The seminar “Employment policies – Interactions of economics and legality” is chaired by Gilbert This, President of the Retirement Guidance Council, Professor of Economics at Neoma Business School and Jean-Emmanuel Ray, Professor Emeritus at the School of Law of the University of Paris I – Sorbonne.
The Seminar on Tuesday, November 12, 2024 focuses on the theme “The growth of learning: what results and what prospects? », with cross-interventions of:
Over the last five years, apprenticeships have seen a sharp increase, favored in particular by the 2018 reform[1] and by the exceptional apprenticeship aid introduced in 2020. Between 2017 and 2024, the number of apprenticeship entrants tripled, from 300,000 to nearly 915,000[2].
This rapid progression has changed certain dynamics. A growing share of new apprenticeship contracts concerns training courses preparing for the highest qualification levels, and as a result, the share of apprentices preparing for a diploma equivalent to or below the baccalaureate level has decreased considerably, from 53% in 2019 to 36% in 20243. Regarding the labor market, the development of work-study programs would have contributed to the increase in activity and employment rates for young people, with 34.9% of 15-24 year olds in employment.[3]but also contributed to the 1.6 point drop in productivity per capita between Q4 2019 and Q3 20223.
In parallel with these different developments, public spending mobilized for apprenticeships has increased significantly, due to the increase in the number of apprentices and new aid (€5.8 billion in 2018 to €13.5 billion in 2022).[4]).
From a legal and social point of viewwe can first look at the effects of the alignment of apprentice law with labor law and the special protections apprentices benefit from. The seminar will also examine the way in which public aid provided to employers to support apprentices can be a vector of inequalities vis-à-vis students and young non-apprentices who enter the labor market, and whether this is likely to create competition with the latter. Finally, we will focus on the place to be given to companies in defining the training offer.
From an economic point of view, the seminar will look at the gains from apprenticeship during professional integration, on the productivity of apprentices in the short and medium term, as well as on the sectors which benefit the most from this growth. To what extent can the development of apprenticeships respond to recruitment difficulties in certain sectors? Where should we place the cursor between general training and specific in-company training?
In terms of financing the system, we will question how to ensure the financial sustainability of the system. Are we observing a shift in the role of apprenticeship, from help with professional integration for those with the lowest qualifications to financial aid for those with the highest qualifications? Should we change the distribution of the cost of apprenticeship between the State, businesses and apprentices?
Finally, the Seminar could be an opportunity to carry out a comparative analysis with countries where apprenticeship training is effectively integrated into the study system, such as Germany and Switzerland.
Canada
