choosing Cléon as a transformation campus was no coincidence. For Renault Group, it is a conviction: automotive expertise must be trained and developed locally to preserve employment in the region.
Training locally means maintaining jobs, attracting talent, and enabling suppliers, subcontractors and partners to upskill in turn. In Cléon, we do not simply manufacture electric motors. We are building a shared industrial future.
For all these reasons, Renault Group has opened similar training campuses at other sites, such as Lardy in the Paris region, specialising in batteries, and Flins, dedicated to the circular economy.
FAQ
01
What is a University Factory at Renault Group?
02
Who can enroll in training at the Cléon University Factory?
03
Why is the Cléon University Factory strategic for the automotive industry?
A University Factory is an industrial and educational model that combines training and production on the same site. In Cléon, it enables learners to acquire skills in manufacturing electric motors directly on industrial equipment, in real-life conditions. This approach accelerates the development of the competencies required for the transition to electric mobility.
The training programs are open to Renault Group employees, as well as students, industrial partners and individuals undergoing career transitions. They are certified, state-recognized and focused on careers in electric motor production and the transforming automotive industry.
The Cléon University Factory addresses a major challenge: adapting industrial skills to the shift from internal combustion engines to electric motors. By training directly on site, it helps sustain local employment, develop new expertise and support the transformation of the automotive industry toward more sustainable mobility.
