Reduction in apprenticeship aid: professional organizations divided

In a press release, "the U2P is surprised that this measure was taken in haste, without waiting for the Prime Minister's general policy speech" on January 14, "and regrets that the social partners were not more involved."

For its part, the CPME expressed its satisfaction, recalling that it was asking that "SMEs be preserved, regardless of the level of the diploma".

"We are therefore reassured about the arbitration and now hope that despite the drop in activity observed in many sectors, this does not affect the good dynamics of apprenticeships," the Confederation of SMEs responded to AFP.

The Ministry of Labor said Monday that aid for hiring an apprentice would be maintained for all companies in 2025, but that its amount would be reduced to 5.000 euros for SMEs and 2.000 euros for larger companies.

The government has taken this decision to avoid an automatic return to the situation before the health crisis. The current system, which provides aid of 6.000 euros for all companies, expires at the end of 2024.

According to the Ministry of Labour, "in the absence of a decision, the aid would only have concerned contracts preparing for baccalaureate and below baccalaureate level diplomas and only for companies with fewer than 250 employees, i.e. less than a third of contracts".

Aid for companies with 250 or more employees will continue to be subject to additional conditions concerning the proportion of work-study students or professional integration contracts.

"Before reducing spending on training young people, the new government must make a clear and lasting commitment to apprenticeships, which have proven their worth in recent years, particularly in terms of job creation," insisted the U2P.

This employers' organization also considered that "financial support for companies must go primarily to those who need it most (...) namely companies with fewer than 50 employees."

"While waiting for the right decisions to be made, the U2P calls on the government to abandon this draft decree," she added.

CAPEB welcomes the confirmation of support for businesses and once again requests that priority be given only to businesses with fewer than 50 employees.

CAPEB regrets the reduction in the amount of support for apprenticeships, which will go from 6.000 euros to 5.000 euros for very small businesses, but welcomes the decision to reinstate increased high-level support for businesses with the smallest workforce and regardless of the level of qualification prepared by the apprentice. CAPEB and U2P have strongly mobilized against the initial plan to drastically reduce this support for all businesses in the country, regardless of their workforce and depending on the level of qualification of the apprentices. However, apprenticeships are particularly essential to the future of craft businesses, the attractiveness of their professions and the training of new generations. This is why CAPEB is asking that this future decree be a temporary step towards a maximum concentration of support on businesses with fewer than 50 employees, which need it most. Such a measure would be rational from a budgetary point of view and consistent with both the reality of the large number of apprentices trained by these companies and the original apprenticeship reform of 2018.

At a time when environmental, demographic and societal issues are exacerbating skills needs, the confirmation of a quasi-maintenance in 2025 of aid for hiring apprentices is important news for VSEs in the construction industry at the end of the year. Their maintenance, regardless of the level of qualification, also goes in the direction of real support displayed for the skills paths of young people.

The announcement of a sudden reduction in the amount of this support for companies, regardless of their workforce, was cause for concern. This direction was all the more incomprehensible given that the VSEs in the construction sector ensure the future of the sector each year by employing the vast majority of apprentices in the sector: 84% of companies training in the construction trades are craft companies, with more than 60.000 apprentices in 2023. CAPEB and U2P have therefore worked hard to ensure that the specificities of the companies they represent are taken into account. With this draft decree presented by the Government, this has been partly done. It provides for an envelope that broadly corresponds to that of 2024 for companies with fewer than 250 employees.

This is a first step that CAPEB would like to highlight, even if it regrets that this support is not more focused on companies with fewer than 50 employees, which need it most to meet the costs associated with training apprentices. These structures, often family-run, are those that offer the most opportunities for training and integrating young people into local employment, thus actively contributing to the vitality of the regions.

CAPEB hopes that the Government will hear their voice and that this decree will constitute a temporary step towards maximum concentration of support for VSEs, as was also provided for in the original system that was to prevail in the absence of a budget and a Government. Such a measure would be a source of more substantial budgetary savings.

For Jean-Christophe Repon, president of CAPEB: "I welcome the attentiveness and action of Astrid Panosyan-Bouvet, Minister of Labor and Employment, in this very sensitive issue for VSEs. Apprenticeship must remain a national priority for training in our professions. This is why CAPEB will remain fully mobilized to defend a fair and ambitious framework for craft businesses and their apprentices, who are the future of our sector. We will continue to fight so that maximum support is directed towards our VSEs. Common sense must continue to prevail."

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.