What are the differences between work-study and apprenticeship?

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The apprentice candidate must first register in an Apprentice Training Center (CFA). Then, as soon as he finds training and signs a contract with his future employer, he has three months before starting his apprenticeship training. This training lasts between 6 months and 3 years, but can be extended under certain conditions (failure), or shortened in the event of obtaining the targeted diploma before the end of the contract.

The apprentice alternates line database between cycles of courses and work in a company under the supervision of an apprenticeship master. The duration of the cycles depends on each training course: it can be days divided into hours of courses and hours of work, or periods of a few months of courses followed by periods of several months of work.

At the end of the apprenticeship period, the apprentice must take and pass exams. Moreover, the employer is required to grant him 5 days off, but paid, to allow him to prepare for them. In the event of success, the apprentice can terminate his contract under certain conditions: he must notify the employer in writing at least 2 months before his departure.

Since apprenticeship is a work-study program, there is no difference per se. However, we can explore the differences between apprenticeship and the other work-study program option, which is the professionalization contract. First, we explore the specificities of apprenticeship, then in another section we will look in more detail at the differences between the contracts.

The type of training
Apprenticeship concerns initial training, generally intended for a person who has completed their schooling, obtained their baccalaureate or recently graduated from higher education. Professionalization falls under continuing education and results in a qualification. The latter can be a BP, a professional or technical Baccalaureate, a CAP, a BTS, a professional license or even an engineering diploma.

So, apprenticeship really serves to learn a trade from "scratch" or from a theoretical diploma. In an ideal scenario, the apprentice completes his training and can practice his new trade, either in the company that trained him (if he made a good impression on his superiors and if the company has the means to invest in a new employee), or in another company in the same sector of activity.