Apprenticeship in Cameroon

Cameroon recognizes formation professionnelle, apprentissage and formation en alternance as ways to build occupational skills. The legal framework includes Loi n°2018/010 and Décret n°2020/2592/PM. In the legal apprenticeship model, a maître d’apprentissage trains an apprenti over a longer period, mainly in an enterprise and with complementary instruction in a Centre de Formation Professionnelle, or CFP. Formation par Apprentissage, abbreviated FPA, places learning beside experienced professionals. Alternance combines centre-based learning with enterprise practice. Formal providers include public and private CFP and Centres de Formation Professionnelle et d’Apprentissage, or CFPA. Public provision includes centres such as CFPE, CFPR, CFPM, SAR/SM and CNFFDP, while private centres require prior approval from MINEFOP, the ministry responsible for post-basic vocational training. Approval is valid for three years, renewable and non-transferable. Non-formal programmes can use project-based competency schemes such as PADESCE and MCDC. Informal learning in workshops and enterprises remains common but may not lead to a standardized State certificate. Training covers fields such as construction, agro-industry, energy, digital work, agriculture and food processing, mechanics, tourism, textiles, woodwork, crafts and services. The local offer varies by region and provider. Public admission initially reserves places for Cameroonian candidates of both sexes who meet the applicable conditions; foreign access can depend on conventions. The relevant admission instrument sets the required dossier, examination, education level and fees, so no single national admission threshold applies to every programme. A written apprenticeship contract is concluded between the maître d’apprentissage and the apprenti or the legal representative. The apprentice must be at least 14 years old and the maître d’apprentissage at least 21. The contract or applicable rules cover the occupation, duration, programme, evaluation, workplace and centre responsibilities, remuneration, food and housing. The maître d’apprentissage must provide methodical training, suitable tools and equipment, dignity, health and safety protection and an end-of-apprenticeship certificate. The apprenti must follow instructions, perform agreed work within their ability, respect discipline, protect tools and products, safeguard safety, keep confidential information and comply with medical and evaluation requirements. Public centres must insure learners and apprentices against common, work-related and commuting risks, and public fees include insurance. Private centres must insure their staff, learners and support staff. Scholarships may cover part or all of training fees, final-examination registration and insurance, but no universal stipend amount applies. Funding can come from the State, local authorities, development partners, fees, services and donations. PADESCE support is programme-specific and may include a monthly allowance, personal protective equipment, work insurance, supervisor training and alternance activities; participating enterprises normally need at least two years of legal existence, suitable equipment and supervisors, and the programme gives priority to selected sectors and enterprises willing to host women. MINEFOP sets examinations and certificates with sector ministries. Private centres may train and evaluate learners, but the State has exclusive authority to issue State diplomas. Credentials can include the Certificat de Qualification Professionnelle, or CQP, the Diplôme de Qualification Professionnelle, or DQP, and other qualifications such as CAP, BEP, BP, Brevet Technique, Baccalauréat Professionnel, BTS and HND. Validation des Acquis de l’Expérience, or VAE, can recognize relevant prior learning. A CQP or DQP does not by itself prove that the learner followed an apprenticeship pathway. No uniform nationwide apprenticeship duration or universal fee table is established in the available evidence. Duration follows the contract, occupation, local practice and applicable rules. Completion can support paid employment, self-employment, entry into an occupation or another income-generating activity, but it does not guarantee a job or automatic placement. Adults can enter initial training, retraining or continuing vocational programmes and may use VAE. MINEFOP coverage for 2024–2025 recorded 2,562 CFP, including 301 public and 2,261 private centres, with 68,107 learners and 14,406 trainers. The same coverage counted 1,799 functional centres, 989 approved private centres, 1,272 private centres without approval and 221 private centres with a State convention. Centre had 928 CFP and Littoral 667, showing strong geographic concentration. Reported capacity was 127,380 places, with 46.53% vacant. These figures cover the MINEFOP reporting system and do not measure the entire informal apprenticeship population. The system recorded 7,100 learners working in the informal sector, including 5,190 in initial training and 1,910 in continuing training; this is not a direct national count of apprentices.