Apprenticeship constitutes institutionally an important component of the French initial vocational education and training (IVET) system. It integrates within the overarching framework of a dominantly company-based apprenticeship model. It is initiated via an employment contract signed between the company and an apprentice and implemented through an alteration between mostly on-the-job (60-75 % of the time) and in-house training for the remaining time. Its major aim is to facilitate transition from school to work by allowing young people aged from 16 to 30 years (and even over) to develop their work-based skills and competences and have access to all related types and levels of formal vocational qualifications referenced within the NQF Directory of vocational qualifications. This paper is an analytical exploration into the historical background developments, institutional governance patterns, funding arrangements, organisation and methods of training and the inclusive performance of apprenticeship. The adopted investigation method is primarily based on scientific desk research and available data, documentation and performance evaluation studies and reports published by the ministries of education and labour, completed by a set of semi-structured interviews conducted with the representatives of the involved stakeholders. One of the main outcomes of this research confirms that apprenticeship is the most inclusive IVET component within the labour market. © Peter Lang Group AG, International Academic Publishers, Bern 2021. All rights reserved.
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