2023
Country-specific report
Inventory of lifelong guidance systems and practices
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Inventory of lifelong guidance systems and practices - France

2023 Update

Please cite as:

Cedefop (2023). Inventory of lifelong guidance systems and practices - France. CareersNet national records. https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/publications-and-resources/country-reports/inventory-lifelong-guidance-systems-and-practices-france-0

Contributor:

Graziana Boscato

Reviewed by:

Cedefop

Copyright:

Reproduction is authorised, provided the source is acknowledged.

Disclaimer:

Translations of titles/names for entities, country policies and practices are not to be considered as official translations. The facts and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily coincide with the official position of Cedefop. Information supplied by the CareersNet core expert is updated to the best of their knowledge according to the relevant reference period and information provided by stakeholders and sources consulted. The records have not been edited by a professional. English language services.
Previous versions: 2020

Introduction

Responsibility for lifelong guidance and supporting career development throughout life is shared between different authorities in France, and divided in some cases regionally, with partner involvement, and where there are some new developments.  The country is administratively divided into 13 regions, which are responsible for the management and implementation of adult guidance and continuing education. At a national level, the central State is responsible for guidance of young people in initial training. For all guidance sectors, the Region is responsible for coordinating all guidance activities. Pursuant to Law n° 2014-288 of 5 March 2014 on vocational training, employment and social democracy, decentralisation to the regions is regulated by allocating competences, which were previously a responsibility of the central State, in the field of vocational training, apprenticeship and guidance. This reform strengthens the power of regional councils in this area, by integrating lifelong guidance issues into their competences, but with limited actions on pupil and student guidance policy.

There are several main developments to mention during the period under review:

  • the regions are adopting the guidance mission and its activities at different paces;
  • after 20 years of existence, the Labour market law (Law no. 2022-1598 of 21 December 2022) is breathing new life into VAE (validation de l’expérience), by broadening it and making it easier to access.  It also creates a public VAE service, with the task of guiding and supporting anyone applying to validate their experience.
  • following national calls for tenders, many multi-partner projects have been funded and implemented in higher education to promote student success, all of which include guidance activities.

A recent study on lifelong guidance by the Inspectorate general from 4th year up to the master's degree level  shows that systemic reforms are underway in the world of education to make lifelong guidance a reality, with ongoing support for young people throughout their careers.

Selected sources

Coordination and collaboration among stakeholders

The lifelong guidance public service, provided by the State and the regions, must guarantee access to free, complete, and objective information on professions, training, qualifications, job opportunities and remuneration levels, as well as access to quality guidance advice and support services organized in networks. It also contributes to professional diversity by combating gender stereotypes.

According to Article L. 6111-3 of the Labour Code, the State defines, at national level, the policy for the guidance of pupils and students in schools and higher education institutions (HEI). In particular, with the support of the public information and guidance centres (centres d’information et d’orientation, CIO) and the joint university information and guidance services (services communs d’information et d’orientation des universités, SCUIO), it implements this policy in schools and HEI’s and, to this end, provides the necessary information on all training paths to pupils and students.

Region, in turn, coordinates the actions of other bodies involved in guidance activities at regional level, for adults and for continuing education, as well as the establishment of the career development advisory process (Conseil en évolution professionnelle, CEP); it also provides information and sets up a network of advice centres on the validation of acquired experience (validation de l’expérience, VAE).

An annual agreement, concluded between the State and the region within the framework of the contract for a regional plan for the development of vocational training and guidance provided for in Article L. 214-13 of the Education Code, determines the conditions under which the State and the region coordinate the exercise of their respective competences in the region.

The law “LOI n° 2018-771 du 5 septembre 2018 pour la liberté de choisir son avenir professionnel” (Towards a new skills society) created France Compétences, a national public institution in charge of regulating and financing vocational training and apprenticeship. Placed under the supervision of the Minister in charge of vocational training, its role is to:

  1. distribute the pooled funds to the various actors in vocational training and apprenticeship;
  2. regulate the quality of training;
  3. make recommendations on costs, care rules and access to training;
  4. ensure the proper implementation of the reform on vocational training and apprenticeship.

France Compétences is the central body for the governance and financing of vocational training and apprenticeship following the promulgation of the law "Liberté de choisir son avenir professionnel" at national level, also managing the implementation of the regional public lifelong guidance services (Services Public Régional de l’Orientation, SPROs), which are entrusted with providing information to pupils and students in addition to steering guidance.

The association of the regions of France is a privileged interlocutor of Ministry of Education (Ministère de l'Éducation nationale et de la Jeunesse) and Ministry of Higher Education and Research, on the issue of the coordination of information and guidance missions within the regions currently being defined. Each region is responsible for moderating, organizing and coordinating the initiatives of players and partners, which contribute to each regional public guidance service (SPRO). These network-organised structures work together to provide this service.  A range of career guidance counselling players are involved:

  1. information and guidance centres (centres d’information et d’orientation, CIO);
  2. youth information bodies (regional youth information centres, CRIJ and youth information desks, BIJ);
  3. joint university information and guidance services (services communs d’information et d’orientation des universities, SCUIO);
  4. chamber of trade decision support centres (centres d’aide à la décision des chambres de métiers, CAD-CMA);
  5. Chamber of commerce and industry’s network, provides guidance services

Among its services, the Regional Public Guidance Service (SPRO) also provides validation of acquired skills (Validation des Acquis de l’Expérience -VAE) advice desks and career development advisory process (Conseil en évolution professionnelle, CEP).

The regional stakeholders mentioned above coordinate their services with national level organisations and services which include:

  1. the National Employment Agency (Pôle emploi);
  2. the National Network for Employment for Disabled Persons (Cap emploi);
  3. the Community aid projects for young people (Missions locales);
  4. the Executive Employment Association (Association pour l’emploi des cadres, APEC);
  5. the professional branches have joined forces to create skills operators (OPCO, Opérateurs de compétences). These 11 bodies are responsible for funding apprenticeships, helping branches to develop professional qualifications and helping SMEs to define their training needs. They also provide information to employees to facilitate their access to vocational training.

The above organisations have regional representations, addressing different audiences, and are equally coordinated by the SPRO at regional level. The regions must ensure that the activities are visible to users, complementary and not overlapping. The various member bodies of the SPRO, recognised based on the specifications defining professional development advice, "retain their administrative and hierarchical links, their statutory specificities and their missions, exercise", but they jointly pool skills and resources on the territories in order to respond more effectively to the needs and expectations of the public and to ensure the continuity of the care and follow-up of the applicant.

Selected sources

Access to guidance

There is a great diversity of services providing information and guidance in France, including those free of charge to users and those that are fee-based or otherwise. The benefits of this situation are that a wide range of techniques, practices, practitioners, and providers are on offer. Most of them are public organisations. This wide range of services has been shaped by differences between:

  1. target user groups (e.g., school pupils, young people, adults, unemployed, women, people with disabilities)
  2. the kind of service offered (information, individual activities including counselling, group-based services, skills audit)
  3. practitioners’ qualifications (career counsellors, psychologists, teachers, career information providers, social workers)
  4. the status of the provider (public, private, voluntary, commercial, professional)
  5. financing (state, local authority, jointly shared among organisations, enterprises, service users) (information adapted from Euroguidance 2020)

Networks offering guidance services depending on ministries

The main guidance providers are run by two Ministries, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Employment, although other ministries may be involved, such as the Ministry of Higher Education and Research and to a lesser extent the Ministry of Agriculture.

Lifelong guidance services under the Ministry of Education target post-primary schools, higher and further education institutions, are provided by a network of guidance services which includes the CIO (Centre d’Information et d’Orientation) and the national information provider Onisep (Office National d’Information sur les Enseignements et les Professions). Services are free of charge for the individual users and provided by trained practitioners such as guidance counsellors called “Psychologues de l'Education nationale, education, développement et conseil en orientation scolaire et professionnelle’’ and non-specialists, such as teachers. These counsellors are working both in the educational institutions and in guidance centres.

