Individual training leave

Name of the instrument - Local language: Congé individuel de formation (CIF)
Name of the instrument - English translation: Individual training leave
Scheme ID: 260
Country: France
Reporting year: 2015
Type of instrument: Training leave
Type of entry: Single instrument

Short description: The individual training leave enables the employee to be absent from work in order to undergo training of a maximum of 365 days to get a qualification, to retrain or to evolve. If the conditions are met (seniority and waiting period), the employer cannot refuse the request. However, he/she may postpone it by up to 9 months.
Short description of the related instruments: nap

Level of operation

National

Name of a part of the country

nap

Name of the region (for regional instruments)

nap

Name of the sector (for sectoral instruments)

nap

Relevance

Key scheme

Legal basis

"LOI n° 2009-1437 du 24 novembre 2009 relative à l'orientation et à la formation professionnelle tout au long de la vie
LOI n° 2013-504 du 14 juin 2013 relative à la sécurisation de l'emploi"

Year of implementation

1971

Year of latest amendment

2013

Operation/management

Bodies involved:
DGEFP (General delegation for employment and vocational training)
OPCAs / OPACIFs / FONGECIFs (associations created by agreement between employers' organizations and trade unions)
FPSPP (administrated by employers organizations and trade unions)

OPCAs are in charge of collecting companies' contribution dedicated to training leave. OPCAs will transfer then transfer the funding to OPACIFs through the FPSPP. Funding requests in the context of training leaves are processed by OPACIFs. The FPSPP also provides financial assistance to OPACIF to fund projects under the individual training leave for former holders of fixed-term contracts and for temporary workers.

The employee must submit a written request to his employer indicating: the date of training, its title, its duration, the name of the training institution.
The request must be made not later than 120 days before the start of training if it lasts 6 months or more and if it takes place full-time in one-go, or 60 days before if it lasts less than 6 months and if it is done part-time or through different periods or if the purpose of the request is to pass an exam.
The employer has 30 days to respond to the employee.
If the conditions are met (seniority and waiting period, see below), the employer cannot refuse the CIF. However, it may postpone it by up to 9 months for: service reasons or if exceeding a percentage of simultaneous absences of the company's workforce.

Eligible group(s)

All employees. To qualify for a CIF-CDI, an employee in an open-ended contract must: prove a seniority as an employee (in open-ended or fixed-term contract(s)) of 24 months (consecutive or not), including 12 months in ist current company or establishment.

Group(s) with preferential treatment

None

Education and training eligible

The training must aim to:
- Access a higher level of qualification;
- A change of activity or occupation;
- The openness to culture and social life.
The duration of the employee's absence can reach up to a year for a full-time training or 1200 hours for part-time or discontinuous training.

Source of financing and collection mechanism

Levy on companies

Financing formula and allocation mechanisms

The costs are covered by OPCA. Compensation that employee on training leave receives depends on gross wages. If gross wage is less than EUR 2 915, compensation is equal to 100% of the previous salary; if gross wage is higher than EUR 2 915, compensation is equal to: 80% of previous gross salary if the leave does not exceed 1 year or 1200 hours or 60% of gross salary for the portion of the leave exceeding 1 year or 1 200 hours, with a minimum of EUR 2 915.
However, for some training, compensation cannot be less than 90% of the previous salary. This is the case in for training: leading to a degree or diploma of the approved technology education or responding to an individual goal of retraining not falling within the company's training plan.
Training is remunerated throughout its duration if it does not exceed 1 year full time or 1 200 hours part time. If training exceeds these periods, the employee must check with the organisation responsible for collecting the CIF contribution of his company to check if he can get support.
Training costs can also be supported. For this, the employee must contact the organisation to which his company contributes to the CIF. The application may be refused in particular for cost reasons.

Eligible costs

Specific arrangement

Volumes of funding

The overall costs funded were EUR 297 967 589 in 2013. For the CIF-CDI, total training costs funded within this scheme were EUR 226 648 724 (training costs not funded EUR 12 005 540) in 2013. 2012 the total training costs funded were EUR 21 404 8075 (training costs not funded EUR 13 672 444). For the CIF-CDD, total training costs funded within this scheme were EUR 71 318 865 (training costs not funded EUR 1 918 356) in 2013. 2012 the total training costs funded were EUR 64 632 067 (training costs not funded EUR 1 798 434).

Beneficiaries/take up