Better prepared for the professional world

Anyone visiting the vocational training centre in Esch with its wood, metal or painting studios can easily lose their bearings in the spacious halls. Perhaps young people feel the same way when they ask themselves the question in the fifth year of general secondary education at the latest: What am I actually going to do now?

But even if their career goal is clear, this does not necessarily mean that their plan will work out immediately. Quite a few young people find it difficult to find an apprenticeship. Those who are unsuccessful may find themselves in a Centre national de formation professionnelle continue (CNFPC). More precisely, in the Fit fir d'Léier programme (F4L, fit for vocational training).

"It's a programme to help students who have not found an apprenticeship, " explains Sylvie Schenkels. The social pedagogue is head of the social education teams at the CNFPC in Esch/Alzette, who in turn coordinate Fit fir d'Léier, which reveals a lot about the focus of the programme. "We support the participants throughout the year so that, in the best-case scenario, they have an apprenticeship in September of the next school year." According to the Ministry of Education's annual report, 98 apprentices were enrolled on the programme last year.

Since the Covid pandemic, it has been possible for pupils to enrol at a secondary school without a training contract. In this way, Fit fir d'Léier is a kind of anchor to bind adults who are no longer of school age (between 18 and 24) to the education system, who were at risk of falling through the cracks just a few years ago.