Training agreement: mandatory mentions, contract and OPCO

by Antoine El Khawand | 8/10/2026 | Training Organisations

Key takeaways:

The training agreement binds a training provider to its buyer, most often a legal entity. It has nothing to do with the IDCC 1516 collective agreement.
Article D6353-1 requires the title, objective, content, resources, duration, period and share of distance learning. Add follow-up, assessment and price.
An approved quote or purchase order can serve as the agreement if it includes these mentions. For the CPF, the platform’s general terms play this role.
An individual who funds their own training signs a contract. Nothing is paid during the ten-day withdrawal period, then 30% of the price at most.
The activity declaration number appears on agreements, quotes, contracts and invoices. The declaration is made within three months of the first agreement or contract signed.

A company buys training for its employees: a document then governs its relationship with the provider. This document is the vocational training agreement. It differs both from the sector’s collective agreement and from the contract signed by an individual. The French Labor Code sets its content, whatever training organization management software is used.

Training agreement: definition and legal framework

Article L6353-1 of the Labor Code sets the rule. A skills development action gives rise to an agreement between the buyer and the training provider. A decree sets out the details.

The buyer is most often a legal entity: employer, skills operator (OPCO), local authority or other funder. The agreement formalizes the service ordered, its content and its price.

The vocabulary can be confusing, though. The collective agreement for training organizations (IDCC 1516) governs relations between employers in the sector and their employees. It covers wages, leave and job classification in particular. The training agreement, on the other hand, binds the provider to its customer.

Mandatory mentions in the agreement

Article D6353-1 of the Labor Code details the expected content. Its version in force since July 1, 2025 covers actions funded by a body listed in Article L6316-1. These include OPCOs, the State, the regions, the Caisse des dépôts, France Travail and Agefiph. The text also covers bodies authorized to collect the training contribution of self-employed workers. Its provisions can be consulted on Légifrance.

The content of the action

The first part describes the service itself. The agreement includes:

the title, objective and content of the action;
the planned resources;
the duration and the delivery period;
the share of teaching delivered remotely out of the total duration;
the arrangements for delivery, follow-up and assessment of the action.

The share of distance learning was added by decree no. 2025-586 of June 27, 2025. This text concerns apprenticeships. It covers apprenticeship contracts concluded since July 1, 2025.

The term “sanction” in the French text refers here to how the training is validated at the end of the program.

Price and payment

The second part concerns money. The agreement states the price of the action and the payment terms. Article D6353-1 sets neither a deposit cap nor a payment schedule between the provider and a legal entity.

A cancellation or termination clause is not on the list either. It is therefore a matter for negotiation between the parties.

Quotes, purchase orders and CPF: accepted equivalents

The agreement does not always take the form of a separate document. For training actions, an approved quote or a purchase order can serve as one. It must then meet the same requirements, directly or through an appendix.

For training purchased on Mon Compte Formation, the rule changes again. The general terms of use of this Caisse des dépôts service then serve as the agreement.

Agreement or training contract: the funder criterion

It all depends on who pays. An individual who trains on their own initiative and at their own expense signs a training contract. Under Article L6353-3, this contract precedes final registration and any payment of fees.

Protections for individuals

On pain of nullity, the contract specifies the nature, duration, program and purpose of the action. It also states the required level, the delivery conditions and the trainers’ qualifications. The payment terms and the financial conditions in case of dropout are also included.

The trainee then has a ten-day withdrawal period from signature. They withdraw by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt. No amount may be required of them before the end of this period.

Once it expires, payment is capped at 30% of the agreed price. The balance is then spread over the course of the training. In the event of duly recognized force majeure, the trainee can terminate the contract. Only the services actually delivered are then due, pro rata.

Two regimes side by side

The table summarizes the differences between Article D6353-1 and Articles L6353-3 to L6353-7 of the Labor Code.

Criterion	Training agreement	Training contract
Signatory on the customer side	Buyer, most often a legal entity: employer, OPCO, local authority	Individual funding their own training
Reference texts	L6353-1 and D6353-1	L6353-3 to L6353-7
Time of signature	Not set by these articles	Before final registration and any payment
Withdrawal period	No period provided by these articles	Ten days from signature
Payment	Price and payment terms set in the agreement	Nothing for ten days, then 30% maximum, balance spread out

Training agreement and OPCO funding

Funding explains the attention paid to this document. The mentions of Article D6353-1 cover actions funded by an OPCO, a training insurance fund or a public funder.

These funders set another condition. Under Article L6316-1 of the Labor Code, a provider they fund must be certified. This quality certification is called Qualiopi. This guide details Qualiopi certification for a training provider.

Common gaps with the Labor Code

Several situations put the agreement at odds with the requirements of the Labor Code:

an agreement signed by an individual paying for themselves, instead of the contract and its protections;
a deposit collected from that individual before the end of the withdrawal period;
a missing mention, for example the duration or the delivery period;
an unapproved or incomplete quote presented as an agreement;
a missing activity declaration number on the document.

Performance matters as much as signature. Article L6354-1 of the Labor Code provides for reimbursement in the event of total or partial non-performance. The provider then returns the sums unduly received to the other party.

The activity declaration number on the agreement

After its declaration, the provider receives an activity declaration number (NDA). According to Service-Public Entreprendre, this number must appear on agreements, invoices, quotes and contracts. The wording used: “Activity declaration registered under number… with the regional prefect of…”.

The timeline often surprises. The declaration is made within three months of signing the first agreement or contract. In the general case, a copy of this document is in fact one of the documents requested. The other steps are in the list of legal obligations of a training provider.

Generating the agreement from the training session

Some software links the agreement to the session data. The Cirrus Shield CRM, for example, generates training agreements from sessions. Quotes from the catalog, invoices, payment tracking and accounting exports complete the chain.

Electronic attendance sheets are signed by each learner and time-stamped. Each session thus brings together generated agreements, associated programs and certificates in a single file.

Frequently asked questions about the training agreement

Must the agreement be signed before the action starts?

Articles L6353-1 and D6353-1 do not set a specific time for signature. The contract concluded with an individual, however, must precede final registration and any payment. Each funder’s eligibility conditions may provide further details.

Is the activity declaration number an approval?

No. According to Service-Public Entreprendre, this number does not constitute an approval of training providers or their actions.