In each class of lower and upper secondary schools, one of the teachers is designated as “head teacher” with a role which officially (BO du 11 octobre 2018: rôle du professeur principal dans les collèges et les lycées) involves lifelong guidance, specifically:

  1. monitoring learning outcomes and pupil assessment
  2. support for pupils with specific educational needs
  3. involvement in the life of the class and the school
  4. career guidance

This text, apart from specifying the training requirements (see section on Training and qualifications) and financial recognition of the head teacher – the status of a head teacher provides a financial compensation in addition to salary–, it also states the head teacher:

  1. has a specific responsibility in the implementation and monitoring of information and assistance actions to gradually prepare the information on choices for decision-making to support all secondary school pupils;
  2. coordinates, for each student, the information and the progressive preparation of the choice of orientation in collaboration with the psychologist of the national education system;
  3. ensures the coordination and follow-up of actions in close collaboration with all the educational and training teams, including psychologists of the national education system, families, representatives of higher education and partners, such as local authorities or the economic, professional, and associative (cultural, social, etc.) worlds.

From the third grade onwards, the head teacher conducts personalised guidance interviews, at any time, according to individuals’ needs, while in upper secondary schools, the head teacher’s role in supporting students’ career choice is strengthened. Along with psychologists of the national education system, the head teacher also provides information on higher education, training, and the professional world, in connection with the actions organised by the regions and cooperates during Guidance Weeks, experiential activities in workplaces, and immersion activities in higher education.

Furthermore, MLDS (Mission de lutte contre le décrochage scolaire), is an entity aimed to prevent early school leaving, facilitate access to diplomas and qualifications for young people who have dropped out, and to secure training paths. Services are free of charge. The missions and competencies of MLDS personnel are defined by a national reference framework.

In respect to tertiary education, a lifelong guidance service most often called SCUIO (Service Commun Universitaire d’Information et d’Orientation) exists in each university and are free of charge for students. The mission of the joint university service is to organise the welcoming stage, provide information and guidance to students when they enter university, as well as throughout the university curriculum. This service also ensures the follow-up of the students in their labour market integration, in collaboration with the professors. In every university, SCUIO is a resource place, as it organises and provides orientation activities (individual interviews, interventions for secondary students, development of educational documents, etc.) and professional integration activities (information on professions, job search and internship tools, etc.).

The Ministry of Employment oversees the enquiries, information and lifelong guidance system for adults who are seeking employment or wish to retrain, move, or develop additional skills. This is provided free of charge by employment advisors through the countrywide network of employment agencies (Pôle Emploi). Pôle Emploi agencies cater for all adults whether they are employed or seeking employment, self-employed or otherwise.

Another public network reporting to the Ministry of Employment is the “Houses of Employment” (Maisons de l’emploi) which is part of the territorial organisation of employment and vocational training. Their purpose is to help the various relevant agencies work in close cooperation (local authorities, Pôle Emploi), at territorial level. Services are free for users and are funded by state and regional organisations. They propose innovative policies in the field of employment, considering local and regional characteristics; namely they analyse the local economic context, the actors involved, and their needs to propose concrete strategies, developing a strategic role for the local level. Employers and relevant professionals can also be involved in specific actions, such as in supporting enterprises in the digital transition, and allowing them to recruit digital profiles.

The national information centre for continuing training, known as Centre Inffo, is also under the Ministry. The centre’s task is to disseminate information to all those who work in continuing vocational training in the broadest sense. The website of Centre INFFO provides online career guidance activities for career professionals and for adults through a national portal, where people have access to quality information about education, training, and career opportunities.

Other bodies offering vocational guidance and advice

At regional level, information about continuing vocational training is spread by CARIFs (centres d’animation, de ressources et d’information sur la formation), which are training action, resource and information centres. Financed jointly by the government and the regions, the centres have links with social partners and with public and private bodies involved in vocational training, and services are free for users. Among the features of CARIF are the following:

  1. providing guidance to end users
  2. supplying information to professionals in training centres and local information/guidance points
  3. maintaining up-to-date documentation on training provision at regional level
  4. providing a forum where trainers in each region can meet and exchange ideas

Local offices (Missions Locales, ML) were established by local authorities, with the aim of welcoming, informing, and guiding young people (16 to 25 years) with social and workplace integration difficulties. The offices aim to support their integration and stable employment and services are offered free of charge, are funded by the state, local authorities and with EU funding (ESF).

Some training organisations include, as part of their work, guidance, advice, and placement services. Since January 2020, regional operators selected and financed by France Compétences, have an information/guidance role, particularly for the Training Personal Account (Compte personnel de formation).

The Chambers of Skills and Crafts network have also set up structures to develop lifelong guidance work; for instance, the network of chambers of commerce organised the event Nuits de l’Orientation (Guidance nights), which is the result of cooperation between schools and companies and aimed to develop ‘guidance without stress’ by increasing networking between entrepreneurs and students. Activities are free of charge. This event is held throughout France to support mainly secondary school students in their career reflection and choices, by connecting them with career guidance professionals, business leaders and employees. The event provides students the opportunity to reflect on their desires, profile, and future, as well as to discover professions with an interactive approach that considers their interests and personality.

The Association for Executive Employment (Association pour l’emploi des cadres, APEC), a specialized association for the employment of graduate students and executives, aims to increase employability and better placements through competence assessments and a matching service. Activities are free for individuals and employers/enterprises. Namely, this is done through assessment and validation of skills with a view to company recruitment by enhancing individuals’ employability.

Centres Interinstitutionnels de Bilan de Compétences (CIBC) are career centres that provide career guidance services for adults and where employed and unemployed individuals have access to competence check-ups, which is part of a legislative framework. The skills assessment makes it possible to analyse one's professional and personal skills, aptitudes, and motivations in support of a project for professional development and, where appropriate, training. Information on where someone may find a centre for a bilan de compétences can be found here.  Moreover, the centres are also collaborating with companies to implement a company skills development plan for employees.

Private guidance centres with personal coaches and private press agencies such as L’Etudiant and Studyrama, publish career information for secondary school and university students, which can purchased by schools, and organise fairs for young people.

Selected sources

Quality assurance

There are no specific official texts or directives for quality assurance in lifelong guidance. Quality assurance concerns all public services and its modernisation process. Several evaluation processes and distinctions (“labels”) contribute to improve the quality and performance of the education system:

  1. In France guidance is not considered as an isolated concept; it always takes place in an environment. One example is the school establishment project, that always includes a guidance component. Qualéduc is a tool developed by the Ministry of Education, made available to institutions and inspection bodies to develop a quality assurance approach based on continuous improvement. Qualéduc enables the development or updating of a diagnosis, a system, an establishment project, a contract of objectives, a labelling follow-up, or any project approach.
  2. Teaching and educational staff as well as national education psychologists are assessed at specific points in, and supported throughout, their careers: professionalisation and professional development of staff (consolidation of professional skills); remediation in the event of professional difficulties; mobility and career development.
  3. More generally, the State is committed to transforming and modernising the public service to improve its quality for users. The Marianne charter aims to make concrete progress in the quality of service provided in all public services and to develop a culture of customer relations within administrations. The Marianne service commitments aim to provide a close, efficient, and simple public service.
  4. Eduform is a label that offers visibility and attractiveness to continuing education organisations in the French national education system. It is also a guarantee of quality for the users.
  5. Since 2019, France Compétences has been responsible for regulating and assessing the quality of training programmes, as well as recognising certification bodies."Qualiopi" is the quality certification mark for training providers. The aim of the Qualiopi mark is to attest to the quality of the process implemented by providers of skills development programmes, whether these involve training, skills assessment, accreditation of prior learning or apprenticeship training. The certification is valid for 3 years. Providers of courses designed to develop skills are free to choose their certifying body. The Ministry of Labour publishes a list of accredited certifying bodies.

Association des psychologues de l’éducation nationale, APSYEN, is a professional body for school-based guidance practitioners. It organises career events, disseminates career guidance news and reforms. Since school practitioners are psychologists, the code of ethics of psychologists applies.

Selected sources

Career management skills

Secondary schools

Guidance as a factor in equal opportunities is reaffirmed in the 2022/2023 circular. Accordingly, voluntary lower secondary schools will offer new activities for discovering careers from the 5ème onwards and throughout secondary school, which may take the form of company visits, mini-internships, meetings with professionals from different sectors of activity, and make use of the resources designed by the National Office for Information on Education and Occupations (Onisep), the regional councils and the professional branches. The promotion of equality between girls and boys and the prevention of social or gender stereotypes will be at the heart of these initiatives (Eduscol, 2023).

Guidance is integrated into the time dedicated to guidance in lower and upper secondary schools. It also includes preparation for further study in higher education and professional integration. The regions are involved in providing information on careers and training.

