France

This country update was produced by Astrid Hampe-Nathaniel, as part of the 2023 update to the European Inventory on validation, a project managed by ICF (lead consultants: Manuel Souto-Otero, Michael Richardson, Ilona Murphy, Valentina Musso and Flora Dussine) in association with 3s (lead consultants: Karin Luomi-Messerer, Monika Auzinger, Julia Fellinger, Mariya Dzhengozova and Daniel Unterweger) under the supervision of a Steering Committee formed by the European Commission (Koen Nomden, Aline Juerges and Klara Engels-Perenyi), Cedefop (Ernesto Villalba-Garcia), and the ETF (Maria Rosenstock).

The report has benefitted from feedback from the European qualifications framework Advisory Group (EQF AG) members for France as well as other national-level quality assurance (QA) contacts with expertise in validation.

Work was carried out under DG EMPL Implementing Framework Contract EAC-01-2019 - Request for Services VT/2021/059

Disclaimer:

The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the position or opinion of the European Commission, Cedefop, the ETF, ICF, the EQF AG members or the other QA contacts. Neither the European Commission nor any person/organisation acting on behalf of the Commission is responsible for the use which might be made of any information contained in this publication. The publication has neither been edited nor proof-read by Cedefop’s editing service.

Please cite this publication as: Hampe-Nathaniel, A. (2024). European inventory on validation of non-formal and informal learning 2023 update: France. European Commission and Cedefop. https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/country-reports/european-inventory-validation-non-formal-and-informal-learning-2023-update-France

France can be considered a leader in the validation of non-formal and informal learning, since Validation des acquis de l’expérience (VAE) has now been in place since 2002. VAE has evolved in tandem with employment policies and educational reforms and is now strongly linked to lifelong learning. The “Law on the freedom to choose one’s professional future” (2018), reorganised the governance of vocational training. In 2019, the multitude of training bodies and authorities with different governance remits were replaced by France Compétences, a single national public body where the State, the regions, and social partners are represented to discuss and develop the current upskilling and reskilling offer. This is closely linked to the new quality labels Eduform and Qualiopi which help potential VAE candidates identify further training courses accredited by the French state. Following the COVID-19 crisis, major investments were made to promote labour market integration and labour mobility, first and foremost through the EUR 15 billion National Skills Investment Plan (Plan d’investissement dans les compétences - PIC). Further financing is available through each citizen’s digital Personal Training Account (compte personnel de formation - CPF) and the Account for Civic Engagement (compte d’engagement citoyen - CEC), which also allows for validation in the third sector. Finally, France has drawn lessons from the pandemic and significantly expanded the digitisation of public services to make skills development more accessible for all target groups.

Arrangements for the validation of non-formal and informal learning in France give the opportunity to those who have no qualifications in connection with the activities they have undertaken to obtain a level of qualification corresponding to their skills. France can be considered as a leader in the field. Validation des acquis de l’expérience (VAE) has now been in place since 2002 and so far, more than 302,465 people have obtained a qualification (awarded by one of the Ministries) through VAE.

VAE has been developed from a national perspective, strongly linked to lifelong learning and employment policies. It is an integrated system, connected to the national qualification framework, the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) and the National directory of vocational qualifications (Répertoire national des certifications professionnelles - RNCP) which covers levels 2 to 8 of the EQF. The procedure is defined by law and decrees, ensuring consistency across education sectors. Qualifications awarded through VAE have exactly the same value as those awarded through participation in formal VET.

VAE is a procedure that can lead to the award of whole or parts of qualifications (validation partielle/complète) with a vocational and professional orientation and purpose (finalité professionnelle) at all education levels. All qualifications included in the RNCP may be obtained through VAE. This register has now been digitised and is available for searches by candidates, employers and any member of the public. The VAE procedure consists of four stages: identification, documentation, assessment and certification. In order to qualify, individuals must demonstrate having exercised at least one year of activity directly related to the activities mentioned in the standards of the qualification they want to obtain.¹ The fact that VAE is strongly focused on certification is considered to be a strength of the system. VAE is a fourth pathway to access qualifications, alongside initial training, continuous training and apprenticeship.

There are two forms of VAE: individual and collective. While individual VAE is at the initiative of the individual applicant, who engages primarily with the state’s bodies and support services, collective VAE is usually undertaken by whole companies who partner with a private training provider to run skills audits and improve their employees’ competences. Given the substantial investment in reskilling, upskilling and labour market integration through the EUR 15 billion National Skills Investment Plan (Plan d’investissement dans les compétences - PIC), collective VAE and decentralised VAE at the regional level has become more widespread.

VAE can be the result of a skills audit undertaken by employers or the PES. Skills audits (bilans de compétences) are a well-developed tool in France. This tool is used mostly for existing workers, but also for jobseekers. The procedure’s objective is to allow individuals to identify and analyse their professional and personal competences, their aptitudes and motivation, with a view to defining a professional project or training project. A skills audit is personalised and is not related to a specific qualification or standard. A skills audit is a professional development tool available for every individual regardless of his/her situation vis-à-vis the labour market. It is performed by an accredited provider (known as “Centre de bilans de compétences”). There are about 2500 providers in France. The vast majority of them are HR consulting or professional development services companies. “Regular” skills audits are primarily conducted on behalf of the PES, social partners and/or the vocational training organisations. The 2018 Law on the freedom to choose one's professional future (see above) provides for the inclusion of quality criteria for skills audit bodies and VAE support bodies.

Nonetheless, VAE remains a demanding procedure, especially for vulnerable and marginalised groups with low levels of qualifications. VAE requires not only the capacity to show evidence of previous experience, but also the capacity to reflect on past experiences and express this analysis in clear and convincing writing (IGAS-IGAENR, 2016; Doucet, 2015; Malaquin, 2013).

Since 2014, major legislative initiatives have sought to simplify access to and completion of VAE procedures. The Law adopted on 5 March 2014 broadened access to VAE, for instance for individuals who do not have a qualification level at EQF level 3, recognising training periods undertaken in a work context. It also made the financing of VAE easier with the creation of a personal training account (compte personnel de formation - CPF), where citizens can mobilise up to 5000 EUR, and it strengthened support provided to candidates, clarifying the role of the various stakeholders involved. The Labour Law of 8 August 2016 further broadened access to VAE, by reducing the three-year minimum duration of experience to only one year, by simplifying procedures and strengthening support measures for candidates. When the State Secretariat for State Reform and Simplification presented 61 measures to simplify the lives of French people, four measures concerned VAE. The Law on the freedom to choose one’s professional future adopted in September 2018 further streamlined the governance of vocational training.

In 2019, a multitude of training bodies and authorities with different governance remits were replaced by France Compétences, a single national public body where the State, the regions, and social partners come together to develop national competences in line with a new national vision to increase France’s international competitiveness through regular upskilling and reskilling. The latest expression of this ambition is the new national skills investment plan (Plan d’investissement dans les compétences - PIC) primarily targeting disadvantaged groups (disabled, isolated, NEETs etc.) launched with a budget of EUR 15 billion in 2019 and - after the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic - the France Relance recovery plan, which aims to prepare the French population for the jobs and skillsets of the future.

In France, the system of validation of non-formal and informal learning builds on longstanding practices in the field of identification and recognition of prior learning and professional experience. The validation system, which is based on a clear legal framework, has taken shape in the framework of vocational training and labour market policies. Its main legal base lies in book IV³, part 6 of the French Labour code dedicated to vocational training (and in book III for the financial provisions). Its purpose is to give the opportunity to those who have no qualifications in connection with the activities they have undertaken to obtain a level of qualification corresponding to their skills.

While the main legislative framework is still the French Labour Code, the overall policy context in which validation policies are being taken forward in France has changed significantly since 2018. This goes beyond individual items of legislation, since the design and delivery of individual policies for skills development in France has been optimised to ensure more digital, accessible and flexible forms of validation for different sectors.

