In order to help those most in need to find jobs (namely job seekers 30 or older, employees with reduced work capacity, and disabled employees), the National Employment Agency (Agence pour le développement de l'emploi – ADEM) may offer them a professional training internship (stage de professionnalisation - SP), subject to certain conditions.
The aim of this type of internship is to allow jobseekers to concretely demonstrate their skills and capabilities to employers.
The internships are 6 weeks long.
Who is concerned
ADEM may offer such a professional training internship to jobseekers who:
- are aged 30 or older;
- are currently in an external redeployment programme (reclassement externe);
- have the status of disabled worker.
Prerequisites
The jobseeker must be registered with ADEM for at least one month before being able to participate in such an internship.
Employers who wish to offer professional training internships must be in a position to offer a real job prospect to the jobseeker at the end of the training.
How to proceed
Internship offer
An employer who is willing to take on a jobseeker as intern should contact ADEM’s Employer Services and must declare a job vacancy.
Duration of the training:
The professional training internship is 6 weeks long. Jobseekers who are considered to be highly qualified, i.e. those who have completed a least 3 years of higher education, may have the duration of the internship increased to 9 weeks if the position is in line with their qualifications.
Procedure of the internship
An internship agreement is signed between the jobseeker, the employer and ADEM. The jobseeker is supervised, throughout the internship, by a mentor appointed by the employer. During the internship, the jobseeker is entitled to 2 days of leave per month. In the event of a change that occurs during the internship, the employer must inform ADEM immediately.
Internship allowance
The professional training internship at a company is an unpaid internship. The employer is therefore not obliged to pay any allowance to the trainee.
However, the trainee is entitled to an internship allowance of 365,45 € (index 877,01) per month, paid by ADEM. To this end, the employer will send ADEM every week the trainee's attendance record.
Jobseekers receiving unemployment benefits, a tideover allowance, a professional tideover allowance, a waiting pension or seriously disabled allowance continue to receive those benefits throughout the internship.
During the internship the trainee is subject to insurance against occupational accidents; the insurance contributions being paid by the Employment Fund (Fonds pour l’emploi).
End of internship
The employer informs ADEM of the possibilities for integrating the jobseeker into the company.
Hiring the jobseeker
If hired , immediately after the internship, under a permanent employment contract (CDI), the internship period must be deducted from any trial period that is stipulated in the contract.
If, at the end of the internship, an intern who
- is aged 45 years or older
- is in an external redeployment programme
- has the disabled worker status
is recruited under a full-time CDI, the employer may be reimbursed, upon request to the ADEM, for 50% of the minimum social wage for unskilled employees over the 12 months after hiring. If the employee is hired under a part-time CDI contract, the reimbursement will following the hire. If the employee receives a permanent contract on a part-time basis, the reimbursement will be calculated in proportion to the work schedule.
The refund application may be made at earliest 12 months after the intern is hired. However, the refund will only be given if the former intern is still under contract when the refund application is made, and if the duration of the internship was deducted for the trial period provided for in the employment contract.
This reimbursement can be combined with other financial aids, with the exception of tax relief (Bonification d'impôt), within the limit of the amount of the monthly social minimum salary for unskilled workers.
Good to know: At the end of the internship, the intern may benefit form a 12-month employment reintegration contract. The duration of the professional training internship is taken into consideration when calculating the 12 months.
Non-hiring of the jobseeker
If the trainee is not hired at the end of the internship, the employer provides ADEM with a document indicating the skills acquired by the jobseeker during the internship, as well as any weaknesses that were noted.
Jobseekers are advised to contact their counsellor at ADEM to decide on future actions.