Education system

National education programs are the responsibility of France, and Saint-Pierre and Miquelon's education system is the same as in metropolitan France. The Éducation Nationale service is responsible for pre-elementary, elementary and high school public and private instruction. Registrations and academic inspections are managed by the Rectorat de l'Académie de Caen, in cooperation with Saint-Pierre and Miquelon.

The education sector is one of the archipelago's largest employers, with approximately 200 salaried workers in the public and private systems combined. The private system is essentially denominational; it is under contract with France and funded by the Conseil territorial. The denominational system is under the responsibility of the bishop of Saint-Pierre. The school system begins at the pre-elementary level with children aged three to five years. There are four nursery and elementary schools in the archipelago. Children enrol at age six and complete years 1 to 6. They then attend a “collège” [junior high school] for a period of three years. There are two collèges: a public collège with approximately 140 students and a private collège with approximately 200 students. There is also a general and a professional “lycée” [senior high school] in Saint-Pierre. A student spends at least three years at a lycée to obtain a general, technological or professional baccalaureate (similar to a college diploma in Canada) around age 18. There are several other types of diplomas, depending on the student's orientation.

Among the courses offered at the professional lycée are courses in the areas of mechanics and electronics. There is an apprentice section in apartment building maintenance and in all professional sections typically offered in lycée. A section on the hotel and restaurant industries was recently added to contribute to the development of the tourism industry, and a sanitation section was added to meet the demand for seniors' assistance and for resources for the new hospital.

As for higher [postsecondary] education, since there is no such institution on the archipelago, youth have access to bursaries to continue their studies abroad. Most students go to metropolitan France, whereas others take advantage of an agreement allowing them to study in Canada. Students also have access to distance education.

The following table lists the educational institutions in Saint-Pierre and Miquelon:

Students from the archipelago benefit from a range of technical advisors: nurse consultant, educational consultant, psychologist guidance counsellor, pedagogical materials supervisor, specialized counsellor in academic adaptation and integration, computer resources counsellor and academic delegate for international relations and cooperation.

Over the last few years, approximately 200 students a year have obtained bursaries to continue their studies abroad. Of this group, most chose to study in metropolitan France. Canada welcomed on average 12 to 15 students a year, mostly in New Brunswick. Other common destinations are Belgium and England. Approximately 50% of the students who studied abroad returned to Saint-Pierre and Miquelon after their studies.

The main fields of study selected by Saint-Pierre and Miquelon students are health, languages, economics, management, human sciences and natural sciences. At the technical level, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon students specialize in electronics, health care, mechanics, hotel industry and accounting. Of this group, almost all of the students who studied abroad returned to Saint-Pierre and Miquelon.

Professional training in Saint-Pierre and Miquelon is offered by the Comité de coordination de l'emploi et de la formation professionnelle, the Association pour la Formation continue and the Chambre d'Agriculture, de Commerce, d'Industrie et de Métiers de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon. These three organizations mainly aim to offer training to entrepreneurs, salaried employees and job seekers on technical, technological and regulatory developments that affect their trade and allow individuals to learn other related trades. This training enables the archipelago's population to adapt to labour market trends. The sectors targeted by this ongoing training include, among others, seafood production and processing, business administration and services, tourism, waste management, agriculture, oil and gas, energy and crafts.

Educational institutions in Canada and Saint-Pierre and Miquelon have developed ties to facilitate student and staff exchanges. For example, for more than thirty years, various instructors from Newfoundland and Labrador have travelled to the archipelago to improve their French. Also, several Canadian institutions do not impose foreign student status on students from the archipelago so that they can pay the same tuition as students of the Canadian province where they enrol. Community colleges in New Brunswick, Université de Moncton (New Brunswick), Université de Sainte-Anne and Dalhousie University (Nova Scotia), Memorial University (Newfoundland and Labrador) have signed agreements to that effect.