  • at lower secondary school: 12 hours per year in the 4ème class and 36 hours per year in the 3ème class
  • at the higher sec. school: 54 hours per year
  • in the vocational schools: 265 hours over three years. In the final year of vocational school, students will choose to follow either the module preparing them for employment or the module preparing them for further study, depending on their plans.

Information and resources: https://eduscol.education.fr/800/orientation-priorites-et-perspectives

Part of the Ministry of Education's website is devoted to guidance: it contains information on guidance in the schooling of pupils, resources for guidance support which is integrated into the timetable dedicated to guidance in lower and upper secondary schools. It also includes preparation for further study in higher education and professional integration, as well as information on the dematerialization of procedures and online services for guidance and placement. At local level, the regions are involved in providing information on careers and training (https://eduscol.education.fr/794/orientation).

In the new structure of the baccalaureate (BAC) 54 hours per year are integrated in students' timetables for guidance activities, beginning from year 10 up to the final year of the secondary school. In the final year of secondary school, two teachers are appointed to accompany students in their choice of career and/or guidance processes. Namely, there is dedicated time to guidance activities in the curricula throughout high school to help students prepare their career choices and, ultimately, assist students’ entry into higher education. Students will be assisted according to the timetable provided within the framework of the schools' autonomy (small groups, differentiated pedagogy, MOOC, etc.).

The “Printemps de l'orientation” is an annual 3-day event, set up by the Ministry of Education. It mobilises all the national and regional players in the field of guidance, particularly in secondary schools and higher education institutions. This event aims to show the full diversity of training courses, whether school, student or apprentice. It not only enables pupils to find out about the requirements and expectations of the various courses of study, but also to find out about the opportunities they have and to gain an insight into the economic and professional world by enriching their perceptions.

Resources for students: https://printempsorientation.onisep.fr/Presentation-du-Kit-de-l-eleve

Resources for pedagogical teams: https://reso-avenirs.onisep.fr

The Parcoursup platform allows users to pre-register for most higher education institutions (21,000 courses). It provides information that enables young people to make informed choices (content of courses, entry requirements, skills required, etc.): https://www.parcoursup.fr

Avenir(s) programme: a major project to develop guidance for young people and provide everyone with skills portfolios, from secondary to higher education. It will involve the development of systems for monitoring the entire career path, from kindergarten to university, to enable better success. Financed within the framework of France 2030 and the "Education and Digital" strategy, the State confirms, with an investment of 30 million euros over 10 years, its desire to make in-depth changes to guidance support for young people in the Avenir(s) programme. It is designed and supported by Onisep, an operator of the National Education and Higher Education, and proposes a new approach to guidance that takes into account the skills of the 21st century (Gouvernement, 2022).

Universities

Numerous initiatives concerning guidance are taking place in universities to promote informed study choices, decision-making, and student success, with some interesting examples: Skills portfolios (also known as portfolios of competences) are increasingly being used in higher education institutions. Among the range of portfolios on offer, the Portfolio of Experiences and Skills (Portefeuille d'Expériences et de Compétences, PEC) platform is enjoying growing recognition. The e-portfolio has now been rolled out in 35 French universities, while 700 professors have been trained to use it to support students throughout their curriculum for creating and maintaining their professional integration project. PEC is dedicated to the identification, formalisation and mobilisation of student experiences and skills.

The government launched a national call for projects entitled 'Territorial devices for guidance towards higher education' (Dispositifs territoriaux pour l'orientation vers les études supérieures) under the 'Territories of educational innovation' ("Territoires d'innovation pédagogique") action. The aim is to support the creation of real guidance ecosystems in the regions, making it possible to support entry into higher education by informing high school students, future students, of the content and expectations of all the courses on offer.

The 8 winners share a budget of 37 million euros (10-year projects) in the respective universities:

  • université Paris Seine: Lyli
  • université de Lille: A vous le sup
  • université de Strasbourg: NORIA
  • université de Reims: Ailes
  • université de Toulouse: Acorda
  • université de Rennes: BRIO
  • université de Bordeaux: Acces
  • université d’Angers: Etoile

Adults

To develop adults’ careers, several measures are provided in various laws concerning vocational training.

For adults involved in working life, the law LOI n° 2013-504 has created the career development advisory process (conseil en évolution professionnel, CEP) and describes its implementation (further information can be found here). The CEP offers information, advice, and personalised support services for career development projects. It is structured on three levels:

  1. individualised reception for beneficiary to analyse his or her professional situation and decide whether to continue or not with the procedure;
  2. individualised advice to clarify priorities, identify skills and match jobs as well as define a career project; and
  3. individualised support for the implementation of the individual’s career project through the implementation of an action plan.

The CEP is a free and personalised support system offered to anyone wishing to assess their professional situation and projects. Anyone can access the system as it supports individuals and a broad group of workers such as job seekers, employees in the private sector, self-employed workers, craftsmen, liberal professions, and self-employed entrepreneurs. It is provided by counsellors present in five operators authorised to deliver the CEP:

Regional operators selected by France Compétences

  1. Apec
  2. Pôle Emploi
  3. Missions Locales
  4. Cap Emploi

The Personal training account (Compte Personnel de Formation, CPF) enables all active people, from the time they enter the labour market until the date on which they exercise all their pension rights, to acquire training rights that can be mobilised throughout their working life. The CPF allows individuals to acquire training rights that can be used throughout their professional life. It has a universal vocation and is aimed at all working people. CPF is credited in euros (further information can be found here).

 A new public service is available to CPF holders throughout their working lives: the skills passport. It offers everyone a personal space where they can find pre-loaded data with evidential value concerning their career, training, qualifications and diplomas. It guarantees what you've learned and makes it easier to find a job and a future career.

Le Bilan de compétences (Skills assessment/Competence portfolio) is a career guidance practice set up by the 91-1405 French law of the 31th December 1991 in order to achieve a better balance between labour supply and demand. It is developed by Centres Interprofessionnels de Bilan de Compétences (CIBC). Its aim is to raise the employability of the active population, to reduce structural unemployment and to increase job mobility. The initiative is carried out by public organisations (centres of the network of the inter-institutional centres, centres of the Adult Continuing Training Association), as well as private ones (private training centres, private career guidance centres), and is mainly funded through a compulsory vocational tax paid by all companies. By the 1991 Law, the Bilan de compétences is a universal right which enables individual beneficiaries to make their skills and competencies visible to themselves and to employers.

The practice is individual-centred and activity-centred, since it emphasises personal development depending on what workers like doing in their professional activities and what they dislike. It is carried out by practitioners trained in occupational psychology or human resources. Bilan de compétences addresses a variety of professional situations, such as workers willing to change their occupation, workers suffering from bad working conditions, workers who wish to know where they are in their career, workers willing to become self-employed and unemployed people looking for new opportunities. For 24 hours allocated over two or three months, beneficiaries are supported by a practitioner through interviews or psychological tests. The procedure includes the following steps: a) the presentation of the practice and the beneficiaries themselves; b) the investigation of the beneficiaries’ skills, strengths, aspirations through career counselling, assessments, monitoring and networking and c) the conclusion with the elaboration of a professional action plan providing recommendations to the beneficiary.

The skills assessment facilitates the analysis of professional and personal skills, aptitudes, and motivations in support of a professional development and, where appropriate, training project; it can also be used to put forward assets in a negotiation for a job, a training, or a career development project. A skills assessment can be completed within the framework of a Conseil en Evolution Personnel (CEP) either by taking a leave "outside working time" or "on working time". Employees with at least five years of paid employment, including 12 months in the company, may ask their employer for an absence permit for a maximum of 24 hours to carry out a skills assessment.

The linkage between the career guidance delivered by the Bilan de compétences and validation processes (Validation des acquis de l’expérience, VAE) is not straightforward, as both are carried out by different practitioners and follow different objectives. In certain cases, however, the outcome of a Bilan de compétences can be the individual’s participation in a validation process. In case the Bilan de compétences is funded directly by a company, there is no link (formal or informal) between career guidance and validation services (modification of the Law on Bilan de compétences can be found here).

The validation of acquired experience (Validation de l'expérience, VAE) enables individuals to obtain a title, a diploma, or a certificate of professional qualification by emphasizing the skills developed during a job or a voluntary activity. Anyone, independently of age, nationality, status, and level of training, who has at least one year of experience directly related to the certification in request, is eligible for the VAE. This certification must be registered with the RNCP (Répertoire national des certifications professionnelles), which is a part of the body France Compétences. Additionally, VAE provides initial guidance, during which the applicant is interviewed by a career counsellor about his or her career path, career project, and the choice of a certification or diploma. All the laws and decrees related to VAE are available here.

