Reconversion Period 2026: what the scheme replacing Pro-A changes for your training organisation

An employee who has been in post for fifteen years wants to retrain for an occupation in high demand, without resigning or having to fund the training alone. Until the end of 2025, two schemes covered this need: Pro-A (reconversion or promotion through work-study) and Transitions collectives (Transco). Since 1 February 2026, both have disappeared in favour of a single scheme, the reconversion period (période de reconversion). For a training organisation, this change doesn’t only affect client companies: it redefines the eligibility conditions of your courses for the most common OPCO funding routes for employees still in post.

A scheme born from the 24 October 2025 “seniors” law

The reconversion period was created by law n° 2025-989 of 24 October 2025, known as the “seniors” law, which transposes the national interprofessional agreements on the employment of experienced workers. Its practical arrangements were set out in two decrees published in the Official Journal on 31 January 2026: decree n° 2026-39 of 28 January 2026, which sets the general framework for the reconversion period and professional interviews, and a second decree (n° 2026-40) dedicated to funding.

The scheme came into force on 1 February 2026 and replaced both Pro-A and Transitions collectives. One point to watch for files already in progress: an employment contract amendment signed before 1 January 2026 remains governed by the old Pro-A rules until it ends, but no new Pro-A amendment can be concluded since this switch-over.

Who can benefit, and for what purpose

The reconversion period is open to any employee on a permanent contract (CDI), with no condition of diploma, age or seniority — a deliberate simplification compared with Pro-A, whose access for certain groups depended on thresholds set by an extended branch agreement. It can cover:

• an internal reconversion: the employee changes occupation within the same company;
• an external reconversion: the pathway can lead to a permanent hire or a fixed-term contract of at least 6 months with a host company different from the original employer.

For your organisation, this broader scope mechanically widens the pool of prospects potentially fundable through this channel, compared with Pro-A, which remained conditional on an extended branch agreement listing eligible certifications.

What actually changes for your training programmes

Eligible certifications

A course funded under the reconversion period must lead to one of the following:

• a certification registered with the RNCP (National Directory of Professional Certifications);
• a branch or cross-branch CQP (professional qualification certificate);
• skills blocks attached to a certification;
• the CléA core knowledge and skills certification.

If your catalogue only contains short courses with no link to a certification, it remains outside the scope of the scheme — as was already the case under Pro-A. Conversely, if you offer certifying courses, check that the title and skills framework you advertise match precisely the certification targeted: this is a standard checkpoint when the OPCO reviews the file, and it echoes the requirement under indicator 7 of the National Quality Reference Framework on the match between your programme and the announced certification objective.

Training durations

The general framework sets a training duration of between 150 and 450 hours, spread over a maximum period of 12 months. A company or branch agreement can extend this range up to 2,100 hours over a maximum of 36 months for certain groups or certifications. One notable exception: VAE (accreditation of prior experience) and the CléA core skills certification are not subject to any minimum training duration, which can make it easier to build shorter pathways for these two routes.

OPCO funding

In the absence of a branch agreement setting a specific rate, the default statutory flat rate is €9.15 per hour, for an average coverage estimated at around €5,000 per reconversion period. Depending on the terms of a collective agreement, the OPCO can also fund, beyond pedagogical costs alone, the employee’s pay during training and certain related expenses. This calculation method follows the same logic already applied to other pooled schemes: if your organisation already works with OPCOs on standard funding under the skills development plan, the administrative process for the file (quote, agreement, certificate of completion) remains familiar.

As with any pooled or public funding, current Qualiopi certification remains the non-negotiable condition of entry: without it, no OPCO can commit funds to a reconversion period file, regardless of the quality of the programme on offer.

What research says about supported career changes

The effectiveness of funded reconversion schemes depends less on the volume of training hours than on the quality of support provided upstream. A 2021 study by Sophie Divay published in Formation Emploi on skills assessments and reconversion pathways (see the study on Google Scholar) shows that the most successful career changes are those preceded by work to clarify the professional project, rather than those where certifying training is mobilised as a first step. For a training organisation positioned on this type of audience, this makes the case for a careful positioning interview upstream of a reconversion-period pathway, beyond mere compliance with the funding file.

How to update your monitoring and files now

• Update your regulatory watch: the Pro-A to reconversion-period switch is exactly the kind of change an auditor expects to see tracked under indicator 23 (legal and regulatory monitoring), with dated evidence that the change has been taken into account.
• Check the eligibility of your certifying catalogue: if a course previously led to Pro-A funding through a branch agreement, confirm it remains eligible under the new regime (RNCP, CQP, skills blocks, CléA) and that the programme sheet clearly states the certification targeted. Our article on registering a certification with the RNCP or the Specific Directory covers the process if your certification isn’t registered yet.
• Check with your usual OPCOs for their practical filing arrangements (forms, supporting documents), which can vary between operators despite a shared national framework.
• Don’t leave a Pro-A file pending: if an amendment wasn’t signed before 1 January 2026, it must be resubmitted in full under the new reconversion-period framework.

Take action

Keeping your regulatory watch and compliance evidence up to date with every change in the legal framework, such as the reconversion period, is part of what a Qualiopi audit checks on an ongoing basis. The Complete Kit Certif at €297 (14-day guarantee) provides legal-watch templates and evidence templates for the 32 indicators of the reference framework. If you’re starting your organisation, the ebook “Create Your Training Organisation in 30 Days” at €67 covers the administrative basics, and the complete pack at €347 combines both resources.