Par sa finalité et son objet, la formation professionnelle continue appartient au droit de la protection sociale. Elle permet ainsi aux salariés de faire face au risque social d'obsolescence des compétences, mais également de sécuriser leur parcours professionnel. En 1973, le législateur forgea un lien artificiel entre cette matière et le droit du travail en la codifiant au sein du Code du travail. Le droit du travail exerça une influence constante sur la formation professionnelle qui fut orientée en priorité vers les besoins des seuls salariés. La réforme du 5 mars 2014 et les lois qui ont suivi semblent vouloir rompre avec ce cadre juridique artificiel. Le législateur entend consacrer un système d’assurance social, universel, personnel et individuel, ce qui pose la question d'un éventuel droit à la formation et appelle une réforme globale de son mode de fonctionnement. / Continuing vocational training in French social law : contributing to the study of a new social insurance.For its purpose and its content, continuing vocational training belongs to the law of social protection. It allows employees to face the social risk of skills' obsolescence but also to secure their professional path. In 1973, the legislator created an artificial link between vocational training and labour law by codifying this field into the Labour Code. Labour Law exercised a constant influence on vocational training which was primarily based on the sole needs of employees. The reform of 5th March 2014 and the subsequent laws seem to have the will to break with this artificial legal framework. The legislator intends to create a system of social insurance which is universal, personal and individual. It raises the question of a potential right to vocational training and calls for a global reform of its functioning.

The aim of this thesis is to present and analyse the alternatives to downsizing of employees from the point of view of the active employment policy applied in Austria during the financial and economic crisis 2008-2010. First, the paper explores downsizing in the period of economic crisis and compares legal forms of employment termination in Austria and in the Czech Republic, as well as other relevant legal topics. Furthermore, it points out some selected issues from austrian labour law. Second, the thesis focuses on active employment policy tools which aim to avoid downsizing at least for the temporary, short-time economic crisis and on tools which at least ease consequences of downsizing by helping the fired employee to find a new employment path. The thesis analyses the evolution, legal background and use of short working time in detail, as well as the background of educational leave. Eventually, the paper deals with a revolutionary version of outplacement -- with labour foundations -- an outplacement model developed in Austria.