The law on VAE will evolve in 2023: the right to the VAE will be strengthened on some main points:

  • conditions to benefit from VAE
  • possibility of acquiring a block of skills of a certification
  • precision on the validation pathway
  • duration of the VAE leave
  • financing
  • creation of a public service for VAE and a single digital counter
  • experimentation of VAE actions integrated into the professionalisation contract

For more information see: https://www.je-change-de-metier.com/vae-nouveautes-2023

Selected sources

  1. For lower secondary: https://eduscol.education.fr/document/949/download
  2. For upper secondary: https://eduscol.education.fr/document/3166/download?attachment
  3. For vocational schools: https://eduscol.education.fr/document/3165/download?attachment

Evidence, monitoring and assessment

France Compétences INETOP and the Observatoire des politiques et des pratiques pour l’innovation en orientation (Oppio) are the bodies responsible for developing studies about the impact of the career guidance services (more information can be found here). In addition, Centre d’Etudes et de Recherche sue Les Qualifications (CEREQ) develops studies about the labour market, skills, and career guidance, while the French Institute for Education (Institut français pour l’éducation, IFE) develops studies about education and training opportunities (sometimes related to guidance issues). For instance, some resources related to school guidance can be found here.

The CEP is financed by France Compétences through the intervention of operators authorised to deliver CEP. The latter is concerned with evaluation of guidance and career counselling activities and is working on establishing reliable indicators for these sectors. More information on use of funds (vocational movement, and career counselling) can be found in the annual report.

Selected sources

Career information, ICT in guidance

Career information

Many digital initiatives are currently being developed in the field of lifelong guidance; they are aimed at young people and adults who are looking for information on training, the labour market and careers to help them in choosing and creating their pathway.  The most important of these are the following:

Onisep, the French National Office for Information on Education and Careers, which works under the auspices of the French Ministry Education is currently specialised in providing information about professional fields, careers, and appropriate job training. Namely, it published and disseminates information through different channels that are adapted to the needs of young people, parents, education professionals, and vocational counsellors; This includes: a) providing personalised service; b) web-based information, digital content, and published material; and c) participating in relevant fairs and shows. Diverse distance services include mail, chat, telephone. The website Mon Orientation En Ligne operates as a hub for the multi-channeled service.

MOOCs Orientation created by France Université Numérique, provides free and collaborative online courses that are created by universities and colleges. They also contribute to students’ career planning in terms of study paths and studies preparation in science and health, by providing stimuli. They also provide information on sectors and occupations.

The Emploi Store (Employment Store) provides free access to digital services offered by all employment and training providers, whether public or private, in classic Internet access or mobile applications. It includes coaching, e-learning, search engines, quizzes, social networks, simulators, or simple information services. The Employment Store centralises more than 250 sites, rated and commented by users.

On its website, Pôle emploi offers a career guidance and training passport, which aims to trace a person's entire career path and the skills developed throughout their career. This document is free and can be downloaded.

The national information centre for continuing training, known as Centre Inffo, is also under the Ministry. The centre’s task is to disseminate information to all those who work in continuing vocational training in the broadest sense. The website of Centre INFFO provides online career guidance activities for career professionals and for adults through a national portal, where people have access to quality information about education, training, and career opportunities.

Orientation pour tous is a portal set up by the Centre Inffo, an association under the Ministry for Labour responsible for developing information on continuing education and general information on orientation, training, and careers, free of charge. This portal, accessible on all fixed and mobile media created by the State, the Regions, and the social partners, has been targeted at the general public regardless of age, status or place of residence. This site gives access to regional information according to a project: discover jobs, find a training, meet a counsellor, find out about diplomas and qualifications, find funding for a training project.

1jeune1solution is a government initiative to support and accompany, train and facilitate the entry into professional life of all young people between 15 and 30, in all territories.

Services offered to students

Portail Etudiant (Student Portal) is a free-of-charge digital portal for student services and procedures. The portal offers students access to information and services useful for their entry into higher education and their student career. It enables them to carry out certain procedures on all aspects of student life, such as:

  1. studies: enrolment in higher education, training and further studies;
  2. fees: submission of applications for grants or social housing, applications for student rent deposits, information on housing subsidies, offers of private accommodation;
  3. services of daily life: food service, transport, health and social protection;
  4. activities: information on internships and student job offers, cultural and associative initiatives, sports activities;
  5. mobility: aid for international mobility, Erasmus+ aid, support for local and regional authorities.

For the above-mentioned services and procedures, access to the "my account" section allows each student to login and access the management of his or her student social file and all the services. To carry out applications for scholarships and housing in time, the schedules of admission procedures and the Student Social File have been harmonised.

Portal Parcoursup is the national platform for admission to the first year of higher education. This platform allows high school students, apprentices or students changing learning tracks, who wish to enter higher education, to be informed, to pre-register and to respond to admission proposals from higher education institutions. It contains the information needed to choose courses, set expectations, as well as get information related to the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in each field of higher education. This information makes it possible to better understand the reality of training, as well as to evaluate the chances of success, professional integration, and the relevance of career choices. To support young people in their decision-making, a guidance portal Terminales 2022/2023 has been set up including information on professions and sectors, career advice, a self-assessment questionnaire and links to online resources.

The portal Mon master (+ My Master Degree) was developed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. The portal allows the undergraduate student to:

  1. find clear, precise and complete information on all national master's degrees;
  2. search by criteria and consult all masters courses with access to information such as training locations, recruitment methods (review of a file or competition), maximum number of students of each year courses, timetables for submitting applications, etc.;
  3. search by discipline, institution, training location and combine criteria to make them more relevant to individual plans to pursue its studies;
  4. search by field of study;
  5. save and share user searches on Twitter or Facebook;
  6. allow the bachelor's degree graduate who have not been admitted to a master's degree to undertake the necessary steps to find another master's degree.

The Campusfrance portal is promoted by Campus France, the French agency for the promotion of higher education, hosting students and international mobility. It helps foreign students integrate in higher education, as well as find funding for their studies. It is run by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development and the Ministry of Higher Education and Research at the service of France's attractiveness policy. Its role is to provide foreign students with information on the possibilities of studying in France. The online service offers a training catalogue, with information on bachelor's, master's or doctoral programmes by field, keyword, or region. The bachelors and masters’ catalogue is updated three times a year, based Onisep data, and once a year for the Doctorate level, based on data from the Directorate-General for Higher Education.

ICT in Lifelong guidance

ICT guidance at secondary school and universities

The education system is engaged in profound pedagogical and organisational transformations, from nursery school to post-baccalaureate (for further information regarding the French educational system, please see here), which require a strong mobilisation of the potential of digital technology. It represents a powerful lever for transformation to support ministerial policy in all its dimensions: a) pedagogical transformation, with digital technology at the service of learning and its evaluation; b) training in the challenges and professions of tomorrow; c) simplification of relations with users; and d) modernisation of the functioning of the State with redesigned information systems. Like all fields of education and training, guidance is concerned by these changes.

The online public personalised guidance service Mon Orientation En Ligne is a national service, provided by Onisep, which provides information on guidance, training courses and professions. Advisors answer questions on career paths and occupations directly online by chat (50% of users), email or telephone. This service is also used as part of the free telephone helpline, set up each year between March and July for the national enrolment procedure in higher education. The service is available to educators, parents, students and pupils in schools.

Within the government's projects within the framework of France 2030, the one concerning guidance is called Programme Avenir(s): a major project to develop guidance support for young people and provide everyone with skills portfolios, from secondary to higher education at: https://www.gouvernement.fr/programme-avenirs-un-projet-majeur-pour-faire-evoluer-l-accompagnement-a-l-orientation-des-jeunes-et

Users can download the descriptive brochure from Onisep (the programme's coordinator) describing the programme, and its principles here:

By 2025 the platform Avenir(s) will also offer learning and skills portfolios for secondary education and higher education. The application will enable the linking of one’s activities and their skills. It will be based on both cross-curricular learning achieved in training as well as skills developed in personal activities. It will allow the user to position himself on a level of mastery of a skill and to see how to progress.

This application will be open to all citizens in connection with the skills passport of the Ministry of Labour.

