(L-R) Pascal Thill, Director of Lycée Privé Emile Metz; Christiane Brassel-Rausch, the Mayor of the City of Differdange; Claude Meisch, Luxembourg’s Minister of National Education, Children and Youth; Credit: MENEJ

On Thursday 20 April 2023, Luxembourg’s Minister of Education, Children and Youth, Claude Meisch, the Mayor of the City of Differdange, Christiane Brassel-Rausch, and the Director of Lycée Privé Emile Metz, Pascal Thill, announced the opening of a new site in Differdange for the private secondary school Lycée Privé Emile Metz (LPEM) from the start of the 2023/2024 school year.

For the Education Minister, this new site represents a milestone in the history of the school, which was founded in 1914."The new establishment in Differdange of Lycée Privé Emile Metz, a traditional industrial school, will allow a large number of young people in the region to benefit from a quality training offer,” announced Minister Meisch.

Differdange Mayor Christiane Brassel-Rausch added: “I am delighted with the opening of Lycée Privé Emile Metz in Differdange because it completes our training offer. Moreover, the courses offered seem to me to be perfectly adapted to our city and the region. Many young people from the south of the country will be able to benefit from it.”

"We are convinced that this new site, which will offer a completely free school offer for any student wishing to enrol, will reinforce our commitment to professional excellence and will allow young people from Differdange and the surrounding area to benefit from a complete and of high quality, in preparation for their professional future", said the Director of LPEM, Pascal Thill.

According to the Education Ministry, LPEM maintains strong relationships with industry, providing students with opportunities for hands-on training and work-based learning. Partnerships with local and regional companies allow students to acquire practical experience of the working world during the internships included in their vocational training.

The LPEM school offer will be developed in three phases:

First phase: English-speaking classes at the start of the 2023 school year

LPEM will begin its activity in Differdange from the start of the 2023 school year with English-speaking classes from the following courses:

  • technician's diploma (DT) in computer science (TPIFI) (four years complete studies at the secondary school in Differdange);
  • vocational aptitude diploma (DAP) for full-time machining mechanics (DPMFI) (three years of complete studies in secondary school, with work-study programmes at the Differdange (theory) and Dommeldange (workshops) sites);
  • full-time vocational aptitude diploma (DAP) in electro-technologies (DPETI) (three full years of study in secondary school, with work-study programmes at the Differdange (theory) and Dommeldange (workshops) sites. The first year of the DAP will take place entirely in Differdange and the following years alternately between the two sites);
  • insertion class for young adults (CLIJA) (preparatory school year for students wishing to follow the classes offered by LPEM in Differdange).

All lessons will be taught in English. The school already offered English-speaking education, for several training courses on the Dommeldange site.

Second phase: consolidation of the starting classes in 2024/2025

The second phase of the LPEM school offer in Differdange will extend its class offer; new classrooms will be set up to meet the growing needs of students.

Third phase: development of general secondary education in Differdange

The third phase of the LPEM school offer in Differdange aims to offer general secondary education following the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) concept.

Students will have the opportunity to attend the lower general secondary school classes (7th, 6th and 5th years) and choose from several sections leading to the secondary school leaving certificate.

LPEM will also adapt its training offer leading to the DAP and the DT diplomas, according to the skills needs of the rapidly changing world of employment. These programmes aim to provide a comprehensive and specialised education in the fields of science, computing, engineering and technology, preparing students for higher education and future careers.

Infrastructure will also be divided in three phases. The first phase will include the settling in the Villa Hadir (blast furnaces and steel works of Differdange, St-Ingbert, Rumelange) and modular building. The building, located at 51 Rue Emile Mark in Differdange, will house the management, the secretary office, the psychosocial and school support service (SePAS) as well as the administrative and technical services. A modular building located next to Villa Hadir will accommodate the students. This building, which will be renovated in the coming months, will include a ground floor and two upper floors, for a total of eight classrooms. Other elements, such as a "Makerspace", a living room and a media library will also be included.

The second infrastructure phase targets the creation of more space and resources, by constructing an additional modular building planned for the 2024/2025 school year.

The third phase will comprise the construction of a new permanent building which, together with the existing modular buildings, will accommodate a total of approximately 700 students.

The class schedule will be aligned with that of the Dommeldange site with classes taking place from 08:05 to 11:50 and from 12:50 to 14:25. After school, time slots will be reserved for extracurricular and extracurricular activities to be organised with other local players.