Preparing for your return to work-study in September 2026 and want to make sure your CFA will actually be open? Good news: an interministerial instruction of 19 June 2026 asks regional prefects, rectors and DREETS to mobilise the regional interministerial cells to support young people into apprenticeship, including in the event of a CFA failure.
In short: faced with the economic difficulties of some CFAs, the government signed on 19 June 2026 an instruction (published in the Bulletin officiel on 2 July) involving the Ministries of Labour, Education, Higher Education, Agriculture and Public Action, as well as the Minister Delegate for Vocational Training. The regional cells operate throughout the 2026-2027 year: they support young people without a contract or whose contract has been terminated, offer at least one solution to every young person they follow and report failing CFAs to a national cell.
What does the 19 June 2026 instruction actually say?
The text (No. DGEFP/MAAQ/DGESCO/DGESIP/DGER/DAGFP/2026/81) was published in the Bulletin officiel on 2 July 2026. It does not repeal any circular but makes permanent the cells created in 2021 and extends their role to handling CFA failures. In particular, the cells must:
- support young people looking for a contract or a place in a CFA, alongside the CFAs themselves, and offer them at least one solution for guidance into apprenticeship;
- follow young people enrolled in a CFA without a contract, a situation the law limits to 3 months;
- help young people whose contract has been terminated, who can continue their CFA training for 6 months with vocational trainee status, to find a new employer;
- apply the State procedure in the event of a CFA failure and report every situation they become aware of to the national cell;
- report on their activity twice a year (June and December), including the monitoring of failing CFAs.
"The national cell enables rapid intervention in supporting apprentices." — Interministerial instruction of 19 June 2026
How many CFAs are actually in difficulty?
No official figure has been published, but the context is tense. In 2025, apprenticeship entries fell, with 846,700 new contracts, and 22% of contracts started in 2024 were terminated within their first nine months (Dares data cited by the instruction). CFAs face several combined weaknesses:
- changes in funding: revised funding levels, lower hiring aids, and a €750 contribution required from employers for bac+3 and higher diplomas;
- the fall in State grants to the regions to support CFAs, cut from €134 million planned to €33 million in 2026;
- tighter controls: a Cour des comptes pre-report estimates that around €1.5 billion of apprenticeship spending per year is exposed to a risk of fraud, and the Qualiopi framework is becoming stricter for audits carried out from 1 November 2026.
What to do if your CFA is affected?
Three steps to react fast:
- Report the situation to your employer, your apprenticeship tutor and the national cell (signalapprentissage@emploi.gouv.fr). You can also contact the regional cell in your region (contact details on La Bonne Alternance) or your mission locale.
- Identify replacement CFAs through the La Bonne Alternance directory and the training search engine on our training page. Filter by diploma, speciality and location to find an institution that prepares the same certification (same RNCP code).
- Get the change of CFA formalised: the closure of your CFA does not terminate your employment contract. You and your employer formalise the change of training organisation, normally through an amendment sent to the OPCO. Your pay and seniority are preserved.
What remedies if you are hit by a sudden closure?
Three concrete contacts are available to you:
- Your employer's OPCO: it funds your training. It knows the CFAs that prepare your diploma and can point you in the right direction.
- The regional interministerial cell: it must offer at least one solution to every young person it supports and relays State action on the ground, in conjunction with the national cell.
- The national CFA monitoring cell: presented to State services by an interministerial letter of 20 March 2026, it keeps a record of failing CFAs and receives reports from apprentices and companies.
If your contract is terminated at the same time, you can continue your CFA training for six months while you find a new employer. To go further, read our guide apprenticeship contract termination: rights and procedure.
How to anticipate now?
If you are signing an apprenticeship contract for a September 2026 start, three simple habits can save you from a nasty surprise:
| Habit | Why it matters | How to do it |
|---|---|---|
| Check the CFA's Qualiopi certification | Only certified CFAs can receive public apprenticeship funding | Public list of training organisations, CFA website and the diploma's RNCP record on France Compétences |
| Request a pre-back-to-school interview | Spot early warning signs (changing trainers, closed premises, administrative issues) | Contact the pedagogical secretariat as of July |
| Have a training "plan B" | Save time in case of sudden closure | List 2 to 3 CFAs preparing the same diploma within 50 km |
To quickly find a contract and a reliable CFA, browse the alternance vacancies updated every week, and prepare your application with our alternance CV template. If your CFA lets you down along the way, you can restart your applications without losing time.
The key takeaways
The 19 June 2026 instruction does not change your rights: it strengthens the regional and national safety net in case of CFA failure. As long as your contract is signed and your CFA is certified, your 2026 back-to-school season is secure. If you spot warning signs, react fast: the earlier you raise the alert, the more levers the cells have to propose a suitable solution.