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Understanding of apprenticeships in the national context      
Is there a stable legal basis for apprenticeships in your country?

The legal basis was established in October 24th 2008 through the framework cooperation agreement signed by the Walloon Region, the French Community (now: Wallonia-Brussels Federation) and the French Community Commission of the Brussels-Capital Region on "Formation en Alternance”, and was implemented in 2015/2016.
•    L’arrêté du 15 juillet 2015 du Collège de la Commission communautaire française relatif au contrat d’alternance et au plan de formation y afférent, tels que prévus en vertu de l’accord de coopération relatif à la formation en alternance du 24 octobre 2008 et modifié par les avenants des 27 mars et 15 mai 2014.
•    L’arrêté du 16 juillet 2015 du Gouvernement wallon relatif au contrat d’alternance.
•    L’arrêté du 17 juillet 2015 du Gouvernement de la Communauté française relatif au contrat d’alternance.
Decree of 3 July 1991: http://www.enseignement.be/index.php?page=23820 regulates vocational education organised by educational authorities (CEFA).
Decree of 17 July 2003 https://wallex.wallonie.be/index.php?doc=4042 organizes vocational training provided by training centers IFAPME/SFPME. These are independent structures from the educational authorities, but they are supervised by the by the Minister of Education of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation to ensure that the apprenticeships offered comply with the official learning outcomes requirements and that the budget received by public authorities is used appropriately (see also Q3).

The French apprenticeships system that has been in place for several decades has been the object of debates at policy level and key stakeholder level over the recent years. Seen as a potential means to help addressing youth unemployment, several measures have been put in place to boost participation in apprenticeships.

The main laws regarding apprenticeship are in the sixth part of the French Labour Code (https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichCodeArticle.do;jsessionid=184DEBE9BB0BC6010C89164C3AA1DACD.tpdila17v_3?idArticle=LEGIARTI000006903996&cidTexte=LEGITEXT000006072050&dateTexte=20160607 ).
Two apprenticeship schemes are regulated, based on two corresponding types of contracts:
•    The scheme based on the apprenticeship contract (‘contrat d’apprentissage’) (1), which is a specific type of employment contract that has been available in France since 1919. It was modified and redefined in 2018.
•    The scheme based on the professionalisation contract (‘contrat de professionnalisation’) (2), which exists since 2004. Prior to that, there was a rather similar scheme called the ‘contrat de qualification’. The following circular (DGEFP n° 2012-15 of 19 July 2012) (3) and decree (n° 2016-95 of 1 February 2016) (4) set a comprehensive regulation for this contract.

In 2018, a law was promulgated (5) with the aim of reforming the initial vocational training system, including apprenticeships: legal rules were simplified, financials incentives for companies were unified, the creation of apprenticeship training providers (centres de formation d’apprentis, CFAs) was liberalized, apprenticeship was opened up to people up to the age of 30, the financing of training was transformed, the termination of the contract was simplified, a new national quality system was set up.

1. Article L6211-1 code du travail
2. Article L6325-1 du code du travail
3. https://travail-emploi.gouv.fr/publications/picts/bo/30082012/TRE_20120008_0110_0005.pdf
4. https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/eli/decret/2016/2/1/ETSD1600946D/jo/texte
5. LOI n° 2018-771 du 5 septembre 2018 pour la liberté de choisir son avenir professionnel


Spain has adopted a new VET Law in 2022, which includes regulation of apprenticeships. This law is a major change in the whole Vocational training system. In this regard, companies and educational institutions share responsibility for training students within the vocational training system.

This shared responsibility is laid down in the dual nature of all VET.  All initial VET (and parts of what we can consider as CVET/lifelong learning) will have a dual character, including, of course, apprenticeships.
This general dual nature takes the form of two pathways: the so-called General VET pathway, and the Intensive VET pathway. The two pathways have some common points and some differences.

One of these pathways (Intensive VET - Formación profesional intensiva) is essentially an apprenticeship pathway.
Its main features are:
-In-company training must be more than 35% of the total training duration.
- A minimum of 30% of learning outcomes must be acquired in the company.
- The student is linked to the company is through a labour training contract.

In comparison to that, the general VET pathway does not require remuneration, and foresees a smaller share of workplace training that what is indicated in the European Framework for Quality and Effective Apprenticeships. Therefore, although it is a form of dual VET in the national context, the general VET pathway is not examined in this database as an apprenticeship scheme.

