On 12 May, the French National Assembly voted in favour of a bill designed to facilitate the international mobility of apprentices. This first step towards an apprenticeship erasmsus is part of the structural reforms that the French government has launched into the professional training of young people. There are no fewer than one million apprentices in France. However, only 10,000 of them go on a mobility programme. Half of them are young people with the least opportunities. Although the number of young people going on mobility trips is gradually picking up after the health crisis of Covid-19, the mobility of apprentices remains very low. The obstacles to mobility for these young people are inherent in the status of their contract. Indeed, the international mobility of apprentices raises a number of issues relating to the certification of skills, specific teaching timetables and adaptations by companies concerning salaries and social security contributions. However, international mobility of young people is now an anchor point in a more serene professionalization. Cross-disciplinary skills acquired abroad and the enhancement of the training pathway are levers that promote the professional integration of apprentices. This law aims to introduce 3 measures to encourage mobility:
- Create a right of option in the Labour Code for employers to choose between putting the apprentice’s contract on hold during long periods of mobility or making the work-study apprentice available to the host structure abroad.
- Make it easier to sign mobility agreements
- Guarantee a basic level of funding for their social protection
More generally, the mobility of apprentices is a European concern. One of the aims of the European Alliance for Apprenticeships (EAfA), which has been renewed in 2020, is to promote the mobility of apprentices. The alliance brings together Member States, as well as companies, chambers of industry, commerce and crafts, regional and local authorities, NGOs, etc. This forum, which is open to all EU Member States, enables members to share apprenticeship initiatives and best practice. France is the second country in Europe that sends the most work-study students on international mobility schemes, ahead of Poland and behind Germany. This proposal for a law, which looks very promising, will have to be voted on in the French Senate before it can be put into practice. The guarantee of progress on the road to an erasmus apprenticeship!
