Acta Vista Restoring heritage to counter social exclusion

Rebuilding heritage, rebuilding futures 

When it was first created, the charity launched a scheme as ambitious as it was unusual, recruiting only severely disadvantaged people, aged 18 to 65 with few prerequisites for its restoration work. They must all demonstrate a basic level of French comprehension, the physical ability to work on a restoration site and, most importantly, the desire to embark on a path into the world of work. Prior experience in construction is not required, however. The jobseekers are recruited for a programme lasting a maximum of one year (a six-month temporary contract that can be renewed once), during which they alternate between a 35-hour week of work on the site and a 17-hour week of training in an educational workshop. Acta Vista’s restoration sites are like open-air schools where the employees can be trained in a variety of trades including heritage masonry, interior carpentry and metalworking.

Every year, the charity supports around 500 disadvantaged people towards employment, helping them regain their confidence and self-esteem. Proving that the scheme works, two in three people find a job or a training course leading to a qualification at the end of the programme.

98% of the employees entered for the heritage masonry exam passed in 2023 and some, who had discovered a passion for this world, decided to pursue their training through the Compagnons du Tour de France apprentice and journeyman system.

A remarkable venture on a human level, the initiative also plays a key role in the transmission of skills at a time when businesses in the sector are struggling to recruit due to a lack of motivated and qualified candidates. Since it was created, Acta Vista has trained over 8,500 people and restored some 40 heritage sites. It is now active in three regions (Centre-Val de Loire, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and Occitania), where it works to restore some of France’s most prestigious buildings, from the Fort Saint-Nicolas in Marseille to the perimeter wall at the Chambord estate.