Individualising training access schemes: France – the Compte Personnel de Formation
(Personal Training Account – CPF)
The creation of the Compte Personnel de Formation (CPF), an individualised financing
scheme for professional training, marked an important step for the French professional
training system. Implemented in 2015, it is the only example at the international
level of an individual learning account in which training rights are accumulated over
time. Born from a compromise between social partners, the CPF has generated significant
improvements in training quality. The law of September 5, 2018 “For the freedom to
choose one’s professional future” brought significant changes to the account in order
to strengthen the role of the individual in the system, to reduce the role of collective
actors – in particular sectors – and to increase that of free competition and market
forces. After reviewing the design of the CPF before and after the reform, this paper
provides evidence on its use in practice, discusses the extent to which it succeeds
in reaching groups usually under-represented in training, as well as issues related
to the quality of training. It concludes with a discussion of the CPF strengths and
weaknesses.
Published on July 03, 2020Also available in: French
In series:OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Papersview more titles