The vocational education and training system for home employment: lights and shadows of the french case

Abstract

Direct home employment in France constitutes the first example at European level of formalisation and structuration of domestic work into a full, recognised economic sector. Thanks to an active civil society, organised in trade unions and federations of private employers, the first collective agreements and professional certificates emerged during the middle of the 20^th century. As a result of a constructive social dialogue, an effective and consolidated professionalisation policy is available for the domestic workers of private employers, focused on vocational training and certification of professional competences. However, the shadows of the French case do exist despite its lights, mainly concerning the high feminisation and part-time contracts’ rates which, according to the most critical academia sector, can actually reinforce the current care' feminisation and externalisation trends.