Apprenticeship in Djibouti

Workplace-based apprenticeship (apprentissage) is complete vocational training carried out through work. A written apprenticeship contract (contrat d’apprentissage) lasts from six months to a maximum of two years and may not be extended. The apprenticeship supervisor (maître d’apprentissage) gradually provides occupation-specific skills; the apprentice (apprenti) follows instructions and the company’s rules. For minors, the apprenticeship supervisor informs the parents or legal representatives about illness, absence and serious breaches. After the contract, the employer issues a certificate or attestation, which does not automatically correspond to a state diploma. The Vocational Training Certificate (Certificat de Formation Professionnelle (CFP)) is a nationally recognised diploma at qualification level VI. The programme lasts eight months or 800 hours and combines classroom instruction with practical training. Admission is open to people aged 17 or older with no or little vocational qualification who are working or seeking work. An admissions committee decides; if there are more applicants than places, it may require an entrance test. The Certificate of Professional Aptitude (Certificat d’Aptitude Professionnelle (CAP)) is a national level-V diploma for qualified workers and employees. Initial training lasts two school years; a continuing-training version is open to people with at least a ninth-grade level, alternatively to people with that level and two years of work experience or through validation of acquired professional experience (Validation des Acquis de l’Expérience (VAE)), meaning formal recognition of acquired work experience. CAP programmes combine classroom instruction and workplace practice. Training takes place in industrial, commercial and agricultural companies, in craft businesses and in contract manufacturing. Specialisations reflect labour-market needs. Examples include CAP Menuisier or Menuisière, as well as transport and logistics at CSFOP-TL in Balbala. Technical and vocational lycées, training centres and sectoral centres are also available. Apprenticeship generally requires a minimum age of 16, and an apprenticeship supervisor working with a minor apprentice must be at least 25 years old. The contract is prepared in four copies in the official language and submitted to the competent Ministry of Labour (Ministère du Travail) for approval; if no response is received within 30 days, the visa is deemed granted. Statutory contract fees are waived; any stamp or registration fees are separate from this. The Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training (Ministère de l’Education Nationale et de la Formation Professionnelle (MENFOP)) is responsible for vocational education, CFP and CAP examinations, and the Technical Education and Vocational Training system (Enseignement Technique et Formation Professionnelle (EFTP)). The National Agency for Employment, Training and Occupational Integration (Agence Nationale de l’Emploi, de la Formation et de l’Insertion Professionnelle (ANEFIP)) supports occupational placement, registers contracts and issues the apprentice card (carte d’apprenti). Employers, craft businesses and contractors provide workplace training. The Ministry of Labour and the Labour and Social Laws Inspectorate (Inspection du Travail et des Lois sociales) supervise pay, working hours, night work, rest periods, leave, hygiene, safety and occupational accidents. Apprentices generally have the same protection under labour law as employees, except for the general wage scale. Pay is agreed upon but may not be below 25 percent of the applicable occupational wage. The probationary period lasts two months. During this period, either party may terminate the arrangement without compensation; afterwards, possible grounds include mutual termination, a serious or repeated breach, confirmed unsuitability or a court decision in the event of the employer’s insolvency. Companies with 100 to 300 employees must reach a training quota of 2 percent over twelve months, those with 300 to 500 employees 3 percent, and those with 500 or more employees 5 percent. If there is a serious risk to health or physical integrity, training may be suspended; the ministry decides within 15 days. CFP and CAP examinations include occupational practice and general education. For both the CFP and CAP, at least 10 out of 20 points in the vocational core and at least 10 out of 20 points overall are required; there is one examination session per year. For the CAP, passing marks of at least 10 out of 20 may be carried over for up to three years. Under certain conditions, the CAP provides access to première professionnelle or the Baccalauréat Professionnel. Specific course fees, general grants and individual funding commitments are not documented consistently. MENFOP and World Bank initiatives are expanding workplace-based education, internships and participation by women, people with disabilities and refugees, but they do not create an individual entitlement to funding.