Apprenticeship grants have been the subject of extensive debate in recent months, triggered by the government’s proposal to reduce the overall amount allocated to them. As the draft Finance Bill and the Social Security Funding Bill for 2025 have not yet been passed by Parliament, the Government recently announced a decree due to be published in January. It promises a reduction in the amount of the grants, capped at €5,000 for firms with fewer than 250 employees, and at €2,000 for those with more than 250 employees.
The debate could resume shortly in Parliament. The discussion centres on the role of massive financial support for firms in the growth of apprenticeships in recent years, with the potential risk of slowing this growth by reducing the subsidies granted. This risk would, however, be acceptable if the current support were to encourage young people whose career progression / professional trajectories are not positively affected by this system of education to enter apprenticeships. In this context, higher education students constitute the main group that has benefited in recent years from public investment in apprenticeships, via support for firms and the levels of funding for apprenticeship contracts. This blog post draws on the findings of recent French and international studies to examine the effectiveness of apprenticeships across the different target groups.
