Apprenticeship in artistic crafts, a possible “Notre-Dame” effect

The number of apprentices in the crafts of built heritage, such as in carpentry or masonry of old buildings, has increased significantly between 2018 and 2023 according to a barometer published on Tuesday December 3 by the Higher Institute of Trades, which sees a possible "Notre-Dame effect".

The number of apprentice carpenters increased by 44% between 2018 and 2023, and almost doubled for masons of old buildings or zinc workers.

Niche professions such as organ builders and stained glass artists have also seen their numbers, which number around ten apprentices per year, double or more in five years.

The increase in the number of apprentices in the arts and crafts sectors is part of a broader phenomenon: with a major reform in 2018 and the introduction of substantial recruitment subsidies, the number of apprentices in all sectors combined has increased significantly in France: from 317.000 in 2017 to 853.000 in 2023.

But in addition to this trend, the Higher Institute of Trades and the insurer Maaf see the Notre-Dame effect, whose reconstruction started in 2019 has been able to give rise to vocations.

"Notre-Dame has been able to provide a platform for a lot of discussion about these creative professions and artistic professions," Catherine Elie, director of the Institut supérieur des métiers, a resource and study center on crafts and very small businesses created by the State, told AFP.

The number of apprentice roofers (+23% between 2018 and 2023 for CAPs), cabinetmakers (+31%) or stonemasons (+40%) has also increased significantly.

"There is a job crisis in France, and these jobs with meaning and passion correspond to new aspirations," says Catherine Elie, who has noted that these sectors, sometimes under pressure, attract many young people looking to retrain.

Many craftsmen are concerned about the government's plan to reduce subsidies for hiring apprentices, considering it difficult to recruit without this assistance, even though apprenticeships are omnipresent in the craft sector.

At the beginning of November, Joël Fourny, the president of the national network of Chambers of Trades and Crafts, estimated that the risk was "to have young people who will not find employment and who will have to be dealt with on the social side, which will also cost money instead of saving it by reducing aid".

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.