France reforms nursing apprenticeships as Spain sees surge in nurse emigration

France will expand apprenticeship routes for nursing students when the new curriculum takes effect in September 2026. The reform raises total training hours to 4,620, adds mandatory psychiatry and child‑health placements, and places the diploma under university accreditation. Apprentices will split study with 20‑30 hours per month of workplace training, receive a progressive salary exempt from income tax up to the minimum wage, and gain full employee benefits.

In Spain, the number of nurses applying for foreign‑work certificates rose by about 20% in 2025, reaching 1,356 requests. The Council General of Nursing attributes the increase to temporary contracts, job insecurity and workload overload. Catalonia led the outflow with 271 applications, followed by Madrid and the Valencian Community. Destinations include Norway, the United States, Switzerland and Ireland. Officials call for stable contracts and better recognition of the profession to curb the talent drain.