The FOLIOS application is an online tool used by educational teams, guidance counsellors, and parents. FOLIOS is a portfolio tool, which will eventually be integrated with the Avenir programme, engages:

  1. pupils: in terms of providing the potentiality to feed and manage the content of their portfolios, valuing skills and competencies acquired in and out of school; elaborate career plans and design their CVs
  2. teachers and educational teams: including career related resources for teaching or classroom activities
  3. partners (people outside of the institution): providing template documents certifying one’s competence.

The tool mainly supports educational pathways, from primary school to the end of secondary education included VET but not HEI, created by the law “Loi d’orientation et de programmation pour la Refondation de l’école pour la République du 8 juillet 2013”. The tool allows members of the educational team, parents and the student to follow his or her progress throughout the school year, from the 6th to the final year of high school. It provides individual support by the educational team, reinforcing involvement in the learning process, and adopting reflexive approach during transition periods, (e.g., middle school to high school, secondary school to higher education).

Parcoursup is the portal of the Ministry of Education for admission to higher education, provided in cooperation with Onisep. It allows high school students to get information about the different training courses offered on Parcoursup, apply for the higher education courses, simulate a grant request based on social criteria and to receive advice online.

Onisep, in collaboration with the University of Paris Cité, has created a reference framework of guidance skills in high school, intended for educational teams and guidance professionals. It presents the skills mobilised by young people in their orientation process, broken down into progressive levels. The reference framework was developed in two stages. The first research phase consisted in identifying the skills used in the construction of guidance projects, and then organising these skills into broad categories. The second stage of co-construction involved refining the skills, proposing definitions and ensuring that they were understood through classroom activities with secondary school students and interviews with those involved in education and careers guidance. 

This approach led to the emergence of 15 skills described separately in fact sheets, divided into three main categories:

  • Getting information and finding one's bearings in the information society
  • Discovering yourself and cultivating your ambitions
  • Building and projecting oneself in an uncertain world

The description of each skill includes a summary, a definition, levels of progression, illustrations of how to apply the skill, teaching resources for classroom activities, etc.
The reference frameworks and skills sheets can be downloaded from the following page: https://www.onisep.fr/sites-annexes/avenir-s/referentiel-des-competences-a-s-orienter-au-lycee.

In 2023/2024, a reference framework of orientation skills for secondary school pupils and for pupils in the vocational schools will be published.

ICT guidance at universities

The Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation has issued calls for projects on orientation as part of the forward-looking investment programme Programme d’Investissement d’Avenir (PIA). For instance, in 2018, the Territoires d’Innovation (Territories of Pedagogical Innovation) action of the PIA 3 included two calls for projects:

  1. Territorial systems for guidance towards higher education, encouraged the creation of guidance ecosystems in the various territories, which bring together all those involved in training, employment and, of course, information and guidance advice, around the same objective: provide students and their families with all the necessary information on training, expectations and professional opportunities, support them in the development of a project for further study and thus help them make the best choices when entering higher education;
  2. MOOC - digital solutions for higher education orientation. It aims to promote the development on a national scale of quality digital tools and resources designed to improve the "bac-3/bac+3" transition, to help future students orient themselves towards the courses most suited to their profile and project and thus increase their chances of success in higher education.

As part of the New university courses action of PIA 3, the creation of new courses to meet the diversity of student profiles and support mechanisms throughout the first university cycle were targeted. Institutions should pay particular attention to university reception and guidance facilities during the first semester (further information can be found here).

ePortfolio: to keep track of experiences for students or career counsellors

The guidance departments of French higher education institutions offer systems for compiling and enhancing the value of acquired competences and promoting professional integration. ePortfolio systems aim at gathering a set of electronic documents and resources that describe and illustrate the learning or the pathway of individuals, their experiences, their work, and their competences.

For instance, the Portfolio Expériences et Compétences (PEC) (Portfolio of Experience and Skills) is a shared and collaborative digital platform that enables support to students’ personal and academic development throughout their training, offering them career guidance for back to training, labour market integration. The PEC is a methodology, a process, and a tool for enhancing the value of training and professional career path. It is composed of three interacting parts:

  1. taking stock to build projects and better communicate (students and recruiters/employers)
  2. a tool at the service of a process of reflection, construction and communication
  3. a process of analysis and synthesis of experiences, to bring out the knowledge and skills they have generated, organise them, "code" them in a language that promotes memorisation for oneself or for others and look for useful "evidence" according to the project (integration, internship, career management).

The PEC provides students with an interactive, personal and confidential digital space that allows them to preserve, organise and capitalise their own experiences and skills (further information can be found here and here).

The Ministry of Labour has opened an information portal Moncompteformation to develop adults' skills. It allows the users to find information simply and quickly on training rights, training opportunities, legislation on continuing education. It provides support, information on financial aid and possible qualifications.

Pôle Emploi has created a practical toolbox, the Emploi store, designed for job seekers, aiming at helping them find their way around the training and guidance landscape. The Emploi store is a free service that provides a wide selection of web and mobile services, e-learning tools, around employment and training. This platform provides visibility on the services that exist and therefore facilitates the implementation of training and/or job search projects, the construction of a professional project.

On the Pôle Emploi website, the CV becomes the "skills profile", to be integrated into the professional project. It allows the jobseeker's skills to be identified and promoted to recruiters: https://www.pole-emploi.fr/region/reunion/candidat/conseils-a-lemploi/le-cv/profil-de-competences.html

A skill passport for all CPF users will be launched in 2023

Article L6323-8 of the Labour Code, included in the Law for the freedom to choose one's professional future of 5 September 2018, integrates the right for users of the CPF/Personal Training Account to have a passport for guidance, training, and skills.

Caisse des Dépôts is developing a service accessible to all holders of a social security number, from the age of 15 onwards: https://politiques-sociales.caissedesdepots.fr/nouveau-service-deux-passeports-au-service-des-competences.

This service will offer pre-loaded, authentic personal information and will allow holders to enter additional data, whether certified or not, and to share it while ensuring that their data is respected and that they give their consent.

This skills passport, a data passport, will be for the exclusive use of CPF holders and will be usable via France Connect :

  • It will guarantee professional experience and will make it possible to read users’ professional skills acquired from this experience throughout their career.
  • It will guarantee the possession of titles, certifications, and diplomas from initial or continuing education and will allow a vision of users’ skills acquired during apprenticeships.

This data will be used by Passport holders in their individual job search efforts, for example, but could also serve as a basis for their support and guidance within the framework of the public service of the Conseil en Évolution Professionnelle/CEP. It will enable each user to measure their acquired skills and identify the job opportunities and continuing training related to them, to project themselves into their future.

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Training and qualifications

In France, there are different requirements for career practitioners, and it is a partially regulated profession and training pathways are available. Staff includes those working in lifelong guidance as (career) guidance counsellors and career education teachers in the education sector, and employment and career advisors in different settings. There are also other providers of guidance that the public can access (see section Access to career guidance).

The career paths and qualifications of professionals will be very different depending on the type of employer (public, private or association) and the populations concerned. The name of the profession also varies. The requirement is always a higher education qualification, but this can range from two years to five years of study.

Staff working in the lifelong guidance field, for whom the title of psychologist is required, must have a master's degree in psychology. This profession is regulated, and these professionals are the only ones authorized to use psychometric tests.

Guidance staff working in schools and universities must hold a master’s degree in psychology, and after undergoing a selective competition, they attend a one-year specialisation course at university, which is paid. Subjects studied in the course include psychology, sociology, economics, and educational sciences. This additional one-year qualification also sometimes required in other settings and is provided by universities and the CNAM, such as for those dependent on the Ministry of Education. The CNAM offers training in the psychology of career guidance as well as training for career guidance professionals. More specifically, it includes The Institut National d'Etudes et d'Orientation Professionnelle (INETOP), dedicated to training and research in lifelong guidance.

INETOP offers a Bachelor's degree followed by a Master's degree in Guidance and Counselling Psychology or by a Master's Degree in Guidance, Assessment and Integration.

Completion of the course grants access to the State diploma of Psychologue de l’éducation nationale, "éducation, développement et conseil en orientation scolaire et professionnelle". A list of training centres for educational psychologists is available at here.

Professional guidance management staff are trained at the Institut des Hautes Etudes de l’Education et de la Formation (IH2EF) which is the central provider of training and professional development courses for management staff belonging to the Ministry of Education.

