In France, more than a third of heritage craft trades no longer have dedicated training programs. Techniques and skills passed down over centuries are now at risk of disappearing.
In response to this concerning situation, an Apprentice training center (CFA, from the French centre de formation d’apprentis) dedicated to these craft trades, for which no French state-recognized diploma exists, has been established through a five-year partnership (2025–2029) under which the AXA Foundation for Human Progress has become the Lead Partner of the Manufactures nationales - Sèvres & Mobilier national.
The CFA is the first pillar of this partnership, which has a twofold objective: to preserve and pass on rare skills, and to promote contemporary creation in France and internationally. It brings this ambition to life.
Its first training program, dedicated to textile dyeing, has begun in September 2026. A program in parquetry will follow in January 2027.
Ensuring Skills Outlive Those Who Master Them
France has 281 listed craft trades, and more than 100 of them have no dedicated training pathways. Yet these crafts are essential to creation, restoration, and the preservation of cultural heritage. Companies struggle to recruit because these trades rely on practice, observation and the repetition of specific techniques. Such skills cannot be sustained without being passed down from master to apprentice. It is this chain of transmission that the CFA aims to restore.
Our response: we must train apprentices before it’s too late.
Thomas Buberl President of the AXA Foundation for Human Progress and CEO of AXA
Training Programs Tailored to the Needs of Craft Businesses
The CFA seeks to rebuild high-quality programs tailored to the needs of craft businesses and leading to a state-recognized qualification. It also aims to raise awareness among younger generations about these passion-driven careers, and to offer genuine, long-term professional opportunities.
Apprentices will train alongside experienced professionals and their apprentice supervisors. They will also receive theoretical instruction at regional training units.
Passing on Skills: a Driving Force for Local Economic Vitality
Each year, new training programs will be created based on which of these trades are at risk and on companies’ hiring needs, with support from the French Ministry of Education and local partners.
Within five years, the aim is to bring together around 20 businesses within the CFA to pass on exceptional skills, create jobs for younger generations and help local communities thrive.
Of the 50,000 savoir-faire businesses in France, over 80% are single-person entities, including auto-entrepreneurs, spread across 80% of the country. The AXA Foundation for Human Progress’s commitment therefore supports both the intergenerational transmission of skills and local and national economic vitality.
A Series Following the New Generation of Artisans
The “Passing the Torch” video series (“Relève assurée“ in French) will follow these future craftspeople throughout their apprenticeships. Episode by episode, it will showcase the techniques and skills they are learning today to keep them alive tomorrow.
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