How can AFEST be used to reconcile recruitment and Salesforce skills development?

Today, many companies struggle to find candidates who exactly match their needs, particularly in the digital and technology fields such as Salesforce.

Workplace Training Action (AFEST) appears to be an innovative solution to support recruitment while developing skills directly in the field.

But how can AFEST transform recruitment challenges into opportunities for sustainable growth for companies, particularly in a constantly evolving technological environment such as Salesforce?

AFEST is a vocational training programme based on learning directly in the workplace.

Unlike traditional classroom-based training, AFEST uses real-life situations to develop specific skills, under the supervision of a mentor or internal trainer.

This programme follows a rigorous methodological framework, including:

• Analysis of work activities to identify the skills to be acquired,
• Supervised role-playing for practical learning,
• Reflection sessions that allow the beneficiary to take a step back and reflect on their experience and learning.

AFEST involves four main stakeholders: the employee-learner, the trainer, the company, and the funding body. The minimum duration of an AFEST is 7 hours and the maximum is 150 hours.

In terms of funding, France Travail is responsible for preparing and designing the educational programme and implementing the training. At the end of the programme, the host company undertakes to recruit the candidate on a permanent contract, a work-study contract, or a fixed-term contract for a minimum of six months.

In addition, AFEST can also be funded by OPCOs (joint commission for collective training) through the skills development plan, with terms and conditions specific to each company.

In summary, AFEST offers tailor-made training that is perfectly adapted to the specific realities and needs of each organisation.

Integrating AFEST into your recruitment process has several advantages:

• Attract motivated candidates, even atypical ones: rather than looking for that rare gem who has all the technical skills required from the outset, AFEST allows you to recruit on the basis of potential and motivation, ensuring that skills are developed gradually.
• Respond to pressures in certain professions: faced with a shortage of talent, training directly for the job makes recruitment more secure, particularly in technical or evolving professions.
• Build loyalty from the outset: an AFEST programme values new employees by offering them personalised support, which promotes their commitment and loyalty to the company.
• Optimise costs: rather than financing external, generic training, AFEST is funded by various schemes (France Travail, OPCO, etc.) and directly linked to the operational needs of the company.

Salesforce is the global leader in CRM solutions, used by thousands of companies to manage their sales, marketing, customer service and operations. However, mastering Salesforce requires a certain level of expertise that is difficult to find immediately on the job market.

This programme provides direct training on Salesforce in a business context, using real-life cases, which facilitates:

• Newcomers to quickly get to grips with the tool.
• The development of operational skills, such as process automation, data management, and the integration of specific modules.
• Adaptation to each company’s unique digital ecosystem.

AFEST therefore fits perfectly into a skills digitalisation strategy, providing direct training on tools such as Salesforce.

AFEST becomes even more powerful when combined with POEI (Individual Operational Employment Preparation).

• POEI takes place before hiring, to train future employees in key skills.
• AFEST then takes over during onboarding, to further develop these skills in the field.

This complementarity makes it possible to:

• Ensure the employee’s integration
• Adapt training to internal tools
• Reduce the time needed to develop skills

AFEST is much more than just a training tool. It is a strategic lever for meeting recruitment challenges, particularly in the digital sector. By integrating solutions such as Salesforce into this programme, companies ensure rapid, contextualised and sustainable skills development.

Combined with POEI, AFEST enables the creation of a comprehensive training programme, from preparation for employment to taking up a position, while adapting learning to practical everyday tools such as Salesforce.