- In 2019, 50,000 more young people than in 2018 entered apprenticeship.
- A boom due, according to Muriel Pénicaud, to the vocational training reform of September 2018.
- But also the mobilization of the regions and the improvement of the economic situation on the employment front.
Always promised, never obtained, is the revival of learning becoming a reality? Under François Hollande, the executive failed to bring the number of apprentices to 500,000 at the end of his five-year term. But the government of Edouard Philippe is convinced to achieve this.
Because the wind is buoyant, as highlighted on Tuesday the Minister of Labor, Muriel Pénicaud, at a press conference. “The number of young people entering apprenticeship increased by 16% in 2019. Or 50,000 more apprentices. This is growth never seen in France ”. At the end of 2019, there were 485,800 apprentices, compared to 437,000 a year earlier. And this boom benefits all regions, with apprenticeship progressing in 96 out of 100 departments. Several business sectors welcome this: the number of apprentices has thus increased by 13% in construction and by 11% in industry.
The mobilization of the regions has paid off
A boom due, according to Muriel Pénicaud, to the vocational training reform of September 2018, which "removed the administrative, regulatory and financial obstacles that unnecessarily hampered learning". CFA entry has been made more flexible for young people (age limit extended from 26 to 30 and possibility of entering during the year). "This has enabled young people to retrain," notes economist Bertrand Martinot. The conditions of employment of apprentices have been improved (assistance of 500 euros to pass the driving license, in particular), while being made more flexible (derogation from the working hours of minors, end of the compulsory recourse to industrial tribunal in breach of contract). This could have played on the attractiveness of work-study programs.
CFAs can also now open more simply, without authorization from the regions. In addition, there are already 554 new CFA projects, of which 200 are already completed.
But according to Bertrand Martinot, employment specialist and director of training consultancy at Siaci Saint-Honoré, these good apprenticeship figures above all reflect the efforts of the regions in this matter: “the regional executives, who were in the driver's seat on learning until the end of 2019, have put resources to develop it and have mobilized professional federations and local missions ”.
An opinion logically supported by the Regions of France association, which denounced this Tuesday "the lies" of the Minister of Labor who, according to her, appropriates the good results of learning. “The double-digit growth that is used throughout Madame Pénicaud's interviews, it is the regions that are behind it! ", Stresses the organization in a press release, recalling having" financed apprenticeship up to 9 billion euros over the last five years ".
A life-changing look
Another factor to take into account: the improvement of the economic situation on the employment front: "It's been three years since apprenticeship progressed, because some companies which find it difficult to hire, use apprenticeship like strategy of pre -recruitment, "observes Bertrand Martinot.
For the minister, the image of learning is also changing in the collective imagination. “In France, we thought that learning was the way to failure. It is now recognized as a royal road to employment, ”she says. To boost the image of this type of training, the Ministry of Labor has put the package by launching two years ago a web series of 25 episodes which gives voice to 25 apprentices, entitled #StartTaStory.
The game is not yet won
In this concert of good notes, however, a few caveats emerge. Because the increase in learning is greater for students than for their less qualified peers. However, they were the initial target of this training mode. “This is due to the fact that young people in 3rd grade are more oriented towards vocational high schools than in level 3 training (CAP, BEP) in apprenticeship. And that breaches of contracts are more important at this level, ”analyzes Bertrand Martinot. But Muriel Pénicaud believes that the situation is changing and that learning "is starting again in secondary school (CAP - bac pro)", with an increase of 8% in enrollment in 2019.
Muriel Pénicaud also has several challenges to take up on this issue: “We want to better match supply and demand, by creating a platform offering offers of learning contracts, which is accessible from Parcoursup and Affelnet. Another challenge: improving the share of girls in certain work-study programs and welcoming young people with disabilities into their midst, ”she says.
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