France: plan devised to revive apprenticeships

At a meeting held at the Elysée Palace on 4 June, between the government and social partners, the former unveiled a plan to relaunch apprenticeships in France. The plan includes an exceptional grant for hiring apprentices who want to obtain a qualification, ranging from the CAP (professional aptitude certificate) to a professional degree, between 1 July 2020 and 28 February 2021. The grant will amount to €5,000 in the case of minors and €8,000 in the case of adult apprentices. At companies with more than 250 employees, it will be subject to compliance with the legal quota of 5% of staff being on work-study contracts. If companies fail to reach that quota in 2021, they will have to repay the grant. The money should mean that an apprentice up to the age of 20 does not represent any cost to the employer. From the age of 21, the cost would be €175 per month for 150 hours of work. Meanwhile a consultation with social partners on youth employment will be launched shortly. The aim is to ensure that the 800 000 young people leaving the school system this year are integrated into the labour market and to avoid a lost generation.