Key milestones are listed below:

• Law on social modernisation of 17^th January 2002: created the current procedure known as validation of acquired experience (Validation des acquis de l'expérience - VAE)⁴. VAE is defined as an individual right in France. The purpose of VAE is to obtain a qualification⁵. It can lead to the award of whole or parts of this qualification (certification) based on the knowledge and skills acquired through prior experience and learning in a variety of contexts. To qualify, individuals must justify having exercised at least one year of activity directly related to the standards of the qualification they want to obtain. Any qualification listed in the national directory of qualifications (Répertoire National des Certifications Professionnelles - RNCP) must be accessible through a VAE procedure. The qualifications awarded through VAE are exactly the same and have exactly same value as those awarded through participation in formal education and training.
• Law on professional training, employment and social democracy of 5 March 2014: introduced a number of important changes to broaden access to the VAE system and personalised support throughout the process. Individuals who do not have a qualification level equivalent to level 3) were provided with the option to include, in the calculation of the duration of their experience, certain training periods undertaken in a work context, work-based learning, based on the principle of the recognition of all forms of learning (formal, informal and non-formal). Access to training leave (congé de formation - CF) for participating in validation was made more easily accessible for employees with temporary contracts (contrat à durée déterminée - CDD). Most importantly, the law introduced a new financing via an individual training account (compte personnel de formation - CPF) that can be activated for training until workers reach statutory retirement. It also created an obligation for companies to carry out regular interviews to review their professional development and inform them about VAE. Most importantly, this law emphasised the possibility for candidates to have access to support and continuous guidance by a counsellor (accompagnement). The scope and methods of such support were defined in the decree of 14 November 2014. Such support was considered a key factor for increasing the candidate’s chances of success. Finally, the law included provisions concerning the organisation of statistical monitoring of VAE pathways, by the coordinating institutions in the area of employment, professional training and guidance, at regional and national level. The main bodies aggregating this data are DEPP and DARES.
• Law No 2016-1088 of 8 August 2016 on work, modernisation, social dialogue and secure career paths: The minimum duration of required experience was reduced from 3 years to 1 year - with the objective to make VAE more attractive and accessible to individuals with low levels of qualification or without qualifications. This had previously only been possible only for persons who had not attained level 3). When candidates acquire parts of a qualification, these partial qualifications no longer expire (before the change, it was only 5 years). This should further encourage candidates to obtain a ‘full’ qualification to the introduction of ‘blocks of competences’ as a way to structure qualifications. The training leave granted to VAE candidates can be lengthened for ‘vulnerable’ employees. Finally,this law also strengthened continuous guidance with “Counselling for Professional Evolution” (Conseil en Évolution Professionnelle, CEP). Overall, the link between the personal training account (compte personnel de formation - CPF), lifelong learning and VAE was reinforced.
• "61 measures to simplify the lives of French people" presented by the State Secretariat for State Reform and Simplification, 2017: . Twelve of them directly concern VAE. These measures are partly based on the recommendations of the report of the mission conducted by IGAS and IGAENR on the 2016 "Evaluation of the policy of validation of prior learning". The reform measures include: setting up a quality reference framework for VAE support systems to ensure consistency across regions; using a single CERFA model (administrative file) for all VAE applications, regardless of the type of certification and the certifier; pooling and homogenising the assessment practices of candidates by juries (dissemination of a guide to good practice); setting up a single contact person throughout the course of a VAE pathway for candidates who need it; applying the principle of "silence is agreement" (SVA) for the first part of the procedure (admissibilité) within two months and the principle of "referral to the administration by electronic means" (SVE) to all certificates with the exception of diplomas and qualifications in the health field; setting maximum period of 12 months between the date of admissibility of the request for VAE and the date of the assessment session by the jury in order to make full use of the VAE as a lever for access to employment.
• Law of 5 September 2018: creates a certification obligation for training providers wishing to benefit from vocational training funds from skills operators, regional joint interprofessional commissions, the State, regions, employment and AGEFIPH (Association for the management of the fund for the integration of disabled people). It also introduces competency blocks to promote lifelong learning and labour market integration, but these are not equivalent to partial certifications or qualifications.
• Decree No. 2019-565 of 6^th June 2019 relating to the national reference system on the quality of actions contributing to skills development: Details the content of the national quality reference system, which serves as a basis for all education and training institutions - but especially vocational training players - to build and improve their approach to quality and quality assurance in an increasingly competitive training ecosystem. The national quality reference system is organised around 7 criteria linked to 22 indicators that apply to all service providers (common core), to which 10 indicators specific to apprenticeship or certification training have been added. According to the decree, the criteria that service providers must meet are: (1) public information about the services offered, the deadlines for accessing them and the results obtained; (2) precise identification of the objectives of the services offered and the adaptation of these services to the beneficiary populations, when designing the services, (3) Adaptation to the public benefiting from the services and the methods of reception, support, monitoring and evaluation implemented; (4) The adequacy of the educational, technical and supervisory resources for the services implemented; (5) The qualification and development of the knowledge and skills of the personnel responsible for implementing the services, (6) Registration and investment of the service provider in his professional environment; (7) Customer orientation, by collecting and taking into account the assessments and complaints made by the parties involved in the services provided; (8) A comprehensive and transparent approach to assure the provision of high quality services. French certification bodies will be able to audit them on this basis, once they have obtained their accreditation, with a view to issuing them the certification required on January 1, 2022.

Finally, with regard to the recommendation on implementation of the Upskilling Pathways Recommendation, major efforts have been made to develop skills across the population.

• Plan d’investissement dans les compétences - PIC, 2019-2022 This EUR 15 billion plan is structured around three axes:
  1. The main axis is based on a multiannual contract 2019-2022 with each region (PACTE) which includes actions aimed at supporting adults with a low level of qualification (living in an isolated or disadvantaged territory, people with disabilities, single parents, NEET, people with learning disabilities). The Ministry of Labour is currently negotiating agreements with regional councils to determine financial contributions to support these actions, in the continuation of actions such as the plan "500 000 additional training courses for job seekers" (implemented under the previous Presidency in collaboration with the regions, Pôle Emploi and Afpa) which included a national experiment to enable 10 000 people to use their right to VAE to obtain a qualification and find a job. Over the period 2019-2022 the “PACTE” will include actions related to VAE, the development of tools allowing individuals to identify their skills with regard to occupation and training standards (référentiels de formation) and actions to evaluate and certify digital skills, already used in middle and high schools. The aim is to offer an online service adapted to the diversity of situations and people. The geographical focus for this intervention lies on urban policy priority neighborhoods (QPV) and rural revitalisation areas (ZRR), both of which have a disproportionate population of low-skilled or unskilled jobseekers, including NEETs.
  2. The second axis is about meeting the recruitment needs of companies, in particular for shortage occupations. This starts with regular skills audits and skills forecasting, like the research project “The professions of 2030” undertaken by DARES.
  3. The third aim is to contribute to the transformation of skills needed in a changing labour market and society: the focus lies on training the workforce to respond to changes in skills, especially in connection in with the digital transformation and the ecological transition.
• France Relance - a historic recovery plan, 2020: In order to address the economic consequences of the COVID-19 crisis, on 3 September 2020 the French Government set a massive EUR 100 billion investment plan representing the equivalent of one third of the annual state budget, with EUR 40 billion provided by the European Union in order to support businesses, rethink production models, transform infrastructure and invest in training. This plan will further bolster its competitiveness and help support its openness to foreign investors. Investments will be made in three areas: ecology, competitiveness and cohesion. Under the third area, the focus lies on skills. “In 2030, France will need a well-trained workforce. France Relance is thus investing heavily (EUR 36 billion) in France’s greatest asset: its people.” Concretely, this means “increasing workforce training availability by about 400,000 people and transform vocational training systems to make France a leader in the area of digital technology and educational innovation.” There will also be additional support for young jobseekers in high-growth sectors: EUR 1.6 billion have been allocated to increase the number of certificate-based training courses for all young people arriving on the labour market from September 2020.

For participation numbers and success rates of VAE candidates in all these programmes, please see Section 11.2 on “Monitoring and evaluation”.

Despite delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the French Republic has overall sought to modernise and accelerate its system for quality-controlled, flexible opportunities for reskilling, upskilling and certification in a changing labour market.

