2026

There was no major measure in this domain this year.

2025

Measures to promote youth employment

Implementation period: Announced on July 16, 2025.

Status: In force.

Responsible authorities: Ministry of National Education, Higher Education and Research; Ministry of Labor and Employment; Ministry of Sports, Youth and Community Life.

Reasons/objectives: Improve the professional integration of young people, focusing on three main strategic areas:

1. Providing young people with better guidance, training and information on jobs that are hiring;
2. Strengthening the links between young people and businesses throughout their career paths;
3. Preventing dropouts, supporting vulnerable young people and promoting intensive integration programs.

Main measures adopted:

• Enrich the data held by “Inserjeunes” and “Insersup” to provide better information on career opportunities and success stories, along with the future information platform for young people;
• Encourage companies to become more involved in career discovery programs starting in secondary school, with a focus on increasing the number of women in STEM fields;
• Offer all vocational upper secondary students in their final year workshops and individual interviews with “France Travail” and the “Missions Locales” (“Avenir Pro program”);
• Develop 50,000 places over two years for one-year work-study specialization training at the first qualification levels, in conjunction with the professional branches;
• Systematize work experience in the first two months of the youth employment contract (“CEJ”) and develop pathways tailored to the needs of the sectors;
• Develop and roll out a benchmark training program for employment network advisors to train them in the business engagement strategy;
• Mobilize business task forces to engage employers in youth employment (recruitment, internships, mentoring, etc.);
• Make the conditions for short-term or part-time work more flexible for students, in order to promote student work that is compatible with their studies;
• Pilot the compulsory training of 16-18 year olds with a focus on results and clarify the responsibilities of the actors involved;
• Develop and mobilize intensive pathways for young people who are furthest from employment (civic service, production schools, etc.);
• Strengthen the management of mentoring and target it at priority groups to support transitions to employment or education.

Funding and material resources:

Funding: not specified.

Material resources: not specified.

Evaluation and monitoring mechanisms: Not specified.

References: https://travail-emploi.gouv.fr/lancement-de-la-strategie-gouvernementale-en-faveur-de-lemploi-des-jeunes 

2024

A new training cycle for the vocational "baccalauréat"

Running period: Set up at the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year as part of the reform of vocational "lycées".

Status : In force

Responsible authorities: Ministry of National Education and Youth

Reasons/objectives: 

• Strengthen the teaching of basic skills,
• Support each vocational high school student's pathway to employment or further study,
• Prepare for the post-vocational school years.

Main measures adopted:

• The widespread use of small groups in French and mathematics in the first and second years of vocational "lycées",
• One hour's support each week in the first and second years, and one and a half hours in the final year of vocational upper-secondary school,
• The reorganisation of the last six weeks of the final year of vocational "lycée" into a preparatory course, with a choice of either entry into the world of work or further study.

Funding and material resources:

Funding: not specified.

Material resources: not specified.

Evaluation and monitoring mechanisms: Not specified.

References: https://www.education.gouv.fr/rentree-2024-ce-qu-il-faut-savoir-415001

A business office in every vocational upper secondary school

Running period: Set up at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year as part of the reform of vocational "lycées".

Status : In force

Responsible authorities: Vocational upper secondary schools

Reasons/objectives: Organise and develop partnerships with professional players for the benefit of all those attending vocational or multi-purpose "lycées": pupils, apprentices, students and continuing vocational trainees. On the other hand, this office is the single point of entry for each company to facilitate the development of joint initiatives with the upper secondary schools.

Main measures adopted:

• Support teachers and trainers in their interactions with the business world;
• Set up joint initiatives between the school, the business world and local players;
• Create this resource for finding and successfully completing high-quality work placements, periods of on-the-job training and work-linked courses;
• Develop a sense of belonging and an alumni network;
• Monitor the success of the career paths and integration of each person trained at the school.

Funding and material resources:

Funding: not specified.

Material resources:

• The 1jeune1soultion.gouv.fr platform is published by the Ministry of Labour (General Delegation for Employment and Vocational Training).

References: Les bureaux des entreprises dans les lycées professionnels | Ministère de l'Education Nationale et de la Jeunesse