More than 250,000 craft businesses were created in France in 2022, +7%. A trend confirmed in 2023, with an increase of 9.6% in the creation of businesses in the sector in Ile-de-France. A revival for still fragile crafts. Creating vocations is the work of the L’Outil en main association, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.
The saw starts, the children take the tools… Around ten of them, aged 11 to 14, came this afternoon to learn about craftsmanship. The volunteers of the L’Outil en main association, retired craftsmen, pass on their knowledge and techniques to encourage vocations. Jules is 11 years old and he is already thinking of following the family legacy. “ I love carpentry and painting because my grandfather did a lot of it and so I did a little. It gives me the opportunity to do more, close to home “, he said.
Here, children make objects themselves. An asset claimed by Thamar Montillaud-Joyel, former beneficiary student and now administrator of the association in Ile-de-France. “ The workshops we do make things concrete for them. They realize that they are capable of doing things and that they can be independent. I am a little annoyed that in classical education systems, we do not encourage students enough to become aware of what they are capable of doing. “, he explains.
A very real concern
And this method is effective. Thamar is a graduate of the École Boule, best apprentice in France, and one of his former comrades from L’Outil en main recently became best worker in France. Inspiring journeys, and interested young people. A relay completed, while most craftsmen, aged over 60, will have to hand over. A very real concern for Francis Bussière, president of the Paris-Île-de-France Chamber of Trades. “ The transfer of businesses, obviously the transfer of trades, is fundamental in our DNA as a chamber of trades and crafts. In Ile-de-France, we have 40,000 companies whose managers are over 60 years old, so this means that there is a considerable stake and that we will of course support all the players in the company in the region and in France “, he says.
Attracting young people therefore remains an imperative. Today, in Île-de-France, the creation of a craft business takes place on average at the age of 39.