The French validation system is well-developed and based on a national legal framework. VAE candidates can obtain a whole qualification (certification), based on the knowledge and skills acquired through prior experience and learning in a variety of contexts. Since 2016, any person with minimum one year (instead of three years) of activity, whether continuous or not, part-time, or full-time, under one or more statuses (employees, self-employed workers, volunteers, job seekers, etc.) can apply for VAE. The experience gained through this activity must be directly related to the professional diploma or title or certificate of professional qualification for which the application is made. According to the Implementation Decree of 2017, this year of activity may include:

• All employed, self-employed, voluntary professional activities or activities carried out by a person registered on the list of high-level sportsmen and women, or exercised within the framework of trade union responsibilities, a local electoral mandate or a local elective office.
• In the case of activities carried out during initial or continuing training, the following may be taken into account: periods of training in the workplace, practical training, operational preparations for employment and periods of practical training in the workplace under apprenticeship contracts, professionalisation contracts or single integration contracts.

In cases where candidates undergo validation of “parts” of a qualification (“validation partielle”), the parts of certification obtained are delivered in the form of attestations of compétences (document taking stock of the learning units validated by the “candidate) or a booklet comprising competence certificates or specialisation certificates, mentioning the blocks of competences acquired definitively. Prior to 2016, the candidate had five years to acquire further experience (e.g. through training, traineeships) before re-submitting an application. Individuals can now use their personal training account (created by the Law of 5 March 2014) to obtain the missing competences through training.

Qualifications awarded through VAE have exactly the same value as those awarded through participation in formal education and training. Awarded diplomas do not mention on what grounds (Initial training, apprenticeship, CVET, VAE etc.) the qualification was obtained.

VAE processes include the four stages of validation: identification, documentation, assessment and certification. The process includes a first step (“Livret 1”, now called CERFA) which consists of an initial review of the eligibility of applications (based on legal requirements). It gathers evidence of at least one year of experience in relation to the activities of the occupational standards of the qualification targeted. Once the CERFA is declared admissible, the documentation phase can start: the candidate will elaborate a portfolio (“Livret 2”, now called VAE request) to demonstrate that he/she possesses the necessary competencies required for the targeted qualification. During this phase, the provision of support is now officially recognised as from 2014 (Decree 12 November 2014). This portfolio (“VAE request) is then assessed by a jury, leading (or not) to award of the certification.

VAE has to be organised for any vocationally or professionally oriented qualification - including a higher education qualification - officially listed in the national directory of qualifications, the RNCP. The current French national qualifications framework (NQF) was created by the Law of 5 September 2018, and is managed by France compétences. Since 2018, the French NQF level descriptors are fully aligned with the EQF level descriptors.

Other qualifications, including higher education qualifications and sectoral vocational certificates (Certificats de qualification professionnelle, CQP), are registered in the RNCP on the basis of a request submitted to France compétences.

With the exception of specific cases defined by law or regulations, all qualifications registered in the RNCP are opened to VAE. Such qualifications may include certificates that can be obtained through continuous vocational training (e.g. certificates awarded by Chambers of commerce, by the Ministry of Labour) if they are registered with the RNCP. However, many certificates available through continuous training are not registered with the RNCP.

A variety of tools are being developed to identify individuals’ skills and/or support access to the labour market or career development, at the regional level (the Carif-Oref), at local level (the Maisons de l'emploi), by public employment services (PES) but also by sector actors (professional branches), bipartite funds (OPCAs) and individual companies.

The labour market reforms initiated by the Law of 5 March 2014 and the Law of 8 August 2016 introduced new individualised rights for all workers:

• the personal activity account (compte particulier d’activité - CPA) which includes three accounts:
  • the personal training account (compte personnel de formation - CPF) which enables working individuals to accrue hours of training;
  • the hardship account (C3P), which allows employees exposed to occupational hazards to accumulate rights;
  • the Citizen Commitment Account (compte d’engagement citoyen - CEC), which makes it possible to acquire training credits in the event of citizen or voluntary commitment (associations, reserves, civic service, etc.).

The personal activity account allows each individual to formalise his/her professional profile, by declaring his/her skills, in order to access his/her areas of potential professional mobility, i.e., professions he/she could transfer to in order to exercise the skills he/she holds. These new approaches raise the question of the various ways in which individuals, companies, training providers, guidance counsellors etc. can identify and formalise transferable and transversal skills to better secure individual career paths. The main options are listed below:

• Counselling for Professional Evolution (conseil en évolution professionnelle - CEP):

A working group set up by France Stratégie (body under the remit of the Prime Minister) identified many tools and devices for identifying, formalising and sometimes certifying transferable and transversal competences, underlying the proliferation of initiatives, and their insufficient coordination (France Stratégie, 2017). The development of these tools has grown since the adoption of the law of 5 March 2014, and in particular the implementation of the personal training account (CPF) and Counselling for Professional Evolution (CEP).

Validation in the labour market is less developed in France than in other Member States, since the vocational training tradition is less established. However, the last decade has shown a clear and intentional increase in investment in vocational training, often as part of a wider lifelong learning offer.

All vocationally-oriented qualifications awarded by French ministries and developed in cooperation with consultative bodies, including social partners (via specific Committees depending on the Ministry), are automatically registered in the RNCP directory. Since 2009, the commission in charge of RNCP issues an annual opinion (publicly available) on the relevance of the development of new qualifications. The interministerial strategy unit “France Stratégie » also produces forecasts on labour market trends and skills demand via prospective publications such as “Les métiers de 2030” (the professions of 2030), which was endorsed as useful by all stakeholders consulted for the purposes of this update.

It is also important to mention that companies also increasingly make use of the VAE system via the implementation of collective VAE. Collective VAE is a major avenue for the development of VAE, according to recent evaluation reports (IGAS-IGAENR, 2016; Malaquin, 2013). A collective VAE project consists of setting up a VAE procedure for several employees simultaneously, to enable them to obtain the same certification or different certifications.

Skills audits (bilans de compétences) are a well-developed tool in France. This tool is used mostly for existing workers, but also for jobseekers. The procedure’s objective is to allow individuals to identify and analyse their professional and personal competences, their aptitudes and motivation, with a view to defining a professional project or training project. A skills audit is personalised and is not related to a specific qualification or standard. A skills audit is a professional development tool available for every individual regardless of his/her situation vis-à-vis the labour market. It is performed by an accredited provider (known as “Centre de bilans de compétences”). There are about 2500 providers in France. The vast majority of them are HR consulting or professional development services companies. “Regular” skills audits are primarily conducted on behalf of the PES, social partners and/or the vocational training organisations. The 2018 Law on the freedom to choose one's professional future (see above) provides for the inclusion of quality criteria for skills audit bodies and VAE support bodies.

According to the Labour Code (Article R6322-35 and further revisions):

• A skills audit can be requested by an employee or by his/her employer but cannot under any circumstances be imposed on an individual. It is assimilated to a training activity. While it used to be part of the individual right to training and training leave, with the personal training account (CPF), it will be integrated into the CPF as a form of “professional transition” or advancement and will be financed through the CPF.
• The skills audit must be carried out by an external accredited provider and include a preliminary phase (preparation) an investigation phase (evaluation), and a conclusion phase (assessment and forward-looking “action plan”). The procedure must last at least 24 hours in total, including 10 hours of face-to-face interviews taking place over a period of three weeks to three months.
• The skills audit results in a synthesis document drawn up by the professional counsellor. This document is confidential and only provided to the worker who is the object of the skills audit, unless this person agrees to communicate it to another party (for example, current or future employers). This document summarises the competencies and aptitudes which have been identified and how these relate to the objectives of the candidate, and includes one to three proposals for career evolution, as well as an “action plan”. Advice is given on necessary steps to reach the objectives in question.

