“It is better to anticipate difficulties than to endure them,” explains Xavier Perret, for the start of the Gard Chamber of Trades and Crafts.

L'artiste Karima M et le président de la chambre Xavier Perret devant la nouvelle façade.

La Chambre des métiers et de l'artisanat faisait le point sur ses actions et ses projets à l'occasion de la rentrée. 

Like its new façade, highlighting the gestures of the artisans photographed by Karima M, the Chamber of Trades and Crafts of Gard highlighted the diversity and know-how of the artisans on the occasion of its return, this Wednesday morning. “Everything related to work, creation, heritage, I go there with my heart, because life is a human adventure”, explains the artist, who signs the mosaic of images.

Beyond this new visibility, the chamber also has projects, particularly in terms of training. The network of chambers adopts a new identity with CMA Formation for its CFA. According to Xavier Perret, president of the Chamber, it“We must make the quality of diplomas known” while more or less serious training courses are multiplying.

“Supporting allows us to anticipate”

This start of the school year was also an opportunity to take stock of the activity of the consular institution. 57% of artisans opt for microenterprise status. “That's 70 or 80% of registrations, artisans prefer to go through microenterprise to launch their activity.” Between January 1 and August 31, the chamber intervened to advise 1,132 business leaders. “Supporting when things are going well allows you to anticipate. Difficulties happen. It is better to plan for them rather than endure them”, explains Xavier Perret, who regrets that "business leaders often come when it is too late."

The chamber has also helped certain companies wanting to get into exporting or encourage artisans involved in virtuous environmental approaches to obtain labels. In the future, the chamber wants to invest in the Alès sector, which represents 10,000 of the 30,000 residents of Gard. “But while respecting what already exists, insists Xavier Perret. Craftsmanship is more than 250 professions, we are going to integrate.”

Artistic craftsmanship, a very dynamic

During his presentation, the president of the chamber also wanted to mention artistic crafts. Of course, this only represents 2,400 of the 280,000 artisans in the region, but the sector “is very dynamic and is experiencing a historic moment with the reconstruction of Notre-Dame, insists Xavier Perret. At the national level, we have realized that France is rich in its know-how. We are one of the only countries that can reconstruct a monument as it was 900 years ago, not because it was written, but because it was transmitted."