Mali uses several forms of initial and continuing vocational education. Formal training may take place in a vocational training centre, an Institut de Formation Professionnelle (IFP), a Centre de Formation Professionnelle (CFP), a technical secondary school or a company. In dual formal apprenticeship, the apprentice signs a written contract with an employer or master craftsperson, or with a legal guardian where required. The apprentice learns in the workplace and receives alternating theoretical instruction in a training centre. A centre-company agreement is also required. Companies must appoint a qualified master craftsperson, provide complete occupational practice, allow access to theory and maintain suitable working conditions. Apprentices must attend, follow workplace rules, perform their duties and participate seriously in theoretical learning. Repeated breaches or lack of fitness can lead to early termination of the contract. Access depends on the pathway. After the Diplôme d'Études Fondamentales (DEF), which follows nine years of schooling, a CAP commonly takes two years. Without the DEF, a CAP pathway may take three years. A technical baccalaureate commonly takes three years, while a BT may take four years. IFPs and CFPs can lead to CAP or BT qualifications, and technical secondary schools can lead to the technical baccalaureate. A Certificat de Qualification Professionnelle (CQP) provides a basic occupational certificate. Admission rules, places and available occupations vary by region and institution; no single nationwide age or admission catalogue has been verified. Traditional or informal apprenticeship takes place mainly in a master craftsperson's workshop and is supported by family or community integration. It emphasizes practical learning and often has no fixed pay, formal graduation ceremony or documented state certification. Rights and protection therefore depend heavily on the workshop, the applicable norms and the actual agreement. Non-formal alternatives include modular, tutored and mobile training as well as Community Education and Development Centres (CED) and Community Education and Integration Centres (CEI). The Validation des Acquis de l'Expérience (VAE) can help an experienced worker obtain a first vocational certificate by having acquired occupational skills assessed. The Ministry responsible for employment and vocational training, MENEFP, and its National Directorate for Vocational Training, DNFP, are the main public bodies. Regional councils and local authorities plan regional provision and may conclude training agreements. FAFPA provides technical and financial support, while INIFORP develops occupational standards, teaching methods, competency-based approaches and evaluation tools. ONEF studies labour-market and skills needs. ANPE and APEJ support career guidance, placement and integration. Chambers, professional federations, employers' organisations, trade unions, NGOs, private providers and companies also deliver or support training. A private provider needs ministerial approval before opening a branch. Technical diplomas may also involve the Ministry of Education. Funding can come from the State, local authorities, beneficiaries, private-sector organisations, social partners, communities and technical or financial partners. Public centres may combine subsidies with service or fee income, insurance and donations. No reliable nationwide table of fees, contract costs or informal apprenticeship durations is available. The law recognizes a right to vocational training for jobseekers and employed people within available resources, but actual access depends on funding, regional provision and institutional capacity. A formal apprentice allowance is described as a monthly percentage of the SMIG, but the applicable rate has not been locally verified. Training normally combines continuous assessment with a certification examination for the relevant cycle. Public examinations and certificates or titles are issued through the competent ministry; a certification commission and directory are provided for in the system. Completion does not automatically create a job. Employment, self-employment and social inclusion are the stated aims, and labour-market links are supported through APC, ONEF, ANPE and APEJ. Informal apprenticeship has historically been central: a World Bank baseline estimated about 65,000 informal apprentices around the 2000s, but that is not a current prevalence figure. Recorded dual beneficiaries fell from 5,761 in 2015 to zero in 2019, while FAFPA beneficiaries from the informal economy fell from 12,951 in 2015 to 661 in 2023. A 2026 FAFPA diagnosis identifies governance, financing, quality and monitoring reforms as ongoing needs. Mali also had no national qualifications framework according to the cited UNESCO-UNEVOC finding.
Apprenticeship in Mali
Apprenticeship in Mali is part of vocational education, which prepares people for a specific occupation through practical, theoretical or workplace-based learning. Formal pathways include centre-based training, dual apprenticeship and technical secondary education leading to qualifications such as CQP, CAP, BT or the technical baccalaureate. Traditional workshop apprenticeship remains a major training pathway, but it usually provides less formal protection and no standard state certificate.
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