Regions decide the implementation features in their territory for either the general or the intensive pathway.  

The Law includes different transition periods for different modifications. In March 2024, the regulatory development of the law has not finished.  

In 2022, the Spanish government modified the labour training contract, which is the basis of apprenticeship programmes offered by both Ministries of Education and Labour (with a transitional period to phase out other types of agreements in the case of Ministry of Education – see scheme fiche Q25, Q26).

During the last decade and before the adoption of this Law, apprenticeships were known in Spain as Dual VET. Since this nomenclature is consolidated in Spain, it is possible that Intensive VET pathway will continue to be known in Spain as Dual VET.
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Is there an official definition of ‘apprenticeship’ or ‘appre...

“Formation en alternance” describes, as of 1 July 2015, any situation that meets cumulatively the following six conditions:
1.    Training is carried out partly at the workplace and partly within or at the initiative and under the responsibility of an educational or training institution; these two parts together aim to carry out a single training plan and, to that end, are coordinated and alternate regularly.
2.    The training pathway leads to a vocational qualification.
3.    The part carried out at the workplace covers an average work duration, on an annual basis, of least 20 hours a week, excluding holidays and vacations.
4.    The part carried within or at the initiative and under the responsibility of an educational or training institution, foresees on an annual basis:
•    at least 240 training hours for young people subject to compulsory part-time education (NB: age 15-18);
•    at least 150 training hours for young people no longer subject to compulsory schooling.
These numbers of hours can be calculated as a proportion of the total duration of the programme. Moreover, if a person is exempted from part of the programme by the educational or training institution, the corresponding number of hours count towards the total of 240 or 150 hours.
5.    Both school/training center- and work-place based training components are conducted under and covered by a contract, the employer and the young person are part thereof. Training can be conducted as part of several successive contracts provided that:
•    the minimum number of hours of training in the education or training institution reaches the minimum numbers set by law;
•    the full pathway, composed of various successive contracts, is guaranteed and monitored by the education and training institution responsible for the training and for the final qualification award.
6.    The contract foresees financial compensation for the young person; it is paid by the employer and is to be considered as remuneration.

An apprentice is defined as any person who, as part of “formation en alternance”, is tied to an employer by a contract.

In France, an apprentice is defined as a young professional who follows training that draws on an alternation of work-based (in-company) training and school-based training.

The concept of apprenticeship is defined by law in the remit of the apprenticeship contract (‘contrat d’apprentissage’) and the professionalisation contract (‘contrat de professionalisation’), which are the two main apprenticeship schemes in France.

In both cases, apprenticeships are the object of individual employment contracts of special type signed between an apprentice (or his/her legal representative if the apprentice is minor) and an employer.
Through this contract, employers commit themselves to remunerate the apprentices and deliver effective training and tutoring to them during the duration of the contract. Employers undertake the responsibility to ensure that the apprentice follows the training provided by the training centres for apprentices (centres de formation d’apprentis, CFAs). Employers also assume the responsibility to take part in activities designed to coordinate training between the company and the training center.
Through the contract, apprentices commit themselves to effectively work and attend in-company training at the signatory employer within the full duration of the contract.

Source: Article L6221-1 of the french labor code // https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/article_lc/LEGIARTI000006903996

Apprenticeship is a modality of VET defined in the 2022 regulation.
The law names this pathway Formación profesional intensiva (Intensive VET).
This definition includes its main characteristics (see Q1).
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At which level do apprenticeship schemes exist in your country?

Upper secondary level:
1. “Formation en alternance” targets young people aged 15 to 25 and it can be organized:
•    by educational authorities through CEFA centers (Centres d'Education et de Formation en Alternance) which are attached to a secondary school and under the responsibility of the Ministry of Education (enseignement en alternance);
•    by SMEs training centers: the SFPME (Espace Formation PME) in Brussels and the IFAPME (Institut wallon de formation en alternance et des indépendants et PME) in Wallonia (formation en alternance (apprentissage)
2. Industrial apprenticeship contracts (CAI) are organized by some sectorial branches and lead to occupational qualifications.

Post-secondary level: the “Convention de stage”, Alternation contract in an entrepreneurship programme is organized by SMEs training centers: The SFPME (Espace Formation PME) in Brussels and the IFAPME (Institut wallon de formation en alternance et des indépendants et PME) in Wallonia. Entrepreneurship is a post-secondary level but is not considered as high education. It targets people aged 18 to 25. The final outcome is the Certification of Entrepreneur which allows to run a company or to be employed as qualified employee.

