Back to school 2026: SPIE renews its partnership with the Occitanie Region to provide 61,000 secondary school students with laptops

Malakoff, 14 September 2026 – SPIE ICS, a French digital services company (ESN) and a subsidiary of SPIE, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications, is renewing its partnership with the Occitanie Region as part of the ‘loRdi’ scheme, through a one-year contract, renewable twice. The latter serves to equip students with a laptop to promote the use of digital technologies for educational purposes within upper secondary schools. Starting on 14 September 2026, SPIE ICS teams will visit nearly 226 public upper secondary schools to distribute laptops to the 61,000 students covered by the scheme. This partnership demonstrates SPIE ICS’ commitment to equal opportunities and the digital transition at local level.

A laptop to support students throughout their upper secondary education

For several years, the Occitanie Region has committed to fostering access to IT tools for young people and reducing the digital divide. In establishments accredited as “lycée numérique”, comprising all public upper secondary schools, the Region provides laptops free of charge to students who qualify for the scheme. In non-accredited establishments, families may apply according to procedures established by the Occitanie Region, with the Region’s contribution determined according to the household’s income-based family quotient (“quotient familial”). Provided when students enter the first year of upper secondary school or the first year of a CAP vocational qualification, laptops remain available for use throughout their time at school.

End-to-end expertise, from design to support

SPIE ICS is involved at every stage of the project, from selecting the manufacturer based on the Region’s stated requirements to administering support to students. The subsidiary is also responsible for preparing and configuring laptops, storing them in a dedicated warehouse and distributing them to establishments. SPIE ICS has assigned a team of 70 people to the various components of the project.

Each laptop is preconfigured with a suite of approximately 500 software applications and digital resources selected by the Toulouse and Montpellier regional education authorities. This gives students access to the applications they need for their schoolwork.

To enable the Region to monitor operations in real-time, SPIE ICS developed a management dashboard tracking the number of laptops prepared and distributed, the establishments still awaiting equipment, and the indicators set out as part of the project.

SPIE ICS delivers after-sales support from its Nîmes office. The teams handle support requests and repairs, with laptops remaining out of service for fewer than five days, depending on the type of fault.

Starting this year, SPIE ICS is equipping students with an AI chatbot that is specially developed for ‘loRdi’. Available through the personal account area of the ‘loRdi’ website (www.lordi-occitanie.fr), the chatbot answers frequently asked questions (FAQs), helps students troubleshoot problems, and makes it easier to track their support requests.

A scheme built around responsible digital practices

SPIE ICS and the Occitanie Region are also continuing their efforts to promote responsible digital practices. Once again this year, individual cardboard boxes have been replaced with packaging that accommodates several laptops in a single container. Laptops are now protected by fabric sleeves instead of plastic. In addition, as needed, laptops can be placed directly in their carrying case, further reducing the use of packaging throughout the supply chain.

Parallel to this, SPIE ICS leverages its internal expertise to support the Region’s responsible digital strategy, tailoring assistance to the Region’s needs through dedicated workshops.     

“The renewal of our partnership with the Occitanie Region reflects a relationship grounded in trust, transparency and close cooperation. We have a thorough understanding of the challenges and requirements of the ‘loRdi’ scheme, enabling us to make proactive recommendations and continuously improve the services offered to the Region and students. Our knowledge of the process, specialist teams and local presence enable us to provide close support to schools and beneficiaries alike”, commented Déborah Bouteiller, Project Manager at SPIE ICS.