Employment advisors providing (career) guidance at Pôle Emploi must hold a BAC + 2 (after a 2-year degree) and have knowledge in sociology, psychology, economics, among other relevant fields. In addition, they need to have passed a competition and have benefited from internal training. Pôle Emploi also recruits occupational psychologists who have completed a master's degree in Psychology through a selective competition.

In the French national directory of professional certifications, the profile of the ‘employment-training-integration advisor’ is described. The advisor assists long-term jobseekers, young people with integration difficulties, low-skilled employees threatened with redundancy, employees on subsidised contracts, persons with disabilities or specific needs, and other user groups, by offering them personalised support aimed at promoting their social and professional integration. These advisers are mainly specialised in the sector of professional and/or social integration assistance or placement, the public employment service (Pôle Emploi, integration services of local and territorial authorities), the associative sector (Local Missions, integration associations, Structures d'Insertion par l'Activité Economique (SIAE), Centre d'Hébergement et de Réinsertion Sociale (CHRS), Establishments and Services for Assistance through Work (ESAT), the private sector (training organisations, consultancy firms).

CARIF OREF are public offices which provide information and advice in the field of continuing training. They also provide guidance to end users and training to professionals who inform and support them. Guidance staff have a variety of qualifications and there are no general requirements for entry to the position.

The missions for the reduction of educational disengagement (Mission de lutte contre le décrochage scolaire - MLDS) have been developed with the aim to prevent and diminish school dropout and early school leaving from education and training, and staff provide guidance. The staff concerned have passed a certification to work at MLDS.

Selected sources

Funding career guidance

Lifelong guidance activities are part of wider fields such as education, various kinds of support, vocational training, etc. Many decision-makers and bodies are involved in their funding (ministries, regional, departmental, and municipal authorities, etc.). (See also Access to career guidance). In this way, it is not possible to isolate figures exclusively dedicated to guidance as a specific measure or policy field, including staff.

Below are a few examples:

1. For young people

  • education psychologists, development and guidance counsellors are paid by the Ministry of Education
  • head teachers in secondary schools receive an annual allowance, known as the "pupil monitoring and guidance allowance"
  • guidance initiatives organised and funded as part of the SPRO may be paid for by the regions or by professional bodies
  • university guidance staff and departments are paid by the universities
  • Onisep is a state body that reports to the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education.
  • Missions locales network is funded by national and local authorities

2. For adults

  • Lifelong guidance activities are funded by institutions delivering guidance services, among other services:
  • Pôle Emploi is a public administrative body whose employment advisers can also offer guidance activities in workshops or in using tools such as the digital guidance passport, which is a document that enables people to take stock of their skills and career plans;
  • CAP emploi;
  • Carifs Oref network is funded by the State and the regions, sometimes also by the ESF (European Social Fund);
  • The CEP (Conseil en évolution professionnelle) is financed by France compétences through the intervention of operators authorised to deliver CEP. The latter is concerned with evaluation of guidance and career counselling activities and is working on establishing reliable indicators for these sectors. The cost of this measure has not been evaluated because there is no specific funding for it. As the operators already had this activity, it is the position of those involved that has changed. A January 2023 report details this point. More information on use of funds (vocational movement, and career counselling) can be found in the annual report.
  • A report from 2015 contains information on career guidance measures: Ministère du Travail; DARES (2015). Rapport sur les dépenses Emploi, Formation et Orientation professionnelles. Données nationales et régionales  (the more recent report only contains information on financing of specific employment measures and does not contain information on career guidance).

Selected sources

Career guidance for school pupils

Guidance actors at school

Comprehensive career guidance services are provided at school with the aim to provide support for all students, tackle those at risk and diminish school dropout (see also Access to career guidance). Many actors in the educational community are involved in student guidance; namely, parents, the pedagogical and educational team, the school principal or head, guidance counsellors-psychologists, social workers, medical doctors, and educators. Some of these roles are central:

  1. the head teacher of each class conducts personalised guidance interviews in third, first and final year classes. In liaison with the guidance counsellor-psychologist, the head teacher is responsible for guiding students in their choice of path and provides information on training and professional integration. The legal activities of the head class teacher are described thoroughly here;
  2. the head of the school is a key figure in guidance, chairing the class council and taking important final decisions at the end of each school year. Each school has an annual school project (presented to the school board) with a section devoted to guidance; this section describes all the activities related to guidance for each level of class in detail, including classroom activities, individual guidance interviews, company visits, forums, internships etc. Further information can be found here;  
  3. psychologists-guidance counsellors and directors of Information and Guidance Centres. In France, psychologists- guidance counsellors- and directors of information and guidance centres (CIOs) work mainly with secondary school students, young people in transition to the labour market and students. They help clients develop their orientation or reorientation project. Techniques include individual interviews, group work, evaluations, etc. They are both specialists in individual guidance counselling, in high schools and colleges as well as in providing technical advice to the educational team. In addition, they are increasingly involved as trainers with teams of teachers in charge of setting up pedagogical sequences for guidance and career management skills.

The missions to fight educational disengagement MLDS (Mission de lutte contre le décrochage scolaire) have been developed with the aim to prevent and diminish school dropout. One of their main roles is to facilitate access to diplomas and qualifications for young people who have dropped out, and secure training paths (provision of individual solutions to meet the needs of each pupil in difficulty, implementation to provide access to a qualification). Since July 2016, the missions and competencies of MLDS personnel are defined by a national reference framework of activities and competencies.

Other services

There are also other services providing guidance to school pupils:

  1. La mallette des parents is a toolkit that aims to provide access to quality information for parents of students from primary and secondary schools to support the learning and professional choices of their kids;
  2. Monorientationenligne is provided for pupils, students and parents (see section ICT in lifelong guidance);
  3. MOOCs-orientation has been developed for high school students to help them in their choice of guidance at the time of the transition from high school to higher education (see section ICT in lifelong guidance);
  4. Onisep develops online career guidance activities for pupils, VET students, students, youngsters with handicap, parents and teachers;
  5. L’Etudiant  and Studyrama are private career guidance providers which aim to enhance access to quality information about learning and work opportunities for students from secondary schools and universities;
  6. Youth Centres network (CIDJ) develops online career guidance activities for youngsters;
  7. Service Public Regional Pour l’Orientation - SPRO is the Regional Public Service of Guidance addressed to all individuals that are concerned. The measures are in favour of all audiences, and no one is excluded. Information can be found on the activities of the SPRO at the regional websites; and
  8. Réseau des Cité des Métiers : A Cité des métiers is a multi-partner arrangement, open to all persons seeking information and advice on building their future career, respecting the principles of free access and anonymity (https://www.reseaucitesdesmetiers.org). Cité des métiers network is a space for advice and resources and other materials, jointly run by partners specialising in career advice, training, employment, appraisal, and creation of relevant activities; they pool their resources to provide career advice, integration, and professional development for individuals. Currently, there are 30 centres which have obtained the "Cité des métiers" label in nine countries: France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Canada, Chile, Mauritius, and Belgium.

Selected sources

Guidance for VET participants

VET participants in initial VET are not a separate target user group. See section Career guidance for school pupils.

Guidance for higher education students

(see section Career guidance for school pupils; specifically, part c) psychologist guidance counsellors working with students)

Specific guidance for higher education students

The Ministry of Higher Education has a page dedicated on its website to student guidance, which includes current issues and legislation

In universities, career guidance services are provided by career experts from the shared university service for information and guidance, mainly called SCUIO (Service Commun Universitaire d’Information et d’Orientation). The mission of the joint university service is to organise the reception, information, and guidance of students upon their admission to university and throughout the university curriculum: it subsequently ensures, along with the professors, the follow-up of their labour market integration and career. It offers diverse guidance activities such as individual interviews, interventions for secondary school students, development of educational documents, information on professions, job search and internship tools.

In addition, APEC (Association Pour l’Emploi des Cadres - Association for executive employment) is a private association, financed by executives and enterprises, that provides specific information and career guidance for graduates.

Selected sources

Guidance for adult learners

Main structures for adult guidance

The public employment service offices, Pôle Emploi, provide guidance through individual interviews and online tools and services. They offer information, guidance, and placement services free of charge for adults who are seeking employment or wish to retrain, move jobs, or develop additional skills. This provision is delivered by employment advisors through the countrywide network of employment agencies, which cater for all types of adult workers whether they are seeking employment, employed or self-employed.

