What are the training courses most requested by candidates this year?

That’s it, the final year high school students have made their orientation wishes for higher education on Parcoursup. They had until April 8 to complete their file and confirm their wishes. They will now have to wait until May 27 to receive their first responses to their registration requests.

And this year, they’ve seen the big picture, as the average number of wishes per candidate has increased from 10.9 in 2020 to 12.8 in 2021, as indicated. a note of the Ministry of Higher Education published this Thursday. “This is explained by the increase in training sessions on the platform this year, which are now 17,800, and the possibility of making sub-wishes. If a candidate registers for the joint competition for veterinary schools, he can, for example, tick 4 sub-wishes corresponding to the 4 veterinary schools ”, indicates Jérôme Teillard, Parcoursup project manager at the Ministry of Higher Education. “The candidates also tend to make wishes of help in generalist license, to be sure to have proposals for admission in case they are not taken in a selective training”, adds Sylvie Amici, president of the APsyEN (Association of psychologists and psychology in national education).

Licenses, BTS and BUT in mind

Unsurprisingly, licenses are the most popular sectors and account for 33% of wishes. Among them, are acclaimed the license of law (3.6%), psychology, economics-management and staps. A craze which is quite logical, according to Jérôme Teillard: “Licenses are the most numerous training courses in higher education and those which offer the most places”. “And those that are most in demand relate to jobs that young people have clearly identified, which helps them to project themselves”, also notes Sylvie Amici.

The selective short courses also continue to thrive, the BTS registering 30% of the wishes and the GOALS 11%. The transformation of DUTs into GOALS, to offer training at bac +3 (against bac + 2 previously), therefore had no impact on their attractiveness. “These training courses, where students are more supervised than in a traditional license, are reassuring. Especially since this year, the BTS continued to have face-to-face lessons, while the undergraduate students followed a good part of their courses at a distance, ”emphasizes Sylvie Amici. The professionalizing aspect of these training courses also reassures young people, who know that they will offer them good conditions for integration.

Popular nursing training institutes

This year, the technological and professional terminals have also more often chosen the BTS and BUT: “It has been several years that there are quotas of places reserved for them in these courses, which encourages them to register”, notes Jérôme Teillard. Commercial specialties continue to be popular (BTS operational commercial management, BTS negotiation and digitization of customer relations, BTS international commercial or BUT marketing techniques), as well as those relating to management (BUT management of companies and administrations, BTS Management of SMEs, BTS accounting and management) or IT (BUT IT, BUT multimedia and Internet professions, BTS IT services to organizations).

Health and social sector training is also on the rise, as shown by the boom in vows in nursing training (+ 13% this year), which represents 9% of vows. “Previously, you had to register for each nursing institute competition and pay to take it. But since 2019, there have been no more competitions, which has created additional attractiveness, ”emphasizes Jérôme Teillard. Based on this observation, the government and the regions have also launched a plan to increase places. Specific health access paths (Pass) continue to attract, with 8.4% of wishes expressed, as well as state diplomas in the health and social field (6%). “The fact that these courses lead to jobs with strong social needs, and which will always recruit, is not unrelated to their success,” continues Jérôme Teillard.

More mobility wishes

Finally, we note that the health crisis has not killed the inclinations to move high school students. This year, 74% of them confirmed at least one wish outside their academy (+ 5 points compared to 2020). “This is the fourth year that it is possible to do it, so high school students have more of a mobility reflex,” says Jérôme Teillard.

“On the platform, the possibility of applying outside one’s academy is also much better presented,” says Sylvie Amici. The Parcoursup mobility aid of 500 euros, intended for high school scholarship students, must also have something to do with it.