This framework has been completed over many years and several labour policy reforms have impacted on the use of “regular” skills audits. A law was passed in 2006 to make companies over 300 employees adopt a jobs and skills forecast management agreement (Gestion prévisionnelle de l’emploi et des compétences - GPEC). The objective is to identify, in coordination with social partners, all existing available skills in the company and to compare them with future needs in relation to the company’s mid-term and long-term strategy. Based on the analysis, the company can decide to use a series of tools to anticipate skills shortage such as individual skills audit, training or mobility.

The recent introduction of the Counselling for Professional Evolution (Conseil en évolution professionnelle - CEP) may be an opportunity to reinforce bridges between the different existing tools to increase the level of qualification but also to better match the actual skills needs on the labour market. In 2014, the implementation of an “open-to-all” and free-of-charge CEP has improved access to “regular” skills audits as any “active” individual is now allowed to contact, at his/her own initiative, one of the five certified organisations (Pole emploi, APEC, Missions locals, OPACIF and CAP emploi) to request personalised career counselling. In this context, a “regular” skills audit (chargeable) or an adapted/simplified assessment of competences (free of charge) can be recommended. In 2015, more than 700 000 individuals were reported as beneficiaries of a Career Counselling Service. A large proportion of them were registered with the PES (more than a third). A skills audit (bilan de compétences) has a cost (between EUR 2 000 and EUR 3 000) as it is carried out by an external provider (private in most cases). Although this cost can be covered by the employer, the social partners (for someone who has a job) or by the Region (unemployed people registered with the regional PES), it can function as a significant barrier. Nevertheless, the skills audit can be financed by each individual's personal training account.

Since January 2017, every “employed” individual can pay for a “regular” skills audit (and for other training opportunities) through his/her personal training account (Compte personnel de formation - CPF), an account created in 2014 to receive credit for training (in hours) for every year of actual work.

Skills audit activity is difficult to estimate considering the large number of assessment tools developed locally. However, the Statistical division of the Ministry of Labour (DARES), has conducted a recent study (2023) on the different uses of the personal training account. This study investigated the motivations, activities and results of professionals who decided to mobilise their personal training account (CPF). Key findings are:

• The main reason motivating the use of the new training offer is “to improve professional prospects” (35% of respondents), followed by a desire to “change career path” (26%) and to “receive a certification in order to be better recognised” at work and in the labour market (25%).
• 64% of survey respondents said that they had achieved their stated objective
• 86% of training participants would recommend the training they received through their personal training account to a friend or colleague.

The skills audit can be a tool to start undertaking a VAE, but it does not have the objective to recognise or validate learning outcomes; it does not therefore lead to the award of a qualification. The approach is ‘formative’: it aims at identifying the strong and weak points of an individual’s professional profile (Doucet, 2015). Beneficiaries usually obtain a better idea of their formal, informal, social and personal skills as well as suggestions for the future in terms of reorientation, need for a validation of certain skills or training. In practice, however, professionals in charge of performing skills audits are often also trained to provide guidance on VAE procedures and support to candidates. The same trainers can support skills audit participants to obtain an official qualification included in the National Registry of Professional Qualifications (Répertoire national des certifications professionnelles - RNCP).

There are no separate validation systems in the third sector. However, there are a number of tools developed by the third sector to identify and document the skills gained through volunteering experience and social work.

Although no significant changes have occurred since the last report was published in 2018, two tools are worth highlighting, since their use has become more widespread.

The “Passeport Bénévole”, a tool developed by the association "France Bénévolat", helps volunteers keep track and document the skills acquired during volunteering assignments, which could be transferred to companies, or could be used to initiate a VAE process.

Since 1 January 2017, the civic commitment account (compte d’engagement citoyen - CEC) (Art. 39 of the Labour Law of 8 August 2016) also makes it possible to identify voluntary activities carried out and to acquire hours of training (20 hours) in return for one's civic commitment. The Personal activity account (compte personnel d’activité - CPA) thus includes two subordinated credit accounts for different activities: the personal training account (compte personnel de formation - CPF) and the civic engagement account. The hours of competence development acquired through civic engagement and volunteering - often related to fundraising, strategic communications and project management - contained in the personal activity account can be used for the preparation of VAE.

In France, recognition and validation of non-formal and informal learning outcomes is directly linked to formal qualifications, as VAE specifically aims at the award of an official formal professional qualification (certification professionnelle) with a vocational or professional orientation.

The National Vocational Qualifications Directory (RNCP), established by law in 2002, is the basis for the French National Qualification Framework (NQF). The aim of the RNCP is to ensure quality and transparency of formal professional qualifications in France, by establishing a publicly accessible register of qualifications formally recognised by the State and social partners. The RNCP is overseen by a national commission: France compétences.

The RNCP and the VAE are interdependent: a VAE procedure has to be planned for all qualifications registered in the RNCP, except when a qualification is linked to a ‘regulated profession’ (where activity made without the corresponding qualification is illegal).

The RNCP describes the content of each qualification. Each of the qualification standards or référentiels de certification describes skills, knowledge and know-how and have been defined in relation to occupation standards or référentiels d’activités (list of reference functions and tasks to be performed within the given occupation).

Since 2019, qualification awarding bodies which want to register their qualifications in the RNCP have to provide a clear presentation of the blocks of competences (blocs de compétences) corresponding to the different parts of a qualification. The value of having qualifications divided into blocks of competences corresponding to typical activities is to modularise the training provision leading to a qualification and allow flexibility in the management of individuals learning pathways, whether through modular training or VAE. These blocs are similar to micro-credentials, but usually cover more competences than a single micro-credential.

Officially France has not defined micro-credentials or rolled them out in national education, training or employment policies. While micro-credentials are not equivalent to partial qualifications, they do exist and are used by private training providers and business associations. According to a Cedefop analysis from 2022, they are “perceived favourably”, especially in the private sector, where training offers have multiplied since the deregulation impulse given by the 2018 Law on choosing one’s professional future. Higher Education institutions have also started using “micro-certifications” for their public-facing offer, especially MOOCs.

To ensure the comparison and transfer of learning pathways in the European Higher Education Area, a common benchmark has been established, corresponding to the acquisition of 180 credits for the bachelor's degree level and 300 credits for the master's degree level. The ECTS system is now considered a “normal” component of the French system; it is recognised and used by the entire university community. It has made a major contribution to the construction of more flexible career pathways and the decompartmentalisation of study programmes.

France compétences is since 2018 the authority responsible for validation according to the NQF introduced that same year.

There are still two ways to register in the RNCP: the first is registration by law, for academic diplomas and qualifications supported by a ministerial order after receiving assent from consultative commissions representing ministries and the Professional Consultative Commissions (CPCs); the second is registration on request, after examination by the France compétences certification board and the Professional Certification Commission.

For diplomas other than university degree level, professional consultative commissions (CPCs) have been established. The composition of these commissions is determined by law, which differs from the previous legislation which did not stipulate this. Since Decree no. 2019-958 of 13 September 2019, these commissions have become inter-ministerial and deal with an entire sector (e.g. agriculture, industry, etc.). They report to a minister and make rulings for a sector and for all professional diplomas in this sector (www.legifrance.gouv.fr/eli/decret/2019/9/13/2019-958/jo/texte). Ministerial working groups may be set up, but the proposal will be studied between ministries and the ministers must either agree or take no decision (assent principle), except in the case of regulated professions.

The Ministry of Higher Education has no CPC for university level diplomas. As previously, discussion at the Conseil national de l’enseignement supérieur et de la recherche (National Council for Higher Education and Research - CNESER), where social partners are also represented, takes on the CPC role. A body that reports to the Ministry of Higher Education, the Comité de suivi licence, master et doctorat (Monitoring Committee for Bachelor, Master and Doctorate Cycles - CSLMD) and in which France compétences takes part, now works on writing the documents describing the Bachelor, Master and Doctorate cycles in the RNCP and contributes to quality assurance.

The general institutional framework for VAE remains under the responsibility of the Ministry of Labour. The Ministry has played a key role coordinating and implementing this new system on the ground, in partnership with the regional councils and other Ministries awarding qualifications.

