Création et évolution de la relation d'emploi dans le cadre de l'apprentissage – CERECA

1. Project background and scientific objectives: Apprenticeship training programs were initially designed to reduce the number of individuals leaving education without any qualification, whilst addressing the issue of workforce shortage in key economic sectors. Nowadays public agencies see apprenticeship as a way to optimize the training-job relation as well as intergenerational skill transfer. CERECA Project will develop an original contribution in two separate areas : - the study of the learning relation (master - apprentice ' trainer) - the evolution of jobs and related professional training programs. This approach will be based on the integration of three theoretical fields of management who have never been applied to this type of context : leadership, psychological contract and organizational socialization. 2. Project description and methodology : Field of research The Association Ouvrière des Compagnons du Devoir (AOCD) is an excellent field of investigation to study the learning relation and the evolution of jobs. The AOCD has 10 000 members, representing 25 different jobs. Often associated with the famous Tour de France des Compagnons, the AOCD offers an initial two-year training course, which takes place in their block-release training centres (CFA). In 2007, there were 5 698 apprentices following an initial training course in one of the eleven AOCD Training Center (among which 3 098 were in 1st year and 2 600 in 2d year). In the last ten years, the number of apprentices has increased around 64 %, confirming the success of this specific training course. The government, who wishes to increase the number of apprentices up to 500 000 in 2009, is often quoting the AOCD as a model who could develop the attractiveness of block-release training. Despite this success, the AOCD is confronted to a double challenge : 1/ instability in the number of « journeymen » (touring France after their apprenticeship) : as it is seeking to maintain the number of journeymen, the AOCD wants to understand why many of the initial apprentices do not achieve the traditional Tour de France after their apprenticeship. 2/ The AOCD also wants to measure the modifications at work on dominant representations of professional activities (decreasing interest and depreciation of manual jobs, for instance), in order to adapt their training courses. These two challenges are the starting point of CERECA Project. Methodology : Our approach is based on the complementary use of both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. It also relies on the association of transversal data gathering and a longitudinal approach. In order to be successful, our research project will focus on two complementary approaches : - a longitudinal quantitative investigation, whose main objective will be to study the tripartite training relationship (master ' apprentice ' trainer). This study ' composed of 5 separate questionaires ' will deal with 3 000 apprentices, individually followed during two years. The size of this sample is quite important compared to what is usually performed in management studies. Furthermore, 200 trainers and masters will also be questioned. - A quantitative investigation on the construction of professional identities will be carried out in the various CFA by questioning individuals involved in the elaboration of training offers inside the AOCD. 3. Expected results. There are three types of expected results : - Scientific publications at the highest international level thanks to the amount of qualitative and quantitative data collected, along with the quality of the field investigation. The objective is to publish a dozen articles with communication in national and international colloques. The main topics of these publications and communications will be organizational involvement, organization socialization, professional identities, organizational justice, leadership' - Diffusion of results to institutional actors involved in the development of apprenticeship training programmes and dissemination in professional reviews. - Construction of tools dealing with job identities, integration/orientation of apprentices (Job Realistic Preview and orientation programmes for new employees) and testing within the AOCD.