Apprenticeship in Monaco

In Monaco, apprenticeship is a special paid employment contract combining practical work with theoretical education. The apprentice, called an apprenti, works for an employer and attends an établissement d’enseignement, meaning the school or higher-education institution responsible for theory and educational follow-up. This arrangement is also called alternance. Workplace learning outside such a contract may build skills, but it is not itself a legal apprenticeship. The employer provides progressively more demanding tasks linked to the qualification. The maître d’apprentissage is the workplace trainer who supervises this learning. The employer must release the apprentice for theory lessons, coordination meetings and examinations. The Direction du Travail registers offers, issues the contract visa, checks compliance and monitors labour-law requirements. The Cellule Emploi-Jeunes, or CEJ, provides counselling, matches candidates with employers, registers application files and follows contracts in practice. The Service de l’Emploi may also be involved in employment support. Apprenticeship is available across sectors. Documented local options include hospitality and catering, industry and tertiary education. Monaco’s vocational and hotel-school provision includes a two-year CAP PSR and Bac professionnel programmes in cuisine, CSR, métiers de l’accueil, MCVa, MSPC, MELEC and AGOrA. At higher-education level, IUM documents a BBA Monaco Banking & Financial Services B3 apprenticeship in its 2026 programme. A government page also lists an MSc Finance–Corporate Banking & Financial Institutions programme at Bac+5, meaning a five-year higher-education level, with alternance since 2019. The supplied evidence does not establish a separate Monaco CFA network, so the confirmed educational institution or another specifically identified provider should be used. An apprentice normally starts between the ages of 16 and 29. A 15-year-old may start after completing the first secondary-school cycle. The upper age limit receives a one-year extension for a third-cycle higher-education diploma. Registration or pending registration at the educational institution is required. CEJ support is directed at Monégasques, people resident in Monaco and residents of neighbouring municipalities who attend school in the Principality. The employer first declares the apprenticeship offer to the Direction du Travail. A candidate referral should take place within eight weeks. Priority is given in this order: Monégasques; foreign spouses or children of Monégasques; people domiciled in Monaco; and people domiciled in neighbouring municipalities. The employer must show that the workplace has suitable equipment, safe and hygienic conditions, the required techniques and skills, and a trainer with suitable moral standing. The maître d’apprentissage must hold a diploma or title at least equal to the qualification being prepared and have either three years of relevant experience or five years of relevant experience where the qualification requirement is not met. Unless an exception is authorised, one trainer may supervise one apprentice in a business with 1–10 employees, two in a business with 11–20 employees, three in a business with 21–50 employees and up to 10% of the workforce in a larger business. The written contract is prepared in four copies and has no registration fee. The file, including identity documents and evidence concerning the maître d’apprentissage, must reach the Direction du Travail at least 15 working days before the start. The authority decides within 10 working days; silence counts as approval of the visa. The apprentice must provide proof of school registration within 15 days after the theoretical cycle begins. The contract may start no more than one month before and no more than two months after the theory begins. It may end no more than two months after the examinations. Its duration must cover at least the full theoretical cycle. An exceptional practice-only contract may last one non-renewable year with authorisation from the Direction du Travail. A contract that breaches the applicable formal requirements can be reclassified as an open-ended employment contract, and execution cannot begin without the required filing and visa. The employer and educational institution agree on progressive practical tasks and coordinate teaching, workplace activity and examinations. The Direction du Travail and the institution monitor implementation and educational quality. Hazardous work is prohibited unless the labour inspector has first granted written authorisation. The employer must provide the necessary safety training. The apprentice becomes an employee when the contract starts. The contract provides social protection and cover for workplace accidents and occupational diseases. The apprentice must follow the employer’s instructions, perform work connected with the qualification, attend theoretical education and sit the required diploma or title examinations. Theory hours count as effective paid working time. Working-time and paid-leave rules apply, and the apprentice receives five additional paid working days for examination preparation during the month before the examinations. The minimum pay scale effective from 1 June 2026 is based on 169 hours per month. Pay is calculated as a percentage of the SMIC, the statutory minimum wage, or the applicable collective minimum when that amount is more favourable. For the first, second and third training years respectively, the rates are 27%, 39% and 55% for ages 16–17; 43%, 51% and 67% for ages 18–20; and 53%, 61% and 78% for ages 21 and over. Illustrative monthly amounts for the first year are €561.71, €894.57 and €1,102.61 for those age groups; for the second year they are €811.35, €1,061.00 and €1,269.04; and for the third year they are €1,144.21, €1,393.86 and €1,622.70. Complementary contracts following one, two or three prior years use higher rate groups of 40/52/68%, 56/64/80% and 68/76/93%. An exceptional 5% allowance may also apply. The employer initially bears the theoretical education fees. The State may reimburse all or part of them when the apprentice is Monégasque, the spouse or child of a Monégasque, domiciled in Monaco with three years of secondary schooling in the Principality, or domiciled in a neighbouring municipality with three years of schooling in Monaco. The contract normally covers the entire theory cycle. After an examination failure, the training may be extended or covered by a new contract for up to one year with approval from the Direction du Travail and the institution. Successive contracts may prepare different qualifications. After two contracts at the same level, another contract at that level requires institution approval; no waiting period is required. At the end, the employer issues a certificate stating the employer and apprentice, contract dates, registration number, occupation and diploma. If the apprentice continues with the same employer, no new probationary period applies unless a collective rule provides otherwise. Apprenticeship duration counts toward salary progression and seniority, but it does not guarantee a job offer. Early termination generally requires an authorised decision by the Director of the Direction du Travail after review by the relevant commission, except for legally defined grounds. Training already completed remains recognised and is paid proportionally. A new employer may take over the remaining term if the required approvals are obtained. The checked evidence confirms that apprenticeship is an established legal pathway in Monaco, but it does not establish a reliable figure for its overall uptake.