This Wednesday, July 2, at the Mercure Hotel La Rochelle, the Euro App Mobility (EAM) association, founded and chaired by former minister Jean Arthuis, inaugurated a new phase of the Employers’ Club for a European Apprenticeship Area. This forum for exchange and mobilization of companies employing apprentices was launched by EAM with the support of major employer representative organizations, MEDEF, CPME, and U2P to promote long-term apprentice mobility as a lever for competitiveness, attractiveness for talent, and retention of young people trained within companies.
The event, co-organized with CIPECMA, an Apprenticeship Training Centre (CFA) experimenting with long-term mobility for apprentices within the framework of the MONA project, led by EAM since 2021, was held in the presence of numerous public and economic decision-makers from the Nouvelle Aquitaine region. It aimed to show regional economic stakeholders that the internationalization of apprenticeship pathways is not a time for entertainment for apprentices, but rather an essential training period and a strategic opportunity for regions and businesses.
Institutional presence linked to regional and local competencies
In accordance with their respective responsibilities, the Nouvelle Aquitaine Region, the authority in charge of vocational training, and the City of La Rochelle, responsible for youth policy and human resources, attended this meeting. Speaking at the opening, Karine Desroses, Vice-President of the Nouvelle Aquitaine Region in charge of vocational training, and Martine Madelaine, Deputy Mayor of La Rochelle in charge of youth, expressed the commitment of their two local authorities alongside training organizations like CIPECMA to develop international mobility, perceived as an essential indicator of the quality of apprenticeship training.
The President of MEDEF 17, spokesperson for the Club in Nouvelle Aquitaine
Guest of honor at the meeting, Laurent Lopez, President of MEDEF Charente-Maritime, praised this initiative as a human resources performance tool. He committed to promoting it among companies in the department, emphasizing that long-term mobility strengthens young people’s ability to adapt, communicate, and evolve in an international environment. Accepting the responsibility of spokesperson for the Employers’ Club for a European Apprenticeship Area in Nouvelle Aquitaine, Mr. Lopez highlighted that an apprentice in international mobility enhances their company’s reputation and their country’s expertise abroad. For him, it represents a collective gain for society as a whole and an attractiveness factor for the regions where companies are located.
OPCO Atlas: a lever for action for sectors
OPCO Atlas, the skills operator for financial services, digital technology, engineering, and consulting, spoke through Nicolas Rivier, national development director. As part of a collaboration with EAM, the skills operator aims to promote apprentice mobility within the sectors it covers. Given the challenge of the increasing number of apprentices seeking international mobility, Atlas intends to mobilize to ensure that support for CFAs is readily available.
A mobilized interprofessional group
Regional employer organizations responded to the invitation of Jean Arthuis and the President of the Charente Maritime Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI), represented by its Vice-President, Catherine Pamart:
- Gérard Gomez, President of CMA Nouvelle-Aquitaine,
- Catherine Lemasson-Lassegue, Vice-President of U2P Nouvelle-Aquitaine,
- Hervé Lefort, President of CPME 17.
Interviewed by Jean-Christophe Sciberras, national facilitator of the Club, all expressed their desire to make mobility a reality within VSEs-SMEs, including in crafts, local businesses, and liberal professions. As a historical partner of EAM, the Chambers of Trades concretely measure the benefits. For Gérard Gomez, representative of CMA France, the longer the mobility period, the more obvious the benefits for young people. For Ms. Lemasson-Lassegue of U2P, European mobility is both a lever for economic development and an activator of citizenship, while Mr. Lefort of CPME considers it both a matter of equality among young people and a means to combat skills shortages that companies are called upon to face.
CIPECMA, a key Apprenticeship Training Centre for Nouvelle Aquitaine
CIPECMA, an Apprenticeship Training Centre (CFA) under the supervision of the Charente-Maritime CCI, has established itself as an exemplary player in the development of European apprentice mobility. As an active member of the MONA consortium, it co-organized the event with EAM. Inviting this pioneering CFA for long-term apprentice mobility in Nouvelle Aquitaine to animate the Employers’ Club created in La Rochelle, Jean Arthuis emphasized the role of mobility referents concretely demonstrating their ability to build local solutions for European openness and the inclusion of businesses in the pedagogical project of training centers.
Concrete testimonials from young people and businesses
Young apprentices who undertook mobility in Spain or Slovenia shared their experiences, highlighting the positive impacts on their autonomy, professional development, and confidence. These testimonials were praised by all speakers as living proof of the impact of mobility.
Apprenticeship masters also spoke to make their voices heard, confirming that long-term mobility is both feasible, beneficial, and structuring for businesses, when properly supported.
