Reform of the “professional” baccalaureate: written exams begin this Monday, one month before the general baccalaureate

A total of 188,741 high school students, including 25,656 apprentices (+2.1%), are applying for the "bac pro" this year, according to a report from the Ministry of National Education. A majority of candidates chose the tertiary sector (56.9%), compared to 43.1% for the industrial sector. Trades in commerce and sales are the most popular (38,000 candidates), followed by assistance in the management of organizations and their activities (18,186).

In industrial professions, training in electricity and its connected environments (sought after by industries linked to the electrification of transport in particular) is on the rise, with 14,489 candidates.

On the other hand, some training courses only attract a handful of candidates: eight for crafts and arts and crafts specializing in organ maintenance, five for heritage intervention, carpentry option, and the same number for laundry.

The high school students concerned will focus on French and history-geography on Monday, then the following day on arts, economics and management.

Starting this year, as part of the reform of the vocational baccalaureate, a campaign promise by Emmanuel Macron that came into effect in 2023, "each final-year student must choose a course that takes place over six weeks starting in mid-May" with either work-based training or preparation for further studies. The baccalaureate exams are therefore being brought forward.

"We have always been against this reorganization of the calendar," says Jean-Rémi Girard of the Snalc teachers' union .

"Bringing exams forward in the year leads to a lot of absenteeism," he adds, also criticizing "the two options offered afterwards: an internship that is difficult to find and reduces the volume of classes, or returning to classes to study, who knows what."

For the general and technological baccalaureate, candidates will begin, as is traditional, with philosophy on June 16, before the specialty exams from June 17 to 19, and their oral exam from June 23 to July 2.

For all candidates for the vocational baccalaureate, whether general or technological, the verdict will be announced on July 4. Oral resit exams will then be held until July 9.