Apprenticeship in Mauritania

Mauritanian apprenticeship is a work-based form of Formation Technique et Professionnelle (FTP), or technical and vocational education. The apprentice learns mainly from an artisan, company, public institution or administration and receives at least 10% general or technical supplementary training through an FTP institution, chamber, professional organization, public or private company, or association. Practical training normally represents about 80% of the total duration. The training includes occupational skills, work ethics and professional terminology, while the exact rhythm depends on the trade, specialization and qualification. An apprenticeship usually lasts one to three years. The occupation, qualification and final title follow the applicable ministerial decree. Other FTP pathways may lead to a Certificat de Compétence (CC) after about six to nine months, a Certificat d'Aptitude Professionnelle (CAP) after two years, a Brevet de Technicien (BT) after two years, a technical baccalaureate after three years or a Brevet de Technicien Supérieur (BTS) after two years. Access to these formal pathways depends on the required school level or previous qualification, so an apprenticeship contract and a school-based FTP program do not have identical entry rules. Apprenticeship access generally concerns Mauritanian youth who are at least 15 years old when the contract is signed. The trade may impose additional requirements. A minister may allow the statutory maximum age to be exceeded when a sector has priority or no suitable alternative exists. Applicants with a physical disability are exempt from the statutory maximum-age condition. An FTP institution and the employer assess the applicant's wishes and suitability together. Placement also depends on an available position, qualified supervision, equipment, financing and safe working conditions. The employer may be an artisan, a national or foreign company, a public institution or an administration. The employer must provide suitable premises and equipment, real work related to the trade, lawful operations and a qualified tutor or maître d'apprentissage. The maître d'apprentissage must have competence in the trade, at least two years of experience, pedagogical suitability and good moral standing, and must complete the required pedagogical training. Employers must not use apprentices to reduce their existing workforce. Statutory quotas require at least one apprentice for an artisan or an employer with one to five employees, two for six to ten, three for eleven to twenty, four for twenty-one to forty, five for forty-one to one hundred, one apprentice per twenty employees for 101 to 500, and at least 5% of the workforce for employers with more than 500 employees. The apprenticeship contract is written and has three parties: the employer, the apprentice or legal representative, and the FTP institution. It follows the standard model and requires ministerial validation for legal effect. The parties deposit three copies with the FTP institution. The contract is free of fees and stamp duties, and the rules provide automatic approval when no refusal is issued within 30 days. The trial period may last up to one month, with a maximum of 15 days for the apprentice from the date of signature. The apprentice receives a livret d'apprentissage from the start. The employer and FTP institution prepare the training program together, assign modules and competencies, set the duration and sequences, and establish the evaluation schedule. The employer must provide progressive, methodical and complete practical training, a suitable workplace, protective equipment and safe conditions. The employer carries civil responsibility for the training environment. For a minor, the employer must report absences, disciplinary problems and accidents. The Ministry and other departments bound by the contract may order workplace visits and inspections. Apprentices are not covered by compulsory social insurance, and the employer is exempt from social contributions for them. The FTP institution provides insurance against occupational accidents and diseases. Legal allowances for apprentices or trainees may exist, but the available national information does not establish a uniform amount. Family benefits may depend on regular attendance and the applicable law. The 2FTP mechanism can partly finance employer, association and public-private FTP demand, including in-service training, alternance, apprenticeship, self-employment and qualifying programs. Public and private FTP institutions provide formal alternatives and may offer CC, CAP, BT, technical baccalaureate or BTS programs. The public network includes 20 Établissements d'Enseignement Technique et de Formation Professionnelle, CSET and Institut IGHRAA, with institutions in places such as Nouakchott, Nouadhibou, Néma, Aioun, Kiffa, Kaédi, Boghé, Aleg, Rosso, Atar, Tidjikja, Sélibabi, Zouérat and Akjoujt. Private provision is concentrated mainly in Nouakchott. Some private providers issue national diplomas, while others offer only qualifying training without official certification. CSET is an autonomous public institution established in 1982 and offers BTS and trainer preparation in areas including electrical engineering, mechanics, construction, metalwork, information and communication technology, maintenance and accounting. Apprenticeship and FTP programs cover industry, construction, energy, agriculture, fishing, mining, oil and gas, information and communication technology, trade and services. The Ministry recorded 5,132 learners in 45 fields in 2019/20 and 12,188 learners in 86 fields in 2023/24; 19,000 learners in 94 fields were planned for 2024/25. A mining, petroleum and gas school opened in Nouakchott's Ksar area in 2025 with reported investment of about MRU 211 million. A 2025 Kinross public-private partnership trained 180 young people with 30% theory, 70% workplace practice, certificates and tool kits. Short qualifying courses, 2FTP-supported workplace or alternating programs and Chantier-École projects offer non-formal routes. Informal learning with an artisan or company can build real competence, but it does not automatically produce a nationally recognized qualification. In 2025, TECHGHIL offered 100 places for a professional certificate for Mauritanians with skills gained informally through apprenticeship and at least five years of experience. The advertised trades included heavy-equipment mechanics, industrial electricity, instrumentation, plumbing, boiler-making, scaffold assembly and formwork. This was a specific offer, not evidence of a nationwide system for automatic recognition of prior learning. The apprenticeship rules are based mainly on Law 2018-038, Law 2022-023, Decree 2021-158 on apprenticeship and quotas, and ministerial orders governing trades, access, titles, duration and examinations. The training program is evaluated jointly by the employer and FTP institution. Completion can lead to an FTP diploma marked as alternating training. An employer may recruit a successful apprentice directly without prior state placement, but the recruitment must be reported to the placement system. An apprentice who is not recruited can receive insertion and counselling support from the FTP institution. The contract may end through abandonment, disciplinary grounds, multiple contracts, death, insolvency or closure of the establishment, or permanent incapacity. An employer who terminates the contract must report it in writing within 15 days. Disputes first go to an ad hoc conciliation committee, then to the Labour Inspectorate and the competent court. An abusive employer termination can lead to repayment of certain training costs and damages. When an apprentice changes employer, time already completed in the same specialization or trade can generally be validated. The Ministry of Technical Education and Vocational Training and its General Directorate oversee the system, with INAP-FTP and participating institutions supporting implementation. The Ministry responsible for labour and the Labour Inspectorate handle labour-related supervision, while TECHGHIL supports placement and selected insertion programs. Exact trade-specific entry requirements, private-school fees, allowance amounts and the complete examination rules must be checked with the responsible FTP institution or authority because they are not uniform across Mauritania.