Cleaning and private security: apprenticeships for 2027

There are two sectors where the balance of power is completely reversed: instead of fifty candidates for one job, there are fifty jobs waiting for one candidate. Cleaning and private security together employ more than 750,000 people in France, and both have for years reported recruitment shortages that neither the Fédération des entreprises de propreté (FEP) nor the GES (Groupement des entreprises de sécurité) tries to hide. And yet, at apprenticeship fairs, the stands of these two industries stay empty. A poor image, misunderstood jobs, an invisible training pathway: the reasons are well known. The result, though, is an opportunity for anyone who knows how to read a market.

In short: for the 2027 intake, two industries are recruiting apprentices at every level. Cleaning and facility management: from the CAP Agent de propreté et d'hygiène (cleaning and hygiene operative, 2 years) to the BTS Métiers des services à l'environnement (MOS), by way of the bac pro Hygiène, propreté, stérilisation (HPS) and professional bachelor's degrees in service management, taught mainly in the training centres of the INHNI network (Institut national de l'hygiène et du nettoyage industriel), which have become the industry's campuses. Employers: Onet, Elior Services, Samsic, Atalian, Derichebourg Multiservices, GSF, Challancin, Arc-en-Ciel, as well as the technical departments of hospitals and local authorities. Private security: CAP Agent de sécurité, bac pro Métiers de la sécurité, professional certification Agent de prévention et de sécurité (APS), BTS MOS security option, professional bachelor's degrees in security management, with one specific constraint — the professional licence issued by the CNAPS, mandatory before any on-site assignment. Employers: Securitas, Fiducial Sécurité, Seris, Byblos, Goron, Onet Sécurité, Prosegur, plus the in-house security departments of SNCF, RATP, airports and major retailers. Campaigns open from February to June 2027, with entry still possible up to November thanks to staggered intakes.

Why these two industries recruit apprentices

Three dynamics, all of them structural.

The age pyramid. Every year the FEP publishes an economic overview of the cleaning industry: the average age of employees is over 42, and a significant share of supervisory staff will retire by 2030. Companies don't replace a team leader by posting an ad on a job board: they train one. Apprenticeship has become their main channel for producing area managers and site managers, supervisory roles that simply don't exist on the external market.

The growing outsourcing of support functions. Hospitals, airports, head offices, data centres, laboratories: what is now called facility management bundles cleaning, security, maintenance and reception into all-in contracts. The large multiservice groups (Onet, Atalian, Samsic, Derichebourg) need people who can run a site, not just clean it. That means apprentices at BTS level, on professional bachelor's degrees, even from business schools.

The regulatory obligations of private security. Book VI of the French internal security code tightly regulates the activity: no guard may work without a professional licence, issued following an administrative background check by the CNAPS (Conseil national des activités privées de sécurité). This barrier to entry keeps the labour supply scarce and pushes companies to fund training in-house. Since the major events of 2024, the industry has also professionalised its career paths: fire safety (SSIAP), airport security and remote monitoring now recruit at two- and three-year higher education levels.

Cleaning and hygiene: the qualifications that lead to a contract

The pathway is vertical and easy to read, which is rare.

The BTS MOS is the heart of the system. It combines technical content (product chemistry, applied microbiology, bio-cleaning, waste management), management (quotes, job costing, scheduling) and running a team of 10 to 40 people. That is exactly the profile branch managers are looking for. In practice, a BTS MOS apprentice often supervises a real team from their second year onwards.

The bac pro HPS opens a route that is frequently overlooked: hospital sterilisation. Operating theatres in university hospitals, private clinics and laboratories need staff trained in medical device traceability — a technical, regulated job that attracts far too few applications. If this route appeals to you, the article on healthcare apprenticeships details employers in the hospital sector, and the one on laboratory apprenticeships covers controlled environments.

On the training side, the industry's historic network — the campuses that grew out of INHNI, with sites in Villejuif, Lille, Lyon, Nantes, Marseille, Bordeaux, Strasbourg and Toulouse — holds most of the places. State vocational schools also offer the CAP and the bac pro HPS through apprenticeship, often via a regional education authority training centre or a GRETA-CFA. The MFR network fills in the gaps in rural areas.

One practical tip: the technical assessments for the CAP and the BTS MOS cover standardised protocols (NF standards, bio-cleaning methods, reading safety data sheets). A pair of non-slip safety shoes is required from day one in the company, and most employers supply only the uniform. Also look into the first equipment grant for apprentices: several regions pay it out precisely for this kind of expense.

Private security: the CNAPS licence changes everything

This is the particularity you need to understand before applying.

What the regulations say

To work in manned guarding, premises protection, close protection or cash-in-transit, you must hold a professional licence issued by the CNAPS. This requires:

• French nationality or that of an EU/EEA state, or a residence permit allowing you to work, held for at least five years;
• a compatible criminal record (the check also covers police databases);
• professional aptitude: a diploma, certification or CQP listed in the relevant ministerial order;
• a sufficient command of French (spoken level B1 required since 2023).

For an apprentice, the CNAPS issues a prior authorisation to enter training, which must be applied for before enrolment. This is the step candidates forget, and it costs them two months. You apply online via the CNAPS e-service portal, with proof of identity, proof of address and a training enrolment certificate. Allow three to eight weeks for processing, depending on the regional office. In other words: if you're aiming for a September 2027 start, file your application in the spring.

