In France, higher education after the vocational route is based on the vocational baccalaureate which accommodates two-thirds of those enrolled in VET in vocational schools (Troger, Bernard, Masy, 2016). The remaining one-third of students go on either company- or school-based to the vocational aptitude certificate (CAP), which is designed for short-term professional integration (Brucy, 2012). After two years of training, almost half of the young people who took a second year of CAP through the school system are still in training the year after their diploma: repeating the second year, continuing on to a vocational baccalaureate, reorienting themselves or continuing their studies towards other diplomas or qualifications. This can be explained in part by the fact that a third of the young people are still minors at the time of graduation, which complicates their professional integration (24% of CAP-holders through school-based route and 53% of those with apprenticeship are in employment after 6 months - DEPP, 2020). Thus, although the CAP is not necessarily intended to prepare learners for further study, in fact, some young people do not enter the labour market after completing their diploma. We ask in what ways do they project themselves into further study? The results presented in this paper come from a qualitative investigation of trade training in different French training models (vocational high schools, apprenticeship centres and production schools; David, 2021). Through the prism of convention theory (Boltanski, Thevenot, 2006), the analysis shows that the projections of young people in the CAP are more tactical than strategic. They know the value of the diploma on the labour market and they try to personalise their educational project in order to extend their study time while enhancing the uniqueness of their professional profile. In the production trades, the majority of young people who take the CAP go on to obtain a vocational certificate (technical diploma) rather than a vocational baccalaureate. This choice reflects a disaffection with the prospect of higher education: young people perceive the implicit hierarchy of diplomas and their own 'inadequacy' (or perceived inadequacy) with the qualities required for theoretical studies.

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