Another network reporting to the Ministry of Employment are the employment centres (Maisons de l’emploi). Their purpose is to help the various agencies involved (local authorities, Pôle Emploi), to work more closely based on an area plan. The national information centre for continuing training known as the Centre INFFO, also under the umbrella of the Ministry of Employment, provides online career guidance information for career professionals and for adults through a national portal where people have access to quality information about education, training and career opportunities.

The Employment Store (Emploi Store), the practical toolbox of Pôle Emploi, is designed for job seekers, aiming at helping them find their way around the training and guidance landscape offers a range of freely available individual online services (online courses, advice, quizzes, etc.) grouped together by theme: a) choosing a profession; b) training; c) preparing your application; d) finding a job; e) setting up a business; f) finding an international job, etc.

Agence nationale pour la formation professionnelle des adultes (AFPA), the national agency for the vocational training of adults, accompanies job seekers and employees for integration, retraining and professionalisation. It offers adapted diploma courses, provides advice, and offers support in choosing a professional project. It also offers an online questionnaire for job choice, IDM Métiers, which makes it possible to identify transversal skills (auto evaluation des compétences) and proposes a list of jobs that are close to a user's profile.

The national centre of crafts and professions, CNAM (Centre National des Arts et Métiers) offers lifelong training developed in close collaboration with companies and professional organisations to meet their needs and those of their employees. It also offers training in the psychology of career guidance as well as training for career professionals. It has its headquarters in Paris, a network of 29 regional centres and 158 training centres.

The resource and information centre for VET and the regional observatory for employment and training CARIF-OREF (Centre Animation Ressources d'Information sur la Formation - Observatoire Régional Emploi Formation), provide services for more than 25 years. This joint structure is spread over the whole territory with a mission along four axes: a) observation; b) information; c) animation; and d) professionalisation. They may vary from one region to another, depending on local specificities. The CARIF-OREF provide access to career information about vocational training opportunities developed at regional level, enhance collaboration with local and regional stakeholders and career providers, and facilitate the dissemination of career information among career practitioners.

The interinstitutional centres for the competence portfolios, CBIC (Centres Interinstitutionnels de Bilan de Compétences) are career centres where employed and unemployed individuals have access to competence assessments. Besides their service to individual users, they reportedly maintain strong collaboration with companies, promoting staff career development.

The Greta (groupement d'établissements publics locaux d'enseignement) network is a structure that gathers adult training providers and organises training for adults in most professions. It is possible to prepare a diploma Certificat d’Aptitude Professionnelle (CAP) to Brevet de Technicien Supérieur (BTS) or follow a simple training module.

Universities also offer adult education and training and have a common website. (For further information, please see section ICT in lifelong guidance).

The Association for Executive Employment (Association pour l’emploi des cadres – APEC) offers support and advice to find a job, to develop a professional project (career plan), for career development for the established career advisory process (CEP) (see also section Access to career guidance).

Regional skills operators (OPCO) have been approved by France Compétences (see section Coordination and collaboration). They provide, among other services, guidance services as operators of the Conseil en Evolution Professionnel (CEP). (List of OPCO can be found at: https://travail-emploi.gouv.fr/ministere/acteurs/partenaires/opco)

Cité des métiers network is a space for advice, resources, and other materials, jointly run by partners specialising in career advice, training, employment, appraisal, and creation of relevant activities; they pool their resources to provide career advice, integration and professional development for individuals. Currently, there are 30 centres that have obtained the "Cité des métiers" label in nine countries: France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Canada, Chile, Mauritius, and Belgium. Cité des Métiers is open to all persons seeking information and advice on building their future career, respecting the principles of free access and anonymity.

Consular chambers, professional branches, training fundraising bodies may also offer guidance services for adults.

Selected sources

Guidance for the employed

See section Guidance for adult learners

Guidance for unemployed adults

The main service provider for job searchers and unemployed is the public employment service, Pôle Emploi, with its network of local offices (see section Guidance for adult learners).

APEC (Association Pour l’Emploi des Cadres - Association for executive employment) is a private association, financed by executives and enterprises, that provides specific information and career guidance for graduates and unemployed executives.

Guidance for older adults

The State encourages the hiring and retention of older workers (additional information can be found here). The conclusion of agreements and senior action plans are part of employers' obligations. Senior employees use the same tools (Compte personnel de formation-CPF, Conseil en évolution professionnelle -CEP) and services for guidance (APEC, CIBC, Pôle Emploi) as other adults. For further information please see section Guidance for adult learners.

For example, APEC (Association Pour l’Emploi des Cadres - Association for executive employment) is a private association, financed by executives and enterprises, that provides specific information and career guidance for executives who are unemployed, including those in late careers.

Selected Source

Ministère du Travail. Emploi. Mesures seniors. https://travail-emploi.gouv.fr/emploi/mesures-seniors/

Guidance for early leavers

The rate of early school leaving from education and training (ELET) (18 to 24 years) in France in 2022 was 7.6%, somewhat below the EU 27 average in 2020 (Eurostat, 2023 online code: EDAT_LFSE_14).

To support young people, the implementation of government actions in the field of ELET is legislative and partnership-based, which provides a context for guidance provisions:

An ambitious plan, set in 2014, is part of the Europe 2020 strategy which defined the fight against early school leaving from education and training as a priority. It emphasises the prevention of drop-out from  primary school onwards, considering the social and human cost both for the youth and for the society. It also aims at strengthening the existing measures like remedial actions. For instance:

  1. Remediation Module (Reading Writing Comprehension): Specific time devoted to reading, writing and comprehension, given by trained teachers using different materials and innovative methodologies;
  2. Individualised pathway established based on a contract between the young person, his/her legal guardian and the head of the establishment setting out a contractualised project.

The Ministry of Education manages and funds over 380 school drop-out tracking and support platforms (Plates-formes de suivi et d’appui aux décrocheurs scolaires - PSAD) to identify and follow up on students who are disengaging or otherwise, or who have left education and training early. A system allowing the early identification was set up in 2009. It allows early detection of early school leaving, provides access to learning opportunities in the workplace and individual follow-up. The missions for the reduction of educational disengagement MLDS (Mission de lutte contre le décrochage scolaire), including guidance measures, have been developed with the aim to prevent and diminish school dropout (For additional information on the role of career guidance, please see section Career guidance for school pupils).

The training obligation applies to all young people from the end of their compulsory schooling to the age of 18. The aim is to offer solutions for a return to school, access to qualifications and employment.

Tailor-made support, a variety of solutions and the mobilisation of all the professionals in the area, as close as possible to the young person. All the national and regional institutional players are mobilised. A free telephone number  +33 800122500 (where guidance and support professionals answer depending on the region where the young person lives, to ensure immediate access to a professional in their region) and a dedicated platform enables access to information and service contact for all users.

A new coordinated school dropout prevention approach, entitled "Tous droits ouverts"(TDO) (‘All rights open’), is being introduced from the start of the 2023 school year to support the work of educational and teaching teams providing assistance to the most vulnerable pupils, with priority given to those from vocational lycées. The approach is flexible and innovative and relies on the mobilisation of all local players involved in the support, integration, training, and employment of young people. It is based on existing schemes. In the TDO approach, the partnerships form an educational alliance between the school and players outside the national education system, after prior work on school retention has been carried out within the schools and internal solutions have been considered. Specific objectives are assigned to this individualised pathway, designed as a stage in a training and integration pathway in line with the compulsory training requirement for 16–18-year-olds. The principles underpinning this approach combine accountability on the part of the education system and its partners, respect for the Education and Labour Codes and flexibility in implementation.

The issues, organization, and objectives for preventing dropout are described by the Ministry of Education here.

le Parcous ambition emploi (‘Ambition job path’) is another example of an initiative taken by the Ministry of Education in partnership with the network of local missions. It is aimed at young people from vocational secondary schools, with or without qualifications, who are not in employment, in order to create individual pathways to employment and monitor their progress.

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Guidance for NEET

In France, the supportive measures and actions for early school leavers from education and training, with at most a lower secondary education, are related to those for young people not in education, employment, or training. An ambitious plan, set in 2014, is part of the Europe 2020 strategy which defined the fight against early school leaving from education and training as a priority. It emphasises the prevention of drop-out from primary school onwards, considering the social and human cost both for the youth and for the society. It also aims at strengthening the existing measures like remedial actions. For instance:

  1. Remediation Module (Reading Writing Comprehension): Specific time devoted to reading, writing and comprehension, given by trained teachers using different materials and innovative methodologies;
  2. Individualised pathway established based on a contract between the young person, his/her legal guardian and the head of the establishment setting out a contractualised project.