As outlined in the 2018 country report, specific rules and practices for the implementation of VAE are under the responsibility of each authority awarding qualifications included in the RNCP. This includes chambers of commerce, chambers of trade, different Ministries industry representatives and private training providers. In the higher education sector, in line with the principle of autonomy of higher education institutions, every institution defines the details of the national VAE procedure and of the national criteria for the composition of juries, the price of the different stages of the VAE procedure. The same applies to awarding bodies of the private sector. The procedure, in every case, has to respect the phases defined by law. Information, guidance and counselling are provided to all candidates.

Allocation of responsibilities

Information, promotion, and raising awareness about VAE is the joint responsibility of different stakeholders and takes place at different levels (national - both ministerial and interministerial - regional level, provider level, sectoral social partners level and company level). In relation to State diplomas (i.e. those awarded by Ministries), VAE standards and procedures are designed nationally, while the implementation of the procedure depends on education institutions, and the organisation of information, guidance, counselling (for all candidates) and support (for job seekers) is delegated to the regions.

For jobseekers, the promotion and financing of collective VAE projects still mainly depend on the regional services of the Ministry of Labour. This regional offer has changed since the last update in 2018. In 2021 the regional offices DIRECCTE - Directions régionales des Entreprises, de la Concurrence, de la Consommation, du Travail et de l’Emploi - have been renamed and regrouped with regional structures to promote social cohesion. The new regional offices are called DREETS - Directions régionales de l’économie, de l’emploi, du travail et des solidarités.[19] The overarching idea is that VAE falls into the area of social policy, with regions increasingly expected to finance and support collective VAE projects to promote a dynamic and decentralised labour market.

At the national level, cooperation between Ministries takes place between their services. Between 2006 and 2009, an inter-ministerial committee for the development of VAE (Comité interministériel pour le développement de la VAE - CIDVAE) included representatives of all Ministries involved. Its activity was suspended in 2009 without any national structure replacing it. According to the evaluation mission of the VAE policy (IGAS-IGAENR, 2016), the disappearance of the CI-VAE coincided with the beginning of the erosion of the VAE system. The VAE system, as the vocational and training system itself, is indeed characterised by the high number of actors and the overlap of their missions (information, support, financing, certification actors).

Cooperation is now mainly taking place within Committees of the governing bodies for employment, guidance and vocational training (CREFOP at the regional level; CNEFOP at the national level). The law of 5 March 2014 and the application decree extended and defined the role of the regions in the area of VAE. In particular, CREFOP are now the bodies in charge of monitoring the pathways of VAE candidates. However, the DGEFP informally continued the animation of a group for the redesign of the government VAE portal, for the consultations on legislative and regulatory developments pertaining to VAE and for the development of the model of Cerfa (for VAE applications). However, for the time being, the Ministry of Labour must still transmit national data on VAE to be included in the draft budget law and in reports. This Ministry is responsible for the evolution of the general legal framework. It also receives surveys conducted at national and regional level and identifies good practice and issues of concern that are submitted by awarding bodies as well as by applicants.

The organisation of VAE takes place at the level of the bodies awarding qualifications, and for the ministries at the level of the bodies approved by every Ministry (e.g. DAVA for secondary education, ASP for health/social affairs, bodies approved by the Ministry of Labour, etc.). Once potential candidates have chosen the qualification they wish to obtain, they can go directly to these structures which provide them with information and guidance about this qualification, the VAE process and individual support available. The verification of the eligibility of the application is carried out by these structures but the assessment sessions are systematically organised by the regional services of the ministries. The candidate can choose to have recourse to another body independent from the awarding body to be supported in the development of his or her file (CERFA phase).

The Ministry of National Education (currently the main VAE provider in France) has improved coordination between the services in charge of implementing VAE in the different Academies (DAVA) to foster the exchange of good practices. This has led to a significant amount of innovation and simplification. Some of the priorities that were identified in the 2018 Inventory, have now been rolled out successfully:

• The improvement of guidance/feedback offered to VAE candidates whose applications are considered eligible, to provide tailored advice at an early stage and help those candidates that are likely to be awarded a partial validation to plan their training in advance.
• The development of online platforms to store applicants’ portfolios (Compte personnel de formation - CPF) and make them easily accessible to the members of VAE juries.
• The grouping of applications from different regions for some qualifications for which there is little demand, thanks to better national monitoring and pooling of resources.
• The use of video-conferencing to organise interviews between the juries and candidates (especially after the COVID-19 crisis showed that this was possible and practical for both jury members and applicants). Virtual meetings have also become much more widely used by the Ministry of Labour.
• The training and professional development of validation practitioners, especially members of VAE juries.
• The integration of VAE in holistic lifelong learning strategies. This area has progressed quickly with broad modernisation and investment initiatives such as the “France Relance recovery plan”, the “National Pact for Skills” and the “France 2030” investment plan.

Education and training providers

The formal education and training sector plays a major role in the development of VAE given that this procedure can lead to an award of formal qualifications. For example, VET teachers, trainers and professionals from the field are represented in VAE juries.

In relation to qualifications awarded by higher education institutions, all stages are implemented at the provider level. For example, each university is in charge of setting up and implementing information, guidance, administrative procedures and organisation of jury sessions. Nevertheless, the procedure must be in line with the rules laid out by the rules of education code and labour code on the implementation of VAE by HE institutions and therefore only the details of implementation differ. For instance, differences can be seen in the information phase (individual or collective information), in the type of counselling proposed to the individual, and in the number of juries organised per year. Each institution also has to plan quality assurance and evaluation processes.

The level of development of VAE across higher education institutions is heterogeneous. Overall, those higher education institutions with a strong tradition of involvement in continuous training provision are generally the most proactive in developing and promoting the use of VAE. The level of involvement and acceptance of VAE in the university sector is generally increasing, but some cultural, organisational and financial barriers remain. For example, a strong hindrance factor is insufficient level of interest for VAE among university professors and their involvement in related procedures (e.g. as members of VAE juries), which is partly due to the fact that this role can be time-consuming and is not always recognised appropriately in terms of career development. On the other hand, some university professors acknowledge that VAE fulfils a social purpose and also brings added value in their own work, as the process of evaluating learning outcomes acquired in other contexts brings new insights into the relevance of existing qualifications.

Validation in Higher Education

Each higher education institution is competent to validate acquired knowledge within the framework of the training it provides. The application is therefore presented by the candidate to the establishment which issues the desired diploma or title. The validation request must specify the training or diploma applied for. The file issued by the establishment indicates the training courses followed, the diplomas obtained and the activities and functions carried out. This should be detailed in the Cerfa form no. 12818*02. The accompanying explanatory note no. 5126#02, specifying the expectations of the admissibility file, guides applicants in the process. Applicants may also benefit from the advice of the competent service of the establishment (generally the service for lifelong learning) to choose the training or the diploma which best corresponds to his career and prepare a persuasive application for validation.

Validation of acquired experience is the responsibility of a jury of this establishment which verifies, evaluates and certifies knowledge and acquired experience, determining whether certain elements or all of the diploma is obtained. The educational commission then proposes to the president of the higher education establishment the exemption to be granted.

At higher education level, innovative approaches may be identified in relation to the use of online application and documentation tools, the use of video-conferencing and remote support. Some universities can provide a whole VAE procedure online. This virtual offer has dramatically increased since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The network of the VAE services at university level , which is linked to the Conference of directors of university services for continuous training, contributes to the exchange of information on innovative practices in the field of VAE. Recently, the network issued a guide on how to implement VAE for PhD qualifications, which provides a methodology in line with both general provisions on VAE as well as standards applicable to PhD qualifications.

Private sector actors (including social partners)

Chambers of commerce, chambers of trade, private training providers or social partners are directly responsible for implementing VAE procedures related to the type of qualifications they award. They take charge of the entire process, from the provision of information to candidates to the organisation of jury sessions, certification, and providing quality assurance. Private sector actors are not directly involved in the VAE procedure if the targeted qualification is a State diploma, but the legislation foresees that at least 25% of the jury members are active professionals, which may include representatives of the private sector. Private sector actors also contribute to awareness raising and promotion of VAE, regardless of the type of qualification targeted.

