Helping professional movement

People are increasingly forced to change their profession or their company during their careers. But how does one substitute the wish for and the anticipation of professional change for something which is forced upon them because of the economic crisis ? The role of the Fongecif (a body which finances professional training), which receives 0.2 % of the total wage bill of all companies which have more than twenty employees, is to inform and to provide assistance to employees who want to switch to a new type of employment and to enhance their qualifications. The Fongecif helps them to create a professional project and become aware of the relevant training. It can also finance paid leave of up to one year if an employee wants to follow a specific training programme. The choices of training which can be financed are made by a joint commission which fixes its priorities in terms of the initial training level, the age bracket, socio-professional categories and company size, and then chooses the most relevant, credible and appropriate projects on offer in the job market. With ten thousand paid leave projects financed every year, the Île-de-France Fongecif is a fine example of a made-to-measure service for large numbers of people.