CIFAC is a Professional Vocational Training College for young people and adults willing to train in fields such as food and catering ( butchers, cooks, bakers, confectioners), mechanics (car and motorcycle maintenance), hairdressing, pharmacy, dental prosthetics and speciality sales ( pastry, bakery, French "charcuterie" and delicatessen).

Our students are not pupils, but they are young professionals who are called “students on apprenticeship”: they have 70% on-the-job training in a company on a work contract basis (i.e. apprenticeship contract), and consequently they get paid during their studies according to a proportion of the French minimum wage (see chart next page). For the remaining 30% they attend courses at our college on a one week a month basis in order to achieve the academic and technical curriculum and to take the exams after two or three years. They may then take intermediate level studies (one year) in order to specialise if they wish so. Finally some of them will take advanced level studies and become certified chefs or managers after two more years' training and studies.

Our college is open to young people from 16 to 25, but adults are also welcome on special programmes in cooperation with the local job centres. Another important department is CESAM, a Higher and Continuing Education Centre for crafts and trades.

We have kitchens, workshops or laboratories for every craft or speciality and all of them have been updated to meet European standards or will soon be.

At the moment, you can see major works going on in the health and dental department which are now being expanded and have been designed to be more functional and fitting all academic and technical curriculum by European standards; hopefully the next exams will take place in the brand new laboratories, and there will also be a new department with more premises for our growing activity (communication, counselling, continuing education, European projects and more…)

You can contact European coordinator
at Cifac e.mail : isabelle.cordray@cm-caen.fr

tel : +33 2 31 53 25 88 / mobile +33 6 28 98 11 08 / fax +33 2 31 53 25 31