Individuals who are NEET are not targeted as users as such. They are included as a group in all guidance actions of the various local partners working in the framework of the SPRO/Regional public service for guidance. Targeted training actions exist, especially in some regions, but as far as lifelong guidance is concerned, there are no specific references or measures.

The Ministry of Labour has set up a skills investment plan (Plan d’investissement dans les compétences) whose actions may concern young people who are NEET since it aims, among other things:

  • guarantee a basic skills base
  • meet the needs of companies and qualify the workforce

The Skills Investment Plan has three levels of intervention: Implementation in the regions, within the framework of regional Skills Investment Pacts 2019-2022, taking into account the specificities of each region, the nature of the local labour market and the achievements already made; the launch or intensification of national actions to accompany vulnerable groups in employment and to support the transformation of professions; and, the launch of competitive calls for projects to innovate and transform through experimentation in areas requiring a new approach to public policies.

Examples of actions for NEETS

Calls for projects were launched in 2018 ran until 2022 as part of the Skills Investment Plan (SIP)/Axis 3 "Innovate and experiment", focusing on support and training actions.

‘100% inclusion is a call for projects for the benefit of young people and jobseekers with low or no qualifications. This call for projects is the ambition of integrated and personalised pathways, from remobilisation to access to employment or sustainable activity, allowing the construction of professional projects and the development or enhancement of skills. The call for projects will allow innovative approaches to be tested in terms of remobilisation, support, development, and enhancement of the skills of those furthest from employment. This call for projects aims:

  1. to promote the creation of new cooperation between public and private players in a given area, working in the fields of integration, vocational training or the creation of activities;
  2. to encourage the strengthening of existing cooperation

The missions for the reduction of educational disengagement (Mission de lutte contre le décrochage scolaire - MLDS) have been developed with the aim to prevent and diminish school dropout and early school leaving from education and training. 

The Ministry of Education offers a partnership approach to young people who have left the education system without qualifications, with some interesting examples:

  • Reviens te former is a national scheme for young people who have left the education system without a diploma and who are entitled to free training, as many hours as necessary to acquire a qualification. These hours are financed by the Regions. To benefit from this right, people can be helped by the information and guidance centres, the local institutions (or digital platforms) that deal with early school leavers from education and training. The service can be reached by a free national telephone number: +33 800 1225 00.
  • Réseau des Ecoles de la deuxième chance/network of second-chance schools
  • EPIDE centres (Établissement public d'insertion pour l'emploi). Its mission is to support young women and men volunteers, aged 18 to 25, who are unemployed, without qualifications and without a work qualification, in the success of their social and professional project, thanks to an adapted and personalized programme. The training is free of charge and exclusively given in boarding schools.
  • Service Militaire Volontaire (Voluntary military). The aim of the voluntary military service is to help young people without a job or qualifications to integrate into a professional environment. The SMV guarantees personalised and individualised support in the training and integration of volunteers.
  • A dedicated website to present all the offers for NEETs.

Many national associations offer local actions for young people who are NEET. For example, AFEV, Energie Jeunes, Unis.

The network of Missions locales provide career support for young people with ages between 16 to 25. The aim of their services is to provide individuals with support in terms of re-entering the education path and obtaining a higher qualification or finding a job. Guidance practitioners offer their assistance in developing employability and accessible training. Among those mechanisms, the Youth Guarantee provides beneficiaries with access to enhanced support combined with an allowance. The Initiative for Youth Employment (Initiative pour l’emploi des Jeunes - IEJ) helps implement the European Youth Guarantee in the 13 Regions (the most disadvantaged regions) and three departments which are authorised to benefit from the youth guarantee.

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Guidance for young people at risk

The 380 monitoring and support platforms for early leavers, PSAD (plates-formes de suivi et d'appui aux décrocheurs), coordinates local stakeholders in training, employment, including youth centres, second chance education providers, apprenticeship centres, voluntary services, among others. They are part of the network for training, qualification and employment FOQUALE (Réseaux Formation Qualification Emploi), which gathers all organisations and tools relevant to educational reintegration. Relevant legal texts can be found here and here.

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Guidance for persons with disabilities

Ministry of Education

According to the legislation, in each school, there is a teacher responsible for the schooling of students with disabilities (Enseignant referent/ teacher-referee) that welcomes, informs and accompanies families in the procedures. Furthermore, the teacher-referee links families to all the professionals who accompany the student throughout his or her school career. Thus, the role ensures not only an essential mission of welcome and information, within national education, but also continuity and consistency in the implementation of personalised schooling projects for students with disabilities.

In addition, Onisep provides information and guidance for youngsters and students with special needs and disabilities (for further information please see here), as well as specific guidance information through Tchat Onisep to help students with disabilities with Parcoursup, for example, the national platform for admission to the first year of higher education.

Guidance and information centres (CIOs) also provide guidance for young people with specific needs. Sometimes the centres are specialised, such as the Guidance and Disability Resource Centre in Lille.

In each academy, there are representatives of a specific network “Réseau Handicap Orientation” (RHO), such as the RHO in Paris. The RHO provide advice and support towards the elaboration of learning and professional projects. They can collaborate with multidisciplinary teams in schools and hospitals where relevant, and they also organise dedicated training sessions and provide access to specialised documentation.

Ministry of Higher Education

Handi-U is an internet portal providing services to students with disabilities. It has also published a guide for the support of students with disabilities at university (Guide de l'accompagnement de l'étudiant handicapé à l'université). The guide includes a chapter on vocational guidance addressed to university staff, that specifies how best to welcome and support students with disabilities, to enable their autonomy as much as possible up until their professional integration. Each university has set up a support system to enable students with disabilities to follow their studies in the best possible conditions.

Furthermore, there are many associations that offer information on guidance, studies and professional integration for students with disabilities, such as Arpejeh, Droit au savoir, Hanploi & School, Tremplin:  Études, Handicap, Entreprises and La FÉDÉEH: Le mouvement des jeunes handinamiques.

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Guidance for immigrants

Children

For a long time now, the Ministry of Education has had academic centres for the education of newly arrived allophone children and children from itinerant and travelling families (Casnav) in each académie.( Welcoming and positioning young people for schooling in France, production of educational resources, teacher training, etc.)

Adults

Immigrants and refugees are not targeted as such for career guidance. They are entitled to access  by all services for adults and by all guidance actions of the Service Public Regional d’Orientation (SPRO) (e.g. integration of refugees through employment).

A specific information for refugees students on Etudiant portal provides practical information to gain access to higher education, career guidance, including requirements, documentation, financing options and useful services. Moreover, the Action Emploi Réfugiés (AERé) is the reference service linking employers and refugees in France, while job offers are presented in a platform. In addition, for migrant’s parents, Onisep offers online videos (L'école expliquée aux parents La mission de l'École) which explain the educational system in nine languages (the most representative among migrants), clarifying access to the system, its organisation, the available guidance support and general procedures.

Ministry of Education information portal for hosting Ukrainian refugee students and resources for teachers hosting them (https://www.education.gouv.fr/accueil-et-scolarisation-des-enfants-ukrainiens-340790).

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Gender-based policies

Guidance as a factor in equal opportunities is reaffirmed in the 2022/2023 circular. Accordingly, voluntary lower secondary schools will offer new activities for discovering careers from the 5th year onwards and throughout secondary school, which may take the form of company visits, mini-internships, meetings with professionals from different sectors of activity, and make use of the resources designed by the National Office for Information on Education and Occupations (Onisep), the regional councils and the professional branches. The promotion of equality between girls and boys and the prevention of social or gender stereotypes will be at the heart of these initiatives. (Ministère de l’éducation nationale, 2023).

French school, as a public service founded on the principles of neutrality and equality, all pupils in their diversity and to ensure the integration of each of them with the aim of enabling them to succeed in their school careers. These principles are set out in a specific circular edited by the ministry of education.

More info: https://eduscol.education.fr/1629/egalite-filles-garcons-et-prevention-des-violences-sexistes-et-sexuelles?menu_id=2016
See statistics: https://www.education.gouv.fr/bo/22/Hebdo26/MENE2219299C.html

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Sources

[URLs accessed 9 October 2023 ]

Country-specific report details

Country report type
Inventory of lifelong guidance systems and practices
Related Country
Related Project
Lifelong Guidance
Related Network
CareersNet
Cover France