The structural problems present in vocational education in France and reform efforts under way to solve them were studied. Eighteen experts from government, science, and industry were interviewed, and statistics and other relevant publications were analyzed. The development of the French initial training system was outlined, and trends in demography, education, and employment as a platform for vocational training reform in France in the 1980s were examined. The educational policy debate on reform of the vocational education system and related state measures to improve the levels of general and vocational education, reduce the number of school dropouts, and increase the number of vocational baccalaureate holders were outlined along with efforts to restructure vocational education certificates and transitions within the education system. Efforts to strengthen the links between the vocational secondary schools and industry, upgrade industrial apprentice training, help integrate youth into working life, and develop new forms of state intervention within the vocational training system were examined. The analysis indicated that, despite their apparent convergence in recent years, the differences between the French and German vocational education systems are too great to permit successful assimilation of the German model in France in the foreseeable future. (Contains 40 references.) (MN)