You hold a permanent contract, you have identified a training course that interests you, and the first question that arises concerns the price. Good news: several schemes allow you to finance all or part of a professional training course without leaving your job. The choice of the right lever depends on the type of training targeted, its cost, and your seniority.
Remaining charge for CPF: what has changed since 2024
Before reviewing the schemes, one point deserves your attention. The Personal Training Account is no longer fully covered. A contribution of 150 euros is now required for each use of the CPF. This remaining charge, initially set at 100 euros and then raised, changes the way to approach the financing of training when you are an employee.
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In practical terms, if your CPF balance covers the price of the training, you will still need to pay 150 euros out of your pocket. This amount may seem modest, but it adds to any additional costs (transportation, accommodation). Be sure to check if your employer is willing to cover this contribution through voluntary funding.
An employee who wants to know how to finance training while on a permanent contract must first check their CPF balance on moncompteformation.gouv.fr, then assess the remaining amount to be financed after deducting their rights and the mandatory contribution.
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CPF and limits by type of training: what you need to know
Your CPF account is credited with 500 euros per year, capped at 5,000 euros. For less qualified employees, this amount increases to 800 euros per year with a cap of 8,000 euros. These figures provide a solid foundation, but they do not tell the whole story.
Since 2026, the use of the CPF is capped according to the type of service. A telling example: a skills assessment can only be financed by the CPF up to 1,600 euros. If the provider charges more, the difference remains your responsibility or must be covered by another scheme.
Why is it useful to know this? Because many employees discover this capping when validating their application. Checking the type of certification sought (RNCP or RS) and the associated cap before committing helps avoid unpleasant surprises.
Professional Transition Project: financing long training without losing your salary
The CPF does cover short training courses. For a career change or skills upgrade that requires several months, the Professional Transition Project (PTP) is the most protective scheme. It allows you to follow a certified training course while retaining your employment contract and salary.
Access conditions for the PTP for an employee on a permanent contract
You must justify a minimum seniority: 24 months of salaried activity, including 12 months in your current company. The targeted training must be certified and registered in the RNCP or the Specific Directory.
The request goes through your employer (who can only refuse for postponement, not on the substance) and then through the regional interprofessional parity commission, which assesses the coherence of your project. The commission examines three main criteria:
- The relevance of the professional project in relation to your background and the local job market
- The quality of the chosen training path and the selected organization
- The concrete job or career advancement prospects after the training
A well-prepared application, with research on the job prospects of the targeted profession, makes a difference. The commissions receive more applications than they finance.
Salary during a PTP
Your salary is maintained in full or largely throughout the duration of the training. For salaries equal to or below twice the minimum wage, the maintenance is complete. Beyond that, a percentage applies. This salary maintenance distinguishes the PTP from most other schemes.
Skills development plan and OPCO: getting funding from the employer
You may not need to finance it yourself. Your employer has a training budget through the skills development plan. This plan encompasses all training actions that the company decides to implement for its employees.
The process is simple: you identify a training course useful for your position or career advancement, discuss it with your manager or the HR department, and the company decides whether to include it in its plan. The training then takes place during working hours, with salary maintenance.
What many employees do not know is the role of the OPCO. Each company contributes to a Skills Operator (OPCO) that can co-finance the training in the skills development plan. Small and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 50 employees are the main beneficiaries of this co-financing. If your company falls into this category, the chances of obtaining partial or total coverage increase significantly.
Combining multiple funding sources to cover the total cost
One scheme is rarely sufficient for the most expensive training courses. The most effective strategy is to combine CPF, employer contributions, and OPCO funding for the same project.
Here is a realistic example of a combination:
- Use your CPF balance to cover the base cost of the training
- Request a voluntary contribution from the employer to supplement the CPF (the company pays directly into your CPF account)
- Contact the company’s OPCO for additional funding, especially if the training aligns with the priorities of the professional sector
- Utilize the PTP if the training is long and certified, supplementing with the CPF for additional expenses
The key is to start the process several months before the training begins. Processing times for PTP or OPCO applications often exceed eight weeks.
Financing training while on a permanent contract is rarely built in a single step. Checking your CPF balance, identifying the right scheme based on the duration and type of training, and then discussing with your employer the possibilities of contribution: this sequence, taken in order, helps avoid leaving unnecessary remaining charges. The schemes exist; they just need to be activated at the right time.