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Published on: 14/06/2021Updated on: 14/06/2021
Between the massive retirement of personal carers and the population aging in coming years, employment needs for maintaining home-based support for elderly people are significant. The professionalization of domestic employees or people wanting to enter the sector is crucial for preventing risks at home, meeting elderly people's needs, and securing their support. This is especially important during a health crisis when these populations are vulnerable. Sector stakeholders are therefore taking action. In December 2020, they created the "flash pathway," continuing the recruitment and integration plan for aging care professions. The pilot of this local program, in connection with the Public Employment Service, begins this Monday, June 14, in Normandy. Job seekers will undertake short certification training to acquire key skills for engaging in the personal care profession. Then, they will receive comprehensive support, including the carers' center, to continue their professional development.
Ensuring Future Home Care for Elderly People...
Among the 2.2 million individual employers who employ workers, nearly 1.1 million are over 60, and 528,000 are over 80. They employ 152,600 and 84,800 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees, respectively[1]. 134,000 (12.5%) of these individual employers receive the personal autonomy allowance (APA). Support for people primarily occurs before dependency situations develop.Demographic changes will strongly impact the domestic work sector. This is evidenced by results from the forward-looking study "Meeting Employment, Occupation, and Skills Challenges by 2030" of the professional branches of childcare providers and domestic employees, conducted by IPERIA:
- 63% of personal carers will retire by 2030, assuming the legal retirement age remains 62. This means 337,853 personal carer positions would need to be replaced by 2030 to maintain a level of home-based support identical to 2017[2].
- Due to population aging, the number of individual employers aged 80 and over will increase over the next twenty years. These people's support needs will also grow. To maintain a level of support for individual employers aged 80 and over, as of 2017, 65,411 FTE personal carer positions will be needed by 2040. Employment needs could increase by 75% nationally by 2040.[2]
… by Training Job Seekers Starting Today
Professionalizing domestic employees or people wanting to enter the sector is crucial for meeting elderly people's needs and securing home-based support. Therefore, local programs have been established to facilitate access to certification or continuing training in partnership with organizations such as the Public Employment Service, FEPEM, and regional councils.
In the context of the COVID-19 health crisis and to address urgent recruitment needs in aging care professions, the individual employment and domestic work sector is taking action through a pilot program for job seekers: an integrated training pathway, from qualification to individualized support. "Thanks to precise sourcing by the Public Employment Service, the aim is to train a group of motivated and operational people who can support individual employers in a short time," explains Marina Guimaraes Maria, Head of Institutional Relations at IPERIA, who leads this project with employment and training stakeholders.
How Does the "Flash Pathway" Work in Practice?
Initially, job seekers access a "short" qualification by training in part of the level III "Dependency Personal Carer," registered in the RNCP with IPERIA as the certifying body. Two skills blocks equivalent to less than 100 hours have been selected for their ability to provide the necessary tools for creating professional activity with several individual employers and acquiring technical skills at the heart of the personal care profession. Depending on the job seeker's profile, a third block can be added without exceeding 150 training hours.
Subsequently, once qualified and employed by an individual employer, the personal carer is invited to undertake training as part of their skills development plan within a "carers' center" (RAVie): a program structured around five three-hour sessions, supported by CNSA, which facilitates professional networking and strengthens occupational knowledge.This training pathway enables tailored support for each person. The Public Employment Service's referral to IPERIA's training advisors aims to define each person's professional project and identify their short-, medium--, and long-term needs. A designated advisor follows the person throughout their pathway and supports them in pursuing their qualification toward obtaining a complete qualification through training or recognition of prior learning.
Through their professional passports, employees can showcase their skills in daily work, continue developing them, and maintain peer connections through the RAVie application.
Initial Regional Pilots to Launch the Program
A funding agreement has been concluded with Public Employment Service Normandy to pilot six flash pathways. Via Formation, an IPERIA-accredited training organization, will deliver the first training sessions from June 14 to July 8. Thirteen job seekers will be welcomed in Caen (Calvados), eleven in Forges-les-Eaux (Seine-Maritime), and eight in Alençon (Orne). The institutional relations and promotion services are exploring other opportunities for future pilots, particularly in Vienne.
[1] Source: 2019 Branch Report / Family Employment Barometer No. 27 "Home Support for Elderly People" http://www.fepem.fr/barometre-de-l-observatoire-des-emplois-de-la-famille/
[2] Source: forward-looking study "Meeting Employment, Occupation, and Skills Challenges by 2030" of the professional branches of childcare providers and domestic employees, conducted by IPERIA -- 2021.