Tertiary level: several Master en Alternance and Baccalauréat in Alternance are piloted

The only mainstream apprenticeship schemes with a stable legal basis that meet the criteria of Cedefop database are formation en alternance and convention de stage.

In France, both apprenticeship schemes lead to qualifications at all educational levels, from secondary to higher education, by means of successive contracts or switching from school-based higher education to apprenticeships.

Besides formal education and VET qualifications, the scheme based on professionalisation contracts may be organised to achieve labour market qualifications at sectoral levels. These are qualifications recognised by the social partners. The social partners can adapt the contract de professionnalisation to a particular target group via a sectoral agreement. As examples, some sectors and their structures may be mentioned for their actions to promote apprenticeships, among others: le reseau éducagri, les maisons familiales et rurales (MFR), Comité de concertation et de coordination de l'apprentissage du bâtiment et des travaux publics (CCCA-BTP), L'Union des industries et métiers de la métallurgie (UIMM), les Compagnons du Devoir etc.

Apprenticeships can be offered both in programmes managed by the Ministry of Education (formal VET system) and in programmes managed by the Ministry of Labour/employment authorities (see Q5 of the scheme fiche).
The 2022 law intends to integrate both options into a single system through a modular supply. Students can accumulate training from a determinate level, and this can be used to facilitate their access to a higher level.
The different levels are identified by the letters A, B, C, D and E.
The Law allows the apprenticeship modality (Intensive VET) in:
-C Grade (Certificados de Profesionalidad)
-D Grade (IVET accessing from 15 years)
-E Grade (Specialization training)

Level C refers to occupational qualifications, i.e. the certificates accredit the set of professional skills that a person must possess for the development of a labour activity identified in the labour market. Level C programmes are managed by Employment authorities and allow obtaining a qualification corresponding to an occupational profile. They can be found in Level 1 (ISCED 254), Level 2 (ISCED 351) and level 3 (ISCED 453). Formal access requirements apply for entering Level 2 and Level 3.

Level D and E refers to education qualifications (diplomas) that are part of initial VET.
Level D programmes are managed by Education authorities and lead to upper secondary, post-secondary and higher VET qualifications. Main programmes last two years (2,000 hours) and include work-based learning in a company and at a VET school:
•    Basic VET programmes (ISCED 353) are available in the last year of compulsory education, to learners aged 15 or 16
•    Intermediate VET programmes can begin at age 16, after the end of compulsory education. These lead to technician qualifications at ISCED 354.
•    Higher VET programmes (ISCED 554) at tertiary level lead to an advanced technician qualification.

Level E programmes are managed by Education authorities and offer specialized training accessing from the intermediate or the tertiary VET level. The total duration of this training is quite variable, but significantly shorter than D-level degrees. Spain is still developing this option of specialized training, and the number of total students remains very low. In addition, in this level it is not mandatory to follow a dual pathway (General or Intensive). As a result, the Spanish scheme fiche focuses mainly on apprenticeships at levels C and level D.
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How well-established are apprenticeship schemes in your country?

Apprenticeships schemes are organized by either apprenticeship centers in schools (CEFA) or by the training organizations of SMEs (IFAPME, SFPME).
The CEFA scheme was originally introduced as part of compulsory schooling in 1985 at the time of extending the compulsory schooling age from 15 to 18, with the implicit purpose of providing education to all young people who were at risk of early leaving.
SMEs training has a long-lasting tradition in apprenticeships and target the skills needs of the SMEs labour market. In 1907 the first apprenticeship secretariat in Wallonia was created. The IFAPME network can be considered as the heir of this first historic institution.

The scheme based on the 'contrat d’apprentissage' has a long history as it has been available in France since 1919.
The scheme based on the 'contrat de professionnalisation' is more recent (dating back to 2004) but this was preceded by a rather similar scheme, the 'contrat de qualification'.

The Royal Decree 1529/2012 established a new and optional pathway (as mentioned before, referred in Spain as Dual VET) within the VET system, basically increasing the training time in companies to a minimum of 33% of the total duration.

The 2022 VET Law established the dual nature of all the programmes of interest in this fiche (See Q1). Of the two new pathways introduced, the Intensive VET corresponds to an apprenticeship.

The Law set a transitional period until December 2024 for the adaptation from the current duration of workplace training to the new foreseen one for each pathway.
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Pilot scheme