Thanks to a new French exchange programme, 10 young men from Ireland and Britain are studying in Angers on the Loire. In their spare time they are learning about French wine, cuisine and culture - and, during term time, they concentrate on mechanical engineering.

They are the first group to benefit the new `n + 1' programme set up by the Conference des Directeurs d'Ecoles et Formations d'Ingenieurs (CDEFI), an organisation which represents 130 engineering schools in France. One of the aims is to recruit top-class engineers for international companies. Another is to give students a double degree.

Irish and British students who complete the year in France will gain the French Diploma d'Ingenieur on top of their own qualification. The year also prepares them for "the challenges of the future" by giving them work experience in French manufacturing companies. At the end of the year they will have new language skills, as well as having studied and done practical training in a new environment.

Eugene Larkin (20) from Crossmaglen, Co Armagh, was about to go into his final year at QUB's school of mechanical and manufacturing engineering. The French course was mentioned by his professor. He applied - "it was a chance to practice my French. I didn't know much about it at the beginning, but I realised that there's going to be a benefit." The course may give him an edge if he applies to the French Montupet company in Belfast when he completes his studies.

Kevin Nash (21) from Galway is also doing the course. He hopes it will help him join a company which would have its headquarters in France.

Glen Corbet (22) from Malahide, Co Dublin, has just completed his B Eng. He is equally positive about the benefits. "I figured that I would study and improve my job prospects. I was going to do a postgraduate course in the US, but this course was geared at going into industry.

"It means that you learn a lot in terms of theory and technique but also you gain a lot in work experience. I want to work in Europe." So far, the year is running "fairly smoothly," says Corbet. "It's different."

Students spend the first term at the third-level school, Ecole Nationale Superieure d'Arts et Metiers (ENSAM) in Angers, upgrading their French and adjusting to life in a French grande ecole. After Christmas they spend six weeks in an industrial placement with a company.

This is followed by a regular term alongside French students doing academic courses and a research project linked to the company in which they have been placed. Then comes a further eight-week placement with the same company. A number of French and French-based companies, such as L'Oreal, Deville, Rolls Royce, Montupet, Airbus Industries and Boettcher, have already got involved in the scheme.

John Quinn (22) from Blackrock, Dublin, has just finished his B Eng at UCD and wants to specialise. "The course we did in UCD was very general, so I decided to do something to specialise. The opportunities for work experience are much better here."

He's convinced that "it will become part of an engineering degree that you have to know another language."

Glen Corbet says French engineering is "really prestigious" in world terms. Compared with Ireland, he believes the level of engineering expertise is quite advanced in the country in general. "I wasn't aware of how good it was," he says. "That was a nice surprise.

"It's also important from a personal point of view, travelling and meeting other people. It gives you the opportunity to get around and broaden your experience."

Professor Jean-Pierre Trotignon, of CDEFI, is the powerhouse behind the scheme. "We want to offer students opportunities to be in countries with the working world," he explains. "The aim is also to balance the flow of students" between France, Britain and Ireland.

At the moment more than 50 French students are studying for a master's in mechanical engineering in the Britain and Ireland.

Brendan Barrett (21) from Blackrock, Dublin, is interested in working at Aero Spatiale in Toulouse, where space rockets, aircraft and helicopters are produced. He has just completed his degree in mechanical engineering.

"I didn't want to specialise yet," he says "so this course gave me a chance to learn how to do different parts in mechanical engineering. That's a huge part of it.

"No matter what job placement you get it will stand out on your CV. It's a huge factor. And the year is also a chance to go to France."

Alastair Long (23), from Dungannon, Co Tyrone, completed his B Eng in QUB and started working for Montupet in Belfast last June. "I was told by my boss that they are starting to expand. It's going to be to my advantage to know French," he says. There are Montupet plants in Canada, Mexico and, of course, in France. Montupet has been in Belfast for the past eight years.

The course was prepared jointly by French, Irish and British universities. The network that has been created between the three countries, according to Trotignon, has introduced original solutions to problems that existed in the past. "The n + 1 course is tailor-made for these students," he says. The scheme will be expanded next year to other areas, such as chemical engineering, telecommunications, biotechnology, electrical engineering and food science.

"It's a great opportunity for the students," says Dr Alan Moore, of TCD's department of electronic and electrical engineering. "I'm very enthusiastic about it."

Dr Christine Somers, director of education at the Institution of Engineers of Ireland, is equally enthusiastic. "It's a wonderful opportunity to be educated in another culture and to have French students here in Ireland."

Information on the n + 1 programme at http://n+1.angers.ensam.fr