Face au Droit Social #9: the individual right to training
Training in new tools, acquiring additional skills, broadening your scope of action – it’s possible, and in France, at the employer’s expense! Few employees are aware of this, but every year they accumulate around twenty hours of Individual Right to Training (DIF) when they work on a fixed-term or permanent contract. To benefit from this, all you need to do is reach an agreement with your employer.
The choice and final decision rests with the manager. But while they have rights, they also have duties: for example, they must inform their teams in writing, every year, of their “training capital”. This obligation can lead to sanctions if it is not applied.
To find out everything you need to know about the DIF and its imperatives, watch this video from our employment law experts, Michael Hayat and Nicolas Sauvage!
Program produced by Décideurs TV.July 2012.
The individual right to training, known in France as DIF, belonged to a former framework for professional development. Its replacement by the personal training account, CPF, means readers must distinguish historical explanations from the current way training entitlements are managed.
Prevention often starts with process design. Clear records, understandable internal policies and regular dialogue help employers identify difficulties earlier. HR teams and managers should know when a matter requires specialist input and should protect the confidentiality of individuals when sensitive concerns are raised.
Beyond the history of DIF and CPF, lifelong learning raises practical questions: how can employees identify skills gaps, select useful training and develop new capabilities as the business evolves? Reliable guidance and a conversation with the employer can help turn formal rights into professional development.
Behind legal terminology are practical questions: who is covered, which documents should be retained, who can authorise a decision and where can authoritative guidance be found? Clarifying these points helps staff and managers understand the issue while recognising that individual cases may require specialist advice.