PARIS (Reuters) – The French government said on Thursday it will launch a programme to boost apprenticeships in French companies in order to soften the impact of the coronavirus crisis on employment.
Labour Minister Muriel Penicaud said state support for hiring apprentices under 18 years of age will be raised to 5,000 euros from 4,125 euros and for apprentices 18 years or over to 8,000 euros from 5,125 euros. A ministry source said the cost of the programme would be over 1 billion euros.
“Under this scheme, the cost of an apprentice will be virtually zero the first year for all recruitments between July 1 and Feb. 28, 2021,” Penicaud said following a meeting with labour unions.
(Reporting by Caroline Pailliez and Michel Rose; Writing by Geert De Clercq; Editing by Chris Reese)
