Apprenticeship is no longer a niche thing, but rather a mass strategy in the French professional training landscape, says a note from the Directorate General of the Treasury published on Tuesday, November 25. This model, which is based on alternating training in a company and in an apprenticeship training center (CFA) to obtain a recognized professional qualification, clearly aims to increase the employability of young people after leaving school.
The trajectory of this system was disrupted by the 2018 reforms. Since that date, the country has recorded a rapid increase in the number of trainees. In 2024, there were 879,000 new apprenticeship contracts signed, compared to 306,000 contracts in 2017. This spectacular increase, of almost 187% in seven years, takes the total number of contracted apprenticeships to over one million by the end of 2024.
This increase in workload is the result of a series of structural measures. The liberalization of the CFA’s training offer has opened up the ecosystem to new players. At the same time, the regulatory framework for contracts has been relaxed, facilitating access to the system for both young people and entrepreneurs. The third pillar of this dynamic is based on the provision of special state aid aimed at employers, the large public support of which served as an impetus to accelerate the trend.
Public costs: 15 billion euros and unavoidable adjustments
However, the scale of this expansion is creating unprecedented budget pressures. The growth of apprenticeships has resulted in government costs increasing almost threefold. The financial results in 2023 look very tough: total public support has reached around 15 billion euros.
Taken back to the individual, this envelope represents an investment of 14,700 euros per apprentice. This spending puts France at a much higher level of support than other European countries historically tied to commutation, such as Germany. Given these high costs, adjustments to financial support are planned for 2025. The explicit aim is to limit public spending, recognizing that quantitative growth must now be accompanied by budget sustainability.
A shift towards higher education and the service sector
This increase in numbers doesn’t just mask a massive increase: it represents a major shift in the profile of apprentices. Apprenticeships have changed significantly, moving from secondary to higher education. Students with higher education are now proportionally more likely to choose this route than students with secondary education.
The changing dynamics are also affecting the employer landscape. Companies that accept apprentices are increasingly coming from the service sector. This diversification of employers is in line with the progress in the educational level of apprentices. This reflects the increasing adequacy of the work-study model to the needs of tertiary economic skills and high-level student aspirations.
Maximum integration effect for short diplomas
In terms of efficiency in terms of work, apprenticeships generally facilitate professional integration at the start of a career in a better way than the traditional school route. The impact is particularly striking at short qualification levels, such as CAP and professional baccalaureate.
The integration gap between work-study students and school-going students is largest at this level. This study reveals the exact figures regarding the group of young people who will stop studying in 2021. At CAP level, 63% of apprentices are already working 18 months after the end of their training. In the same period and for the same diploma level, only 36% of students found work. Therefore, the benefits of work-study are more than doubled for this professional degree.
The effectiveness of the system must be adjusted as the diploma level increases. The effects of integration tend to decline sharply with qualification. The highest threshold is reached at master’s level, where the advantages of apprenticeships over the school route are considered more limited. Apprenticeships remain a pathway to recognized professional qualifications aimed at employability.
