An initial training program on Product-Service Systems and servitization for engineering students

Abstract : Although Product-Service Systems (PSS) are recognized as a promising model in literature, they are still not widely implemented in companies, mainly due to cultural barriers. Education should play a major role in removing these barriers and fostering the diffusion and implementation of PSS. This paper focuses on engineering education for graduate students and presents an original training program that was built and implemented at the Ecole des Mines de Saint-Etienne (EMSE). The main characteristics of this program are (i) multidisciplinarity, in terms of mixing PSS engineering and managerial approaches, and (ii) mixing theory, case studies and the use of simulation, based on several educational tools. The program is assessed out of the gathering of students’ perceptions, which contributed to elaborate on some requirements regarding teaching servitization and PSS based on experiential learning theory.