VAE can be used by employers as a useful tool as part of their human resources policies, with a view to:

• Raising qualification levels among staff, contributing to the professional development of employees while limiting training costs and duration;
• Facilitating occupational mobility of workers and managing needs of specific groups of employees, assessing training and recruitment needs;
• Improving social dialogue, stimulating interaction between employees and between employees and management.

The Law of 24 November 2009 on Professional Guidance and Lifelong Learning already set out that VAE must be part of negotiations between the social partners in each sector. The Law of 17 August 2015 strengthened the role of companies by instituting mandatory negotiations (every three years) within companies with more than 300 employees on the management of jobs and career paths, including VAE as an accompanying measure.

At the national inter-sectoral level, social partners can contribute to shaping the general policy framework on VAE, through the adoption of sectoral or inter-sectoral collective agreements, through governance bodies of employment, guidance and vocational training, within the framework of GPEC agreements at company level.

Sectoral bipartite organisations in charge of vocational training and the OPCO (bipartite training funds), as well as individual employers, play an essential role in promoting the use of VAE for workers, including through the development of collective VAE (groups of workers undertaking individual VAE procedures). Collective VAE projects can be put in place for various employees of the same company or for employees from different companies performing similar occupations in a given sector (this is organised with the support of the OPCA or sectoral bipartite organisations).

Awareness-raising and recruitment is the joint responsibility of different stakeholders located at different levels of governance. Information, advice and guidance is provided by multiple state authorities at national, regional and local levels. Although likely target groups have been identified (e.g., NEETS in disadvantaged urban and rural areas), and funding has been allocated accordingly, targeted outreach to them remains limited.

The general online information portal on VAE is under the responsibility of the Ministry of Labour. It provides information on VAE for the public - including employers - on the procedure with a lot of tools on the use of the VAE and access to reference documents and to a list of the regional VAE Counselling Centres. This website was redesigned in 2014 and again in early 2023, in order to provide information services for potential candidates, employers and validation practitioners. The idea is to have a one-stop-shop where different stakeholders may find all the information and required administrative documents in the same place, while also having access to trained counsellors.

Sector-specific websites have also been developed by ministries or bodies with a public service mission (e.g. healthcare, vae.asp-public.fr) and by branches or bipartite training funds (www.batiprovae.fr).

A network of regional VAE Counselling Centres continues to provide information about VAE. These centres act as a focal point at the regional level: they provide basic information about the VAE process; analyse individuals’ pathways; identify the corresponding qualifications matching their profile and refer potential applicants to the relevant awarding body. A 2015 stock-taking report (Réseau CARIF OREF, 2015) highlighted that the exact set-up of these centres varies across regions: some have one network, others have a diversity of structures.

These findings have informed the new reforms, especially the national skills investment strategy 2018-2022 (plan d’investissement dans les compétences - PIC), which channels more investments than before to the subnational level. The regional pacts for investment in skills 2019-2022 constitute a major contribution for citizens since the ambition and targets of the Skills Investment Plan can be implemented more effectively on the ground, by counsellors who know the specificities of each region, the nature of the local labour market and the achievements already carried out.

Other types of stakeholders/agencies can also provide general information to candidates and can refer them to the right contact points:

• Public Employment Services, including Missions locales (for young people);
• Other guidance providers (not part of PRC network);
• Sectoral social partners.

Every individual has the right to receive information, advice and guidance (IAG) on the VAE process. It is important to distinguish between support provided before the eligibility check, which is offered by subnational bodies on a voluntary basis, and guidance provided during the VAE procedure itself. Once the individual interested in VAE has passed the eligibility check and has become a “candidate”, the state guarantees personalised guidance through a trained counsellor.

Information, advice and guidance provided before engaging in VAE procedure

Early information and advice are provided by the regional counselling centres (points relais conseil - PRC), as well as a range of different stakeholders. Information and advice provided by PRCs are personalised and free of costs. The number of individuals informed by PRC is not directly linked to the number of individuals engaging in a VAE process. Based on the advice given by PRCs, individuals can be oriented towards different types of mechanisms, since not all interested individuals are eligible for VAE. Besides, information and advice by PRCs is not compulsory: potential candidates can receive information from other structures, while others contact certification bodies directly, without intermediaries. An evaluation of the VAE procedure undertaken in 2016 (IGAS-IGAENR) recommended that the advisory information service should be offered using an approach allowing a single entry point, as is the case in the Hauts-de-France region. This recommendation has been partially implemented: there is now a one-stop-shop national information and guidance portal for different stakeholders (vae.gouv.fr), but depending on the level and type of qualification, validation procedures themselves are sometimes the responsibility of the regions.

Guidance practitioners are well informed about VAE as the current system has been in place for 18 years. At the regional and local level, a number of specific initiatives are also in place to enhance the level of awareness of VAE among guidance practitioners. For example, the region of Ile-de-France through its VAE information service (Pôle Régional Information Conseil en VAE) organises regular information sessions on VAE for all counsellors/advisors/practitioners working in the field of vocational guidance, labour market services and social inclusion. The target group includes professionals from the Public Employment Service (Pôle Emploi) as well as other stakeholders such as APEC (national association for the promotion of employment of managers).

Information, advice and guidance provided after the candidate is considered eligible for VAE

Since the adoption of the Decree of 12 November 2014, support to candidates is officially part of the VAE process. Personalised support (accompagnement) starts when the validation application is declared eligible and stops when the application dossier is examined by the jury (Art. 6423.2). Accompagnement consists of methodological support to describe the activities and experience of the candidate (in relation to the occupational standards of the targeted qualification), to develop their portfolio, and to prepare for the interview with the jury (and when applicable, the simulation of a professional situation). It can be extended to additional assessments needed in case of partial validation. The decree also specifies that based on the recommendation of a representative of an organisation belonging to the public guidance services, support can also comprise guidance and support to find funding in order to undertake complementary training corresponding to the requirements of the qualification standards or corresponding to a block of competences (bloc de compétences)- one part of the qualification standard - missing in the candidates’ experiential pathway (Art. 6423.3).

The law of 8 August 2016 provides, that "enhanced support for certain groups may be provided and financed by a branch agreement". The application of this recommendation will result in longer support and may require extending the duration of VAE leave beyond the current 24 hours.

For example, concerning vocational and technical qualifications (delivered by the Ministry of national education), guidance and counselling is provided by a service called DAVA in each Académie. During the first phase of the application (eligibility check), when the candidate does not go to a VAE Counselling Centre and speaks directly to the awarding body, the advisors working at the DAVA provide initial information and guidance on how to submit an application to candidates. This is entirely free of charge. As part of the second part of the application, DAVA can also provide intensive counselling upon request of the candidate (not free of charge), to help them prepare their portfolio. Counselling can be provided individually or collectively, depending on the needs of the candidates and the working practices of each DAVA. In practice the network of GRETA (local networks of education and training institutions involved in the provision of training courses for adults) are also involved in the provision of support to candidates. There are 105 GRETA centres in France, one for each département.

In the Ministry of Labour, authorised organisations provide this service, including AFPA which is its biggest operator. In the field of health and social care qualifications, guidance on VAE and services to candidates are provided by a structure called ASP (Agence de Services et Paiement) on behalf of different Ministries. In the higher education sector, support to VAE candidates is provided by the specific service in charge of VAE and/or continuous training within the university. Counselling is generally provided by a team of two professionals, including a general guidance practitioner and a professor responsible for the type of qualification targeted.

Private providers can also provide counselling and support on how to prepare their application and their portfolio to candidates.

Though participation in counselling is not mandatory, it is a very important element of the validation process increasing significantly the chances of success of the candidate. The evaluation mission (IGAS-IGAENR, 2016) found that support services are real assets in a candidate's VAE process at the level of the most demanding stages (elaboration of a comprehensive application file and interview preparation). For an equivalent profile, candidates who were accompanied had a much higher probability of making it to the jury than those who had not. The time between admissibility decisions and interview by the jury is halved when the candidate receives such support. In addition, it tends to increase the probability of obtaining full validation.