The industry's qualifications

• CAP Agent de sécurité (2 years): the classic school route, usually in a vocational school with a partner training centre.
• Bac pro Métiers de la sécurité (3 years): a common core covering private security, civil protection and policing. Very popular, selective, and it also leads to public-sector entrance exams.
• Professional certification APS (Agent de prévention et de sécurité, around 400 hours): the operational passport, open to adults, awarded by the Ministry of Labour.
• SSIAP 1, 2 and 3: the fire safety pathway, essential in public-access buildings and high-rises. SSIAP 2 opens up supervisory roles, SSIAP 3 the position of head of department.
• BTS MOS security option and BTS Management opérationnel de la sécurité: two-year higher education for supervisors, shift leaders, security control room supervisors.
• Professional bachelor's degrees in security management: University of Nîmes, Paris-Saclay, Troyes, plus specialised private schools. Outcomes: security coordinator, loss prevention officer, risk analyst.
• Master's degrees in security management: level 7, for security manager roles in companies.

The roles genuinely open to apprentices

Nobody hands a close protection assignment to a first-year apprentice. Companies do, however, widely recruit for:

• remote monitoring operator and CCTV operator (Securitas, Seris, Homiris, Verisure);
• airport security officer (ADP, Securitas Aviation, ICTS) — with TFP ASA certification and a restricted-zone access badge;
• loss prevention officer in supermarkets and retail;
• operations assistant and scheduler in a branch office: the most accessible role and the best training ground for a future supervisor;
• security studies officer with major clients (SNCF, RATP, social housing landlords, hospitals).

Unsocial hours are part of the job. For night shifts in a security control room, comfortable ear defenders and a rechargeable torch are on the kit list that most officers top up themselves. If you are under 18, first check the rules on minor apprentices, working hours and night work: night work is in principle prohibited before the age of majority, except by exemption, which limits the roles available to you.

Who's hiring, and when, for 2027

The cleaning and multiservice groups

Private security

Public-sector employers count too: hospitals (hospital hygiene and fire safety departments), local authorities (urban cleaning services, municipal police via administrative pathways), social housing landlords. The process works differently — competitive exams, specific statuses, centralised campaigns — and it is set out in detail in the guide to apprenticeships in the public sector.

The 2027 timeline, month by month

• November–December 2026: scouting. Identify the regional branches of the big groups (it's the branch that recruits, not head office). Note the INHNI campuses and vocational schools near you that offer the CAP, the bac pro HPS or the BTS MOS.
• January–February 2027: submit your choices on Parcoursup for BTS courses and professional bachelor's degrees recruited through the school system. For private security, apply for prior authorisation from the CNAPS.
• March–April 2027: peak season for apprenticeship vacancies at Onet, Samsic, Securitas, Seris. Industry job-dating events are held at this time, often at France Travail offices and training centres.
• May–June 2027: a second wave, driven by smaller firms and branches that know their contract renewals. Service contracts are signed in the spring: that's when a branch manager knows how many apprentices they can fund.
• July–August 2027: an apparent lull, but withdrawals free up places. Staggered intakes in October and November exist at most of the industry's campuses.
• September–November 2027: catch-up. Remember that you have three months to find an employer after starting your training; the rules are explained in the article on starting an apprenticeship without an employer.

Three mistakes that cost you a contract

Applying to head office. In cleaning as in security, decision-making power sits with the branch or the regional management. A speculative application sent to the branch manager, naming the site you're targeting, is ten times more effective than a national online form. The method is set out in detail in the guide to speculative applications for apprenticeships.

Underestimating the driving licence and mobility. An area manager in cleaning visits 8 to 15 sites a week. A security officer starts their shift at 5 a.m. A driving licence, or failing that demonstrable mobility, often weighs more in the final decision than a distinction on your baccalaureate.

Ignoring the QHSE dimension. Chemicals, biological hazards, manual handling, scrubber-dryers: prevention is at the heart of both industries. The INRS publishes job profiles and dossiers (cleaning operatives, lone working, atypical hours) that are the best free interview preparation available. An A5 notebook for recording protocols and site instructions is the most useful accessory of your first few weeks — and training supervisors notice. If prevention appeals to you more than operations, the article on QHSE apprenticeships describes the matching roles and qualifications.

And after the qualification?

Both industries share a rare quality: internal promotion is real and fast. In cleaning, the path from operative → team leader → area manager → branch manager is commonly covered in eight to ten years, and a BTS MOS lets you skip the first two steps. In private security, SSIAP 2 then 3 leads to head of fire safety department, a role that is mandatory in large public-access buildings and therefore never vacant for long. The bridges into the public sector (municipal police, professional firefighters, railway security) are clearly mapped out.

To prepare for written tests as well as interviews, a study guide for the APS certification and a practical handbook on bio-cleaning remain the two books most often cited by trainers at the industry's training centres. The rest is decided on the ground: in these two jobs, punctuality, presentation and reliability count for more than an impressive file. That's precisely why a serious candidate finds a place within a few weeks, where other sectors would keep them waiting a year.

Key takeaway: cleaning and private security are the last two major French sectors where the supply of apprenticeships durably exceeds demand. The only real administrative hurdle is the CNAPS professional licence, and you clear it by filing your application in the spring rather than in August.

To compare these two industries with other sectors facing shortages, the overview of the 2026 apprenticeship market lists the groups recruiting the most, and the Fields page lists active vacancies by sector.