Law No. 2018-771 of September 5, 2018, for the freedom to choose one’s professional future has restructured professional training law around a skills logic, redefining the systems, funding channels, and obligations of companies. Since its entry into force, several texts have come to complement or modify this framework, up to Law No. 2025-989 of October 24, 2025, which creates the reconversion period.
AFEST and multimodal pathways: what the redefinition of training action changes
Training action is now defined as a pedagogical pathway aimed at achieving a professional objective. This formulation, broader than the previous notion centered on in-person training, allows for the combination of modalities within the same pathway: in-person, distance learning, and especially training in a work situation (AFEST).
AFEST is not just simple mentoring. It requires a structured framework with distinct reflective phases from practical implementation phases, an identified trainer, and traceable evaluations. We observe that many companies underestimate these requirements and equate AFEST with informal tutoring, which poses a problem during OPCO audits.
In terms of compliance, the law modernizing professional training mandates that each modality be documented in the pathway, including distance sequences. The individual training protocol (PIF) remains the reference document for organizations deploying blended learning.
Skills development plan: company obligations and the end of the training plan
The training plan has been replaced by the skills development plan. The difference is not limited to a name change. The scope explicitly includes actions for validating acquired experience and skills assessments, in addition to traditional training.
For companies with fewer than fifty employees, OPCOs can finance actions included in the plan. Beyond this threshold, funding relies on the company’s own funds, unless a branch agreement provides for additional conventional contributions.
We recommend clearly distinguishing in the plan between actions that condition the exercise of the position (mandatory under Article L.6321-2 of the Labor Code) and development actions. The former take place during working hours with maintained remuneration. The latter may, under certain conditions, take place outside working hours within the limit set by collective agreement.
Professional interview and summary assessment
The biennial professional interview, distinct from the evaluation interview, serves as a lever to feed into the plan. Every six years, a summary assessment of the professional pathway verifies that the employee has benefited from the scheduled interviews and at least one action among: training, certification, or salary/professional progression.
Failure to comply with this obligation exposes companies with at least fifty employees to a corrective contribution to the CPF of the concerned employee.
Monetized CPF and out-of-pocket expenses: individual financing mechanisms
The monetization of the CPF, effective since January 2019, has replaced the hour counter with a euro counter. Each full-time employee accumulates annual rights credited automatically, with a ceiling defined by decree.
Since the 2025 finance law, a mandatory out-of-pocket expense for the CPF holder applies to most training. This mechanism aims to hold beneficiaries accountable and reduce incomplete registrations. Job seekers and employees whose employer co-finances the training through a contribution are exempt from this out-of-pocket expense.
- The CPF holder freely chooses their training on the Mon Compte Formation platform, provided it is eligible (certification registered with the RNCP or the specific directory).
- The employer can contribute to the employee’s CPF within the framework of a company agreement, a branch agreement, or voluntarily.
- Career development counseling (CEP), free for the employee, supports the construction of the project before mobilizing the CPF.
Reconversion period: the system replacing Pro-A since 2026
The reconversion or promotion through alternation (Pro-A), created by the 2018 law, has been replaced for new actions by the reconversion period codified in Articles L.6324-1 and following of the Labor Code, in effect since January 1, 2026 (Law No. 2025-989 of October 24, 2025).
This system positions itself as a tool for co-construction between the company and the employee. It allows for structuring a reconversion pathway in alternation, with specific rules for funding and co-funding by OPCOs and the CPF.
The difference with Pro-A lies notably in the management framework. The reconversion period is initiated by the company, in agreement with the employee, whereas Pro-A was sometimes mobilized more opportunistically without true pathway engineering. The eligibility conditions and targeted certifications are regulated by decree.
Articulation with Qualiopi and strengthened control
Training organizations delivering actions within the framework of the reconversion period must hold the Qualiopi certification. The national quality reference is subject to regular revisions, and controls have tightened since 2026 with more frequent monitoring audits and stricter assessment criteria.
- Organizations must demonstrate the alignment between the targeted skills and the needs identified by the company.
- The indicators of the Qualiopi reference related to the individualization of pathways are systematically checked during audits concerning alternation.
- OPCOs exercise a control of service rendered before any payment, which implies rigorous traceability of sequences in the company and in the center.
The French professional training system relies on an articulation between individual rights (CPF, CEP) and collective obligations (skills development plan, professional interviews, unique contribution). The creation of the reconversion period in 2026 confirms an underlying trend: the legislator favors structured systems, co-managed by the employer and the employee, backed by certifications and subject to enhanced quality control.
