This practice is also already in the Netherlands

In 2003, the social partners have, by unanimous agreement incorporated by an Act, created an individual right to training (DIF), which guarantees any employee a credit of twenty hours of training per year accumulation over six years, capped at one hundred and twenty hours. This training is paid by the company and is achieved then outside working time with a financial compensation incentive of half pay or during working time, if the branch agreement.

The creation of such a right is unique not only in Europe, but in the world.

Four years after its launch, the result is without appeal: DIF left and settled permanently in the landscape of vocational training. According a recent study (1), 9 out of 10 employees are aware of its existence, 70 per cent know where they are of their counter DIF and 20 have already used it! Not only the DIF installs, but the communication and information work carried out by enterprises, including in with professional maintenance, it increases the motivation of the employees in the desire to form. It allows the employee and his employer of coconstruire the training path.

DIF management is therefore more and more logics of professionalization and management skills. This is the best answer you can give to those who ask and those currently reflect on the reform and development of training devices.

The DIF is enter a logic of training of all socio-professional categories. It involves and motivates everyone. Its use, associated with approaches of VAE (validation of experience acquired) or VAP (validation of vocational experience), there has been greater motivation or appetite to the formation of these populations and offered a real chance of professional development. This also allowed companies to reduce their turnover and to facilitate the detection of potential and talent, developing and promoting internal.

DIF takes place and makes the company and its employees solidarity in their development. It mobilizes them in a virtuous dynamic of reciprocal involvement. It must also contribute largely to the rise in jurisdiction of the active population, according to the 2000 Lisbon agreements. But there is still to provide the means for its development and to ensuring its sustainability.

The social partners in the negotiations that begin must go to the end of their initiative by creating a savings account individual training where the employee will be credit hours of DIF, the RTT and the bonus of the undertaking, the State, regions, or the Assedic. This will collectively ensure to each person the opportunity to form throughout his life. Those who have not had the chance to benefit from a true characterization could be assigned a credit assigned to this account, equal to the average expense in France to get it. Many experiments are underway and multiply in Europe. Belgium are experienced individual training cheques. In Austria begins experience in account savings as well as in Germany. But these initiatives do not benefit from the basement that we installed in France with the DIF. The structure the project because it does not leave the person all alone in his quest for maintenance of his employability. DIF provides support to the employee in his approach to qualification. This is why we enjoy favourable soil that the actors in the reform must seize.

DIF politically thus gradually a right linked to the status of employee or applicant for employment in its portability to a right of the person. It would make the individual actor's training and his employability. The State could also allow tax deductibility for the costs of training for remedial courses. This practice is also already in the Netherlands. The French were largely built their real estate heritage with tax deductibility, why not allow the same facility as their intellectual capital

It is in light of these observations and these reflections that one realizes that the intrusion of the DIF in the landscape of professional training in France is a major innovation in modes of learning, creator of value for individuals, businesses and the community and that it is becoming the lever of transformation of our device.