Attending classes from home, only travelling to the CFA a few days a year, picking a school located 500 km from your employer: remote apprenticeships have boomed in recent years. In 2026, the rules of the game have changed — not to ban them, but to cut their funding. Here is what that means in practice when you are looking for a programme.
In short: remote apprenticeship remains perfectly legal. But since 1 July 2025, decree n° 2025-586 requires Opcos to apply a 20% reduction to the funding level (NPEC) paid to the CFA when a programme is delivered at least 80% remotely, with a floor of €4,000. What that means for applicants: some 100% online programmes are disappearing or switching to hybrid, and you need to check the share of remote teaching before you sign.
What does the decree change for distance learning?
Until 2025, a CFA received the same funding whether it taught in a classroom or behind a screen. The government took the view that remote teaching costs less on average (no premises, less logistics) and brought funding into line with educational reality.
The rule comes down to three points:
- Threshold: the reduction kicks in as soon as 80% of the total duration of the programme is delivered remotely.
- Rate: the NPEC is cut by 20%.
- Floor: after the reduction, the Opco cannot pay the CFA less than €4,000.
The text applies to apprenticeship contracts signed since 1 July 2025. CFAs must now state the share of remote teaching in the training agreement and report to France compétences each year which of their programmes are mostly remote.
The decree does not cut your salary: it affects the CFA's funding, not the apprentice's pay. That remains set by the statutory scale.
Are all online programmes penalised?
No — and this is the point many applicants miss. The reduction does not apply when every CFA preparing students for a given qualification teaches remotely for at least 80% of the duration. In other words: when remote teaching is the norm for that diploma, it is not penalised.
A ministerial order of 26 November 2025 published the list of exempt qualifications. If your diploma is on it, the CFA receives its full funding and your online programme is not under threat.
On the litigation front, the measure is solid: on 24 October 2025 the Conseil d'État dismissed the annulment action brought by EdTech France and refused to refer the priority constitutional question. The scheme is therefore here to stay.
What does this mean in practice for an applicant in 2026?
A CFA losing 20% of its funding has three options: scale back its online offering, switch it to hybrid (less than 80% remote, so no reduction), or ask the employer for a financial contribution. On the ground, the first two are by far the most common.
| Programme format | Remote share | Opco funding | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic on-site | < 80% | Full NPEC | Nothing |
| Hybrid (the new standard) | < 80% | Full NPEC | A few days at the CFA each month |
| 100% or near-100% online | ≥ 80% | NPEC − 20% (min. €4,000) | Rarer offering, sometimes closed |
| Exempt qualification (order of 26/11/2025) | ≥ 80% | Full NPEC | No restrictions |
Key takeaway: do not assume that a programme advertised as "remote" last year will still be remote in September. Check the share of remote teaching written into the training agreement, not the marketing brochure.
The 5 questions to ask the CFA before signing
- What is the exact share of remote teaching written into the training agreement? Above 80%, the reduction applies.
- Is my qualification on the exemption list in the order of 26 November 2025?
- Is the diploma registered with the RNCP (the national register of professional certifications)? That is the eligibility condition for an apprenticeship contract, online just as much as on site.
- How many days on site per month, and where? A "remote" programme that requires four 400 km trips a year changes everything in a budget.
- Is individual support provided (academic tutor, regular check-ins)? It is the number one cause of drop-out in online programmes.
Well-supervised remote learning remains an opportunity: it opens up rare diplomas to people living far from major cities and makes life easier for those juggling an apprenticeship with personal commitments. But you have to choose with your eyes open. Our advice on choosing the right apprenticeship matters even more when you will never set foot in your school.
How do you find an apprenticeship that works remotely?
Start with the diploma, not the format: pinpoint the job you are aiming for on the careers page, then explore the apprenticeship programmes that lead to it and compare their formats. Then move on to the employer search, which remains the real bottleneck — our apprenticeship offers are updated continuously.
Finally, keep an eye on your budget: remote or not, pay follows the same statutory scale, and financial support (housing, mobility, driving licence) remains available. A class taken from your kitchen changes neither your rights nor your contract — only the way your CFA is paid to train you.