Professionalization: A Look Back at One Year of COEPS

Published on: 15/11/2024Updated on: 15/11/2024

Who is better positioned than the industry and its partners to explain what the private employer and home employment sector is, what opportunities it offers, and how to support (future) employees? This principle led to the creation of the Sectoral Career Guidance and Professional Development Council (COEPS) in 2023. This tool, which we are implementing, enables individuals to map out their career paths in a personalized way, supporting the professionalization of childminders, childcare workers, life assistants, and home employees to address the sector's challenges. One year after its launch, where do we stand?

An Innovative System for Managing Skills

2024 marks three decades of creating and consolidating innovative professionalization initiatives in the private employer and home employment sector. Drawing on an in-depth understanding of career paths and needs acquired since 1994, we developed the Sectoral Career Guidance and Professional Development Council (COEPS)—a tool within the private employer and home employment sector, for which we have been entrusted with the operational mission. "COEPS represents a new turning point in how we manage skills, with the goal of attracting and retaining future candidates," explains Nadège Turco, Deputy Director of IPERIA.

It’s worth remembering that 800,000 jobs need to be filled in this sector by 2030. Tackling this employment challenge means welcoming new talent while retaining existing employees. To achieve this, COEPS focuses on individualized career paths, ensuring that supply and demand meet around a key concept: skills, as Nadège Turco further highlights.

A Diverse Audience

This direct, free, and personalized exchange—tailored to each individual’s needs—is a unique opportunity for employees to showcase their skills. Already, 1,300 people have taken advantage of this service.

Who are they? They include current workers in the sector looking to advance, whether through intersectoral mobility, specialization, upskilling, or knowledge updates. Others are career changers considering entering the sector. Job seekers also turn to COEPS for guidance. There is no typical profile—this is what makes the service so valuable, confirms Anthony Terme, Head of IPERIA's call center, which manages the program: "COEPS is, above all, about being able to advise everyone, regardless of their background, whether to help retain current employees or to make the sector more attractive to future workers."

Some individuals tested the COEPS tool during the REVA experiment, which reformed the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). The new RPL framework aligns perfectly with COEPS, offering tailored guidance in building application files and preparing for oral evaluations. Others received free support through LabMigration, a program promoting the integration of migrants through training and certification. Soon, COEPS will also be available for apprenticeship candidates.

Beyond the Tool: A Human-Centered Approach

COEPS is first and foremost about people—individuals being supported, growing, and shaping their own career paths. Feedback highlights that participants are "highly satisfied with the service," notes Anthony Terme. "We guide them in switching sectors, explaining procedures and best practices based on their profile. COEPS also recognizes prior skills acquired in other fields, showing that entering home employment doesn’t mean starting from scratch."

Acting as both an entry point and a bridge to employment, COEPS has already supported 1,300 individuals, including: Valérie, Ketty, Nadjet, Christophe, Sileseme, Marie-Hélène, and Fanny, all with unique skills and personal motivations—family circumstances, career changes, or a desire to adapt to evolving employer needs. They include childcare assistants, life assistants, and home employees—professionals in a sector of 1.3 million employees supporting 3.3 million private employers. This close, personalized support reassures future employees: "I feel secure for the months ahead; I feel supported," says Nadjet, who is starting training. "COEPS is a reassuring and motivating guide," shares Sileseme. Marie-Hélène explains how in-depth discussions helped her "overcome the fear of failure" after previous unsuccessful RPL attempts.

A Constantly Evolving Support System

« The program is constantly evolving to better meet individual needs. That’s its strength, » continues Anthony Terme. To this end, the dedicated team supporting career paths has expanded in 2024 and will grow again in 2025 to tackle employment challenges. The advisors evolve alongside COEPS: « They receive regular training to stay at the forefront of sector knowledge, new training programs, financing options, and advancements in public support services, » adds the Head of the IPERIA call center, who further explains: « We are also developing tools that better align with our audience, adapting them to be more accessible to all profiles and refining them to make the support as personalized as possible, tailored to each individual’s situation. »

COEPS has introduced new services to further support professional development and guide individuals toward employment: aid in CV creation through the CV library, recognition of acquired skills with cover letter support, and promotion of professional credentials, including the digital career passport and the IPERIA.eu platform.

No stereotypes, no one-size-fits-all paths. The only shared goal? Ensuring that future and current employees feel valued, fulfilled, and motivated in their careers.