Why look at France Travail Pro now
On 28 October 2026, France Travail presented a national campaign for France Travail Pro. It describes support at every stage: defining the need, identifying and assessing candidates, pre-hire training and onboarding follow-up, for companies of every size.
For an SME, the value is practical for roles with too few or poorly matched applications. Rather than posting more ads, these schemes widen the pool to people whose CV may not show the expected experience but who have, or can quickly acquire, the abilities the job needs.
They do not replace your own process: you remain responsible for the decision, the criteria and informing candidates. Know in advance where each scheme fits.
The three schemes at a glance
Each tool answers a different situation: simulation assesses, immersion observes on the job, POEI closes a skills gap before the start date. They can be combined for one hire.
| Scheme | Purpose | Key conditions |
|---|---|---|
| MRS (simulation-based recruitment) | Assess job-relevant abilities through exercises, without CVs | Free; offered by the adviser after reviewing the need |
| Immersion (PMSMP) | Observe a candidate in real work before deciding | One month maximum, renewable once; agreement signed beforehand |
| POEI | Train a candidate in missing skills before hiring | Offer filed with France Travail; eligible contract afterwards |
Simulation-based recruitment
MRS starts from a simple observation: experience and qualifications do not tell the whole story. France Travail looks for “habiletés”, the abilities needed to perform a specific task, which may have been developed outside paid work.
An adviser analyses the job with you on site, tailored exercises are designed, candidates take them under realistic conditions, and only those who succeed are presented to you, without a CV, for a motivation interview. France Travail cites setting a restaurant table, logistics sorting and handling customer calls as examples. It suits volume hiring and hard-to-fill roles, and depends on your involvement in the job analysis.
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Job analysis
The adviser observes the work with you and lists the essential abilities.
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Exercise design
Job-specific work simulations are prepared.
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Candidate assessment
Candidates take the exercises, alone or in groups.
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Presentation
You meet the successful candidates for a motivation interview.
Work immersion (PMSMP)
A PMSMP lets any organisation with a SIRET number host a person supported in their job search, to discover a trade or prepare a hire. It must be prescribed, for example by France Travail, a Mission locale or Cap emploi, under an agreement signed before it starts.
It lasts at most one month and can be renewed once if its objectives are not met. Over twelve months, one person can do at most two immersions with the same host, for different objectives, totalling 60 days. The person keeps their status at the start, and benefit recipients continue to receive their allowance. Without a candidate yet, signal your availability on the Immersion facilitée platform or to your adviser.
Decide in advance what you want to observe and name a mentor. Using the same criteria as a structured interview makes the end-of-period review more objective.
POEI: train before hiring
Individual pre-employment training lets a candidate acquire the skills they lack for the role before starting. The Labour Code links it to an offer filed with France Travail; the official business-aid page adds that it concerns a sector with recruitment difficulties.
Training can be internal mentoring, delivered by a Qualiopi-certified provider, or mixed. According to France Travail, it can reach 450 hours, or 600 hours for some priority groups. Mentoring aid is capped at €5 per hour; provider aid is set after reviewing the plan and quote, and paid after training, at the earliest on the hiring date.
The commitment is the contract that follows: permanent, fixed-term of at least six months, work-study of at least six months, seasonal of at least four months, or temporary assignments totalling six months within nine. The agreement must be signed before training starts. Check current conditions with your adviser.
Fit these schemes into your process
These services work best when your need is already clear. Before calling your adviser, write a short brief: real tasks, three to five observable criteria and the job’s conditions. It also forms the basis of the offer you file with France Travail.
Then treat candidates from these schemes like any others: same stages, same criteria, same reply times. Record where each application came from to learn which channels work for which roles. Tell candidates about the methods used and collect only job-related information. These general pointers do not replace advice for your situation.
Track these candidates in aiKip
aiKip does not publish offers on France Travail; you file them in your France Travail employer account. You can, however, add an application manually in aiKip to keep every candidate for a role in one place, and use tags to mark those coming from a simulation or an immersion.
Pipeline stages are customisable per job, so an “Immersion” stage can sit between interview and decision. Interviews involve selected teammates with structured evaluations, and a person always makes the decision.
Frequently asked questions
Is simulation-based recruitment paid?
No. France Travail presents it as free and open to all recruiters. Your France Travail Pro adviser offers it after reviewing your need.
How long can a work immersion last?
At most one month per agreement, renewable once if objectives are not met. Over twelve months, one person can do at most two immersions with your organisation, totalling 60 days.
Which contract must follow a POEI?
An eligible one: permanent, fixed-term of at least six months, work-study of at least six months, seasonal of at least four months, or temporary assignments of at least six months within nine.
Can these schemes be combined?
Yes. France Travail presents POEI as a possible complement to MRS, for example. Your adviser can suggest the right combination for the role.