In France, more than one in seven young people under the age of 30 were unemployed in 2023. The French public employment service has specific “local missions” where young people can seek assistance with their job search. However, in the Île‑de‑France region, nearly 20% of young people fail to show up for a second appointment. To address this issue, the French Interministerial Directorate for Public Transformation decided in 2019 to launch an application called “Mon Parcours Pro” (My Career Path). Mon Parcours Pro is meant to increase the ease with which young people can get help for their job search, aiming to reduce youth unemployment.
My Career Path, France
Abstract
The development of Mon Parcours Pro began in 2019 with a team conducting an on-site assessment to identify the behavioural reasons why job seekers do not return to the local missions after the first visit. The initial findings revealed that a lack of knowledge about the job market often demotivates the young job seekers. The project subsequently identified methods to improve young people’s commitment, such as simplifying the visualisation of job search pathways and providing access to support remotely. In 2020, the smart phone application Mon Parcours Pro was created, and subsequently tested with 75 young people and by advisers from various Paris local missions. The platform itself was then launched in 2022.
Mon Parcours Pro is an application that is designed for daily use, allowing young people to visualise and plan their job search using a tree structure with steps, objectives, and activities. It allows them break down their job search or training objectives into distinct sub-tasks and the app sends them messages of encouragement and progress visualisations. Employees of the public employment services can use Mon Parcours Pro to track their beneficiaries’ progress and offer them support online with a chat function.
A report on the pilot phase in 2022 showed that the app can help young people organise their job search more effectively, gain self-confidence, and become more independent. It also enables advisers to better manage their client portfolio, identify their needs more quickly between appointments, and monitor and support their progress remotely. The app relied on smart phone interfaces familiar to both young people and advisers to increase ease of use. The most active users logged in up to 15 times over the pilot duration, averaging almost twice a week, which suggests routine use.
However, 10‑15% of young people did not use the app after creating their accounts. To enhance engagement, both young job seekers and their advisors suggested that a reminder system could help. Specifically, they proposed introducing a button that would triggering notifications, to reduce forgetfulness. Additionally, for advisers, the report suggested that training on how to use the tool would be beneficial, potentially including training one person to become a specialist, or setting up a forum for advisors to ask each other questions.
This practice also supports the implementation of provisions III.3 of the OECD Recommendation on Creating Better Opportunities for Young People (OECD, 2022[1]).
Further reading
[3] Interministerial directorate of public transformation (2021), Mon parcours Pro : l’équipe sciences comportementales de la DITP mobilisée pour renforcer l’assiduité des jeunes accompagnés en missions locales, https://www.modernisation.gouv.fr/temoignages-et-retours-dexperience/mon-parcours-pro-lequipe-sciences-comportementales-de-la-ditp.
[2] Ministry of transformation and public services (2022), Insertion Professionelle des Jeunes - Mobiliser les sciences comportementales avec un solution numérique favorisant l’autonomie et l’engagement, https://www.modernisation.gouv.fr/files/2022-05/Rapport%20final%20Insertion%20professionnelle%20des%20jeunes%20et%20sciences%20comportementales.pdf (accessed on June 2024).
[1] OECD (2022), Recommendation of the Council on Creating Better Opportunities for Young People, https://legalinstruments.oecd.org/en/instruments/OECD-LEGAL-0474.
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