In France, validation practitioners include: administrative staff, specialised staff in charge of guidance and support, and academic members of VAE juries. Generally, administrative staff are in charge of the receipt of the application and performing an administrative check on the VAE application. Like the counsellors providing information and guidance, they work full-time. Many validation jury members, by contrast, only engage in VAE examinations upon request, by law, at least 25% of jury members must be qualified professionals active in the economic field the VAE applicant wants to join (half of them employers and half of them employees). The rest of jury are experts and civil servants from the competent ministry. In the Ministry of Labour all jury members must be professionals. In higher education institutions, the VAE jury must be composed of a majority of accredited professors who are very familiar with the qualification standards, and professionals in the field. A balance between female and male members also has to be respected.

These rules concerning the heterogenous composition of VAE juries remains difficult to uphold consistently. Many VAE organisers struggle to reach a balance between employers and employees, or male and female examiners from each sector.

Each awarding body and regional structure for VAE is in charge of providing training to their VAE jury members, as well as guidance to practitioners. These arrangements may differ depending on the region, sector and staff capacity.

Jury members involved in validation sessions for professional titles (awarded by the Ministry of Labour) are accredited professionals who must have very good knowledge of the rules related to the award of titles and of the organisation of validation sessions. The Ministry has designed a standard training format for new jury members. The format is based on simulation games, whereby the trainee has to adopt the role of jury member under different circumstances (e.g, the applicant presents an incomplete application, the applicant cannot provide details about certain learning activities). The training covers all aspects related to accreditation and all stages of validation. The jury members then undertake more specialised training regarding the qualifications for which they are accredited. Training is not compulsory.

In the higher education sector, many higher education institutions have developed their own internal training courses and material for validation practitioners. In addition, the conference of directors of university services for continuous training (Conférence des Directeurs de Service Universitaire de Formation Continue) organises training courses for VAE guidance practitioners, members of VAE juries and staff responsible for VAE. These sessions are open to participants from all across France. For example, a regular one-day training course is organised for VAE jury members on an annual basis. This training course introduces the main principles about VAE and methodologies to support jury members as part of the assessment of applications (e.g. use of different tools and criteria). The focus of the training is practical and case studies are presented.

Qualification requirements for VAE jury members depend on the subject field and vary for each targeted qualification.

In the legislative and regulatory provisions, there are no requirements in terms of experience in the professional domain targeted by the qualifications. Jury members must have relevant experience as professionals or teachers.

In the Ministry of Labour, however, individuals wishing to become jurors must provide evidence of at least five years of experience in the trade must not having left their position for more than five years.

A code of ethics for VAE juries was published by the inter-ministerial Committee of the development of the VAE during its mandate.

The average cost per VAE dossier is EUR 3,000. These costs can be covered by different organisations and in different ways.

The main funding available to all individuals is their personal training account (compte personnel de formation - CPF). Full-time employees may accumulate up to EUR 5000 in any five-year period from the state, which can be complemented by up to EUR 3000 from their employer. The total amount that can be mobilised for upskilling and reskilling activities by individual citizens is thus EUR 8000. This may support VAE applicants during their training leave but can also be used to pay for training courses with accredited (public and private) training providers.

Additional public actors which intervene in the financing of VAE are:

• Regional authorities are responsible for the Information and Guidance centres (Point relais conseil - PRC) and also finance them.
• Pôle Emploi, the French PES, provides funding for the costs which are not covered by regional councils, especially for VAE candidates who are also jobseekers.
• The French Republic, through the General Directorate for Employment and professional training (Direction Générale pour l’emploi et la formation professionnelle - DGEFP), within the framework of collective actions supporting employment. This includes the implementation of national skills strategies.

Additional private funding sources include:

• bipartite bodies, OPCA - (Organismes paritaires collecteurs agréées) are sectoral bodies managed by social partners for financing individual training leaves, training plans and training courses. These collecting bodies collect taxes from employers and employees in order to finance and develop trainingat the company and sectoral level. This allows for sector-wide skills audits and collective skills enhancement;
• additional contributions from employers, who may top up their employees personal training account or finance sector-specific training in partnership with private providers and;
• direct financial contributions from candidates.

No figures on funding allocated for different sectors is publicly available. However, the latest skills investment plans at the national level focus on jobs related to the digital and green transitions.

Financial support is available for all learners via the personal training accounts (CPF). For designated vulnerable groups, including candidates living in disadvantaged urban areas (QPV) or underserved rural areas (ZRR), additional support is financed via the new national skills investment plan (PIC) and the post-COVID-19 recovery plan, France Relance - building the ‘France of 2030’. Exact figures per participant are not publicly available, but the scale of these skills investment plans - 15 billion for the PIC and 100 billion for the recovery plan (of which 40 billion are financed by the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility) - suggest that adequate support will be provided.

When France compétences published its first “Report on the use of vocational training funds” in January 2023, they aimed to give a clearer picture of the costs and results obtained by the major vocational training schemes, including the CPF Personal training account. The main findings are:

• For an action financed by the CPF, the unit cost is on average 1,549 euros. However, there is a disparity between employed workers (1,416 euros) and people registered with the French PES, Pôle emploi (1,828 euros). This difference is mainly explained by the remuneration from which the latter candidates can benefit: indeed, if the duration of the training is greater than 40 hours, then a jobseeker registered with Pôle emploi mobilising his CPF changes user category and can benefit from different remunerations, which automatically increases the total cost.
• Between the two audiences, the cost structure also varies on other points: for a busy worker, the educational cost is higher even though the average duration of the action is shorter (50 hours on average, against 82 hours for a jobseeker). At the same time, it is more common for job seekers to have to pay additional costs (11% of cases compared to 8% among employed workers) and the amount of this is also higher (484 euros compared to 421).
• 1 in 10 beneficiaries co-finance their action. In 2021, just under 10% of beneficiaries co-financed their training action themselves, for example by covering transport or catering costs. Pôle emploi is also very supportive of its users. 9% of those who have mobilised their CPF benefited from a top-up offered by the PES. However, only half of the co-funding requests sent to Pôle emploi were accepted. Other co-financing models were much less frequent in 2021, whether it comes from the candidates employer, an intermediary body OPCO or a regional council.
• As part of the France Relance recovery plan, the State also intervened with certain marginalised target groups from April 1, 2021 , by granting additional funding to people mobilising their CPF for training in strategic digital professions. These constituted 1.2% of users in 2021.

While the 2018 country report suggested that there was no unified data collection, this update focuses on the new streamlined system for data collection introduced by decree in 2021. The Ministry of Education’s new Directorate for evaluation, forecasting and performance (Direction de l'évaluation, de la prospective et de la performance - DEPP) now collects, aggregates and analyses all data related to VAE. This analytical unit publishes annual reports on VAE applicants, sectoral trends and success rates.The most recent data compiled by the DEPP are presented below.

In the overview of VAE trends over the last two decades (Figure 9.1), 2009 is the year with the highest activity, with 14,800 full validation procedures completed. After a first stall in 2010, a downward trend was recorded (even though more favourable jury decisions seem to somewhat compensate the decline in applications). Despite falling below the 13,000 mark after 2015, there was an uptick in the number of certificates issued by VAE in 2018 caused mostly by the influx of recent applications to the new Certificat d'Aptitude Professionnelle de la Petite Enfance, a certificate for early childhood education and care professionals - but after then numbers keep falling. This last stall is prolonged by the COVID-19 crisis of 2020, the year in which it reached its lowest level - below 11,000. Nonetheless, VAE applications picked up again in 2021, presumably due to career changes or new professional ambitions generated by increased unemployment caused by the pandemic. In 2021, 16,540 applications were examined. 14,560 of those candidates benefited from at least a partial validation of their informally acquired competences and 11,180 applications were validated in their entirety.

