CMA France insists on maintaining apprenticeship aid for small structures

This reduction of one thousand euros per apprentice, provided for in the budget, concerns companies with fewer than 250 employees and "risks putting a brake on their commitment to professional training", estimated Joël Fourny, president of CMA France, to AFP. "We will do everything possible to ensure that this does not happen", he said.

The CMA network, which receives in its training centres some 115.000 of the 200.000 apprentices in the craft sector, now grouped under the name CMA Formation, would like the 6.000 euros to continue to be paid to structures with fewer than 50 employees, or at least to those employing fewer than 11 employees.

The draft budget provides for an even greater reduction in aid for companies with more than 250 employees, to 2.000 euros.

Mr. Fourny sees a paradox in maintaining aid for these larger structures, to the extent that companies with more than 250 employees have in any case a "regulatory obligation" to employ apprentices, he recalls.

The official also hopes that the discussions initiated for the 2025 and 2026 academic years with the Ministry of Labor on the level of support for work-study contracts awarded to training centers will result in their revaluation.

He suggested in particular "an additional contribution to the investment", observing that the CMA training centres offer "extremely substantial technical platforms" to their apprentices.

According to him, 15 of the CAPs offered by the CMAs are funded "below their real cost". Where it was possible to find a financial balance thanks to other diplomas, funding has been revised downwards "to such an extent that this is no longer the case", assures Mr. Fourny.

He calls for a distinction to be made in the levels of support by skills operators depending on the quality of the training, noting that some organizations "provide 100% distance training", unlike the CMAs.

The apprenticeship week that they organize every year throughout France will take place from January 24 to 31, to introduce this orientation to middle and high school students.