23.1. Introduction

In the second quarter of 2017, the French government launched the second phase, “securing” of the labor market reforms announced in the presidential program, and focusing on three main topics: apprenticeships for the youngest, continuing vocational training and the unemployment insurance scheme.

It is in this context that, by the letter of October 10, 2017, the Minister of Labor wished to organize a consultation, bringing together all apprenticeship stakeholders with the Minister of National Education and the Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation.

The consultation’s roadmap was clear: identify significant areas for improvement so that an apprenticeship becomes a path to excellence for the benefit of all young people and companies. The objective of this consultation was therefore to bring together all the apprenticeship stakeholders and listen to their points of view in all their convergences and divergences, in order to draw up an exhaustive diagnosis and propose significant avenues for improvement, as set out in a report submitted to the government on January 30, 2018.

Starting from the observation that the number of apprentices in France has stagnated for years, and even decreased for levels V and IV, one of the first objectives of this reform was, naturally, to develop apprenticeships, which are a particularly effective way of integrating young people into the labor market, as the unemployment rate in France remains very high.

However, the development of initial training through apprenticeships and, more generally, work–study programs is also a major competitive challenge for France because of the very rapid evolution of professions and skills, and the great difficulties faced by many professional sectors in recruiting profiles adapted to their needs.

During this consultation, we focused, in particular, on the apprentice’s career path in order to identify the specific obstacles or problems that could partly explain the difficulties of developing an apprenticeship in France. As a result, in this chapter, we will first discuss the conditions for facilitating access to apprenticeships and then the securing of the apprentice’s career path in order to reduce the number of contract breaches.

23.2. Conditions for facilitating access to apprenticeships

First, the discussions on the apprentice’s career path highlighted the need to improve information for young people and families, both on trades and on apprenticeships as a means of initial work-linked training. It is therefore essential to set up a mandatory information day on trades in the fourth grade. A second day of information on the two pathways to a diploma, apprenticeships and general/vocational education, should receive this information on trades in the third grade.

It also appeared that for a successful entry into an apprenticeship, a substantial effort must be made to improve the information provided to young people and their families on the indicators of professional integration at the end of training, the average remuneration at the end of the course and the results obtained by each CFA.

Second, a strong need for the young person to be prepared for an apprenticeship was expressed almost unanimously during the consultation on the apprentice’s career path. The request expressed by the participants in the consultation was for an “SAS” or transitional education to prepare the young person for the apprenticeship. It is essential to support young people who are at the beginning of their training and who are struggling to find an apprenticeship contract.

More generally, it is essential to better organize and guarantee support for the young person throughout his or her apprenticeship journey. This need for support is felt first and foremost in the company’s research, which requires the increased mobilization of institutional employment actors such as the Pôle Emploi or local missions, as well as the strengthened coordination of stakeholders in order to bring together the large number of existing initiatives.

The young person is also entitled to assistance in moving to his or her place of training and business or, if necessary, in finding accommodation. As such, several avenues have been explored, such as personalized assistance for transportation and accommodation or the sharing of equipment (boarding schools, hotel residences, temporary accommodation). Financial assistance for driving licenses has also been included in the new government measures to promote apprenticeships.

Measures are also needed to better support people with disabilities and those in apprenticeships, and to better combat gender stereotypes and promote gender diversity in them.

Finally, it is important to highlight the major role of the apprenticeship manager, which was highlighted by all the participants in the consultation. There was a broad consensus on the need to better train apprenticeship teachers and enhance their commitment. This valuation could take the form of a minimum compensation or the granting of additional social rights established through negotiations in the professional branches.

In support of these comments, we present a summary of the research conducted by Valérie Capdevielle-Mougnibas on the relationship with the apprenticeship manager, followed by a concrete illustration of a successful example of a support system in Seine-Saint-Denis.

23.3. Securing the apprentice’s career path to reduce contract breaches

One of the major obstacles to the development of apprenticeships in France is the high rate of contract termination, particularly for infra III levels. In 2014, 28% of contracts were terminated, including 17% outside the trial period and excluding terminations at the end of the contract. About 20% of young people have dropped out of apprenticeships, with the departure not being followed by a new contract.

These departure and dropout rates are much higher than those in most countries where apprenticeships have been developed, particularly Germany or Switzerland. They depend on age (38% for those under 18 years of age), field of training, level of qualification and company size (only 12% of departures are in companies with 250 or more employees).

This high number of anticipated breaches of apprenticeship contracts is largely due to misguided orientation caused by a lack of information on trades and professional backgrounds. Moreover, cultural and societal stereotypes of apprenticeships in France often make it a path to failure, rather than a path to excellence that requires a significant work and commitment on the part of both young people and the employers who host them.

According to ANAF (Association nationale des apprentis de France – National Association of the Apprentices of France), in the event of that an apprentice drops out, the coordination of actors must be based on a shared methodology. Many actors, such as regions, consular chambers and the agricultural sector, have developed initiatives to maintain a permanent link with the apprentice (preparation for the world of business, reception, co-construction of a professional project, until mediation).

Beyond the proposal resulting from the consultation and included in the draft law, aimed at allowing young people to enter and permanently leave the apprenticeship system (the famous “right to error”), we will illustrate the second theme of this chapter through the academic analysis conducted by Marie-Hélène Toutin du Céreq, based on a more detailed analysis of the causes of breaches of apprenticeship contracts and a testimonial on an experiment conducted in the Brittany region, aimed at securing the apprenticeship pathway and reducing the dropout rate.

23.4. Conclusion

Supporting young people and preparing them for the professional world, as well as training tutors – whose role is fundamental – are major challenges in the development of apprenticeships in France with the aim of making it a real pathway to excellence.