Figure 9.1. VAE trends 2002-2021

Image

Source: Abriac D., 2022, "Dispositif académique de validation des acquis de l’expérience: le nombre des diplômes délivrés repart à la hausse en 2021 avec + 6 %", Note d'Information, n° 22.40, DEPP. https://doi.org/10.48464/ni-22-40

The top ten diplomas applied for in 2021 represent a total of 10,000 applications (500 more than in 2020), i.e., 60% of applications examined. 40% of examined validation applications, however, are concentrated around just three certifications: the State diploma for special needs educators (DEES - diplôme d'État Éducateur spécialisé), the State diploma for education supervisors who assist learners with special needs (DEME - diplôme d'État Moniteur éducateur) and the Certificate of professional aptitude to support early childhood education and care (CAF Petite enfance). Figure 9.2 shows the changing importance of the most requested diplomas over the last 12 years.

Figure 9.2. Evolution of most popular certifications since 2008

Image

Source: Abriac D., 2022, "Dispositif académique de validation des acquis de l’expérience : le nombre des diplômes délivrés repart à la hausse en 2021 avec + 6 %", Note d'Information, n° 22.40, DEPP. https://doi.org/10.48464/ni-22-40

Trends and changes in candidate profiles were also examined by the DEPP. As Table 9.1 suggests, the public applying for the VAE is composed predominantly of people who are already in employment but want to improve their chances for career progression: eight out of ten candidates are in employment (80% of applications examined, up 2 percentage points compared to 2020) and are at least 30 years old (87%). Nine out of ten applicants (85% - up 6 points) already have a diploma and 51% (+ 1 percentage point) already hold at least one diploma at level 4 (baccalaureate level). Younger candidates taking the validation exams come mostly from initial vocational training. The clear predominance of women (64% - down by 2 percentage points) is linked to the specialties of the diplomas targeted: 85% of VAE applications target a certification in the care sector (including healthcare, social care and early childhood education).

Table 9.1. Candidate profiles for VAE (2021)

Image

Source: Abriac D., 2022, "Dispositif académique de validation des acquis de l’expérience : le nombre des diplômes délivrés repart à la hausse en 2021 avec + 6 %", Note d'Information, n° 22.40, DEPP. https://doi.org/10.48464/ni-22-40

There are no specific validation arrangements for disadvantaged groups, e.g., migrants, low qualified adults etc. It is important to note that VAE was not designed in relation to one or several target groups but aimed at validating acquired experience regardless of an individual’s status. Nonetheless, the new national skills investment plan (Plan d'Investissement dans les Compétences 2018-2022 - PIC[36]) and the “France Relance” post-COVID recovery plan do specify enhanced investment for upskilling, reskilling and certification (including through VAE) for particularly disadvantaged areas: the PIC investments, for instance, are geographically focused on urban policy priority neighbourhoods (quartiers prioritaires des politiques de la ville - QPV) and rural revitalisation areas (zones rurales de révitalisation - ZRR), both of which have a disproportionate population of low-skilled or unskilled jobseekers, including NEETs.

With regard to the recognition of formal prior learning, the CIEP (International Centre for Educational Studies), which is an operator of the Ministry of National Education, the Department for the Recognition of Diplomas (ENIC-NARIC Centre), examines applications for recognition of refugee and asylum seekers' diplomas free of charge. It also contributes to reflections on the recognition of their diplomas and the reception of migrant students in French universities. If the applicant cannot provide any diplomas, the ENIC-NARIC centre adopts a specific procedure based on a reconstruction of the educational biography of the person in the context of art. VII of the Lisbon Convention on the recognition of qualifications of refugees, displaced persons and persons in a similar position.

The Decree of 12 November 2014 also included new provisions regarding financial support for candidates. In addition to a representative of an organisation which is part of the public guidance services giving advice, support can also comprise the following:

• Personalised career guidance
• Assistance in looking for funding
• Complementary training corresponding to the requirements of the qualification standards or corresponding to a set of competencies (bloc de compétence) missing in the candidates’ pathway, that correspond to one part of the qualification standard (Art. 6423.3). This provision could be helpful for vulnerable groups.

In addition, VAE candidates whose application is deemed admissible by the Ministry of Labour may be accompanied by the National Association for Adult Vocational Training (Afpa) which helps them to compile their file and to prepare for the interview and the simulation of a professional situation. Each year, almost half of the candidates presented to a jury are accompanied. This has a positive effect on the success rate of candidates.

The approach used for VAE in France is the portfolio method completed with interviews and debates with a jury. There are two distinct phases: identification and assessment.

Identification/documentation phase

The VAE application follows a two-step procedure for all qualifications.

For the registration of applicants in the VAE process, a common application form for the collection of information has been developed between Ministries, which is known as a ‘VAE request’. This is used for a first eligibility check. A decree of the Ministry of Labour establishes a standard model for a "Request for VAE," with all ministries awarding qualifications. This form called CERFA is certified and published by the Prime Minister's Office. It can be downloaded from the following websites: www.service-public.fr, www.vae.gouv.fr and www.travail-emploi.gouv.fr but also from the websites of the awarding bodies.

The second part of the application is the preparation and submission by the candidate of a portfolio identifying and documenting the learning outcomes to be validated. The exact structure and content of this document can vary in content according to the awarding body and the standard requirements of qualifications that are sought; in all cases, it contains a detailed written description of the applicant’s knowledge and skills acquired through experience as well as evidence of past professional achievements.

As part of the procedure used at the ministry in charge of employment, the candidate must present a document called dossier de synthèse de pratiques professionnelles (DSPP) presenting their professional experience.

Assessment/certification phase

The content and relevance of the portfolio is assessed by the members of avalidation jury. The jury meets in the presence of the candidate; this typically includes a presentation by the candidate about his/her experience, an interview with the candidate and a discussion with jury members.

The demonstration of competences in front of the jury can be done in two ways:

1. Production of a written document detailing the ins and outs of well-chosen activities with regard to the certification in question (CERFA). These detailed descriptions provide proof to the jury that the candidate "knows how to do" because he or she is able to formulate it in detail in writing or even orally. This method has the advantage of not requiring anything other than the candidate's writing, but it is also in the production of this writing that its main disadvantage lies. The production of a reflexive written document proving the acquisition of the skills covered by the diploma is far from a simple exercise. This requires time for preparation and reflection on the diploma standards. The production of this file, often called "booklet 2", is particularly demanding for candidates with few or no diplomas, who may feel, rightly or wrongly, far from the codes of written production. All ministries implement CERFA, except the Ministry of Labour, which uses the dossier de synthèse des pratiques professionnelles (DSPP). Some of the reasons given for the limited use of VAE include the formalism of the procedure, especially for the least qualified people. See: http://travail-emploi.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/it_951_452_fbb7b.pdf
2. Demonstration the skills acquired during the simulation of a professional situation. In this case, the writing required is very limited. This is often the case for social partners qualifications (CQPs) or certain titles of the Ministry of Labour, which mainly uses the technical platforms of the AFPA centres. AFPA has taken a more pragmatic approach starting from concrete work situations. Validation is based on a combination of situations observed and evaluated by a team composed of a trainer and a professional. They take place on a platform that reproduces as faithfully as possible the work in situation. This methodology has the advantage for the jury of direct observation and for the candidate to do what s/he knows how to do. The major disadvantage is the need to provide the jury and the candidate with an appropriate technical platform (equipment and materials, for example). Organisations such as Pôle Emploi believe that, for people at level V (EQF level 3), validations based on practical situations are more appropriate and therefore prefer to mobilise AFPA’s methods. However, some trade unions emphasise the fact that people who do not know how to write can be detected by going through the development of the written file. Modules to combat unmet literacy needs can then be offered to them. Traditional tests and examinations are not common practice.

The Plan for the simplification of VAE ("61 mesures pour simplifier la vie des français", 2017) put forward proposals to promote the development of dematerialisation/digitalisation of administrative files and procedures for candidates and jury member: digital validation files, made available to authorised jury members (via a collaborative online tool), could allow jury members to give their opinion on the candidate's file and on whether or not an interview is necessary. This new possibility would limit the number of interviews before the jury, thus speeding up the processing of VAE applications. France Compétences has developed this further together with the interministerial government think tank, France Stratégie. In line with the wider digitalisation of public service provision - dramatically accelerated by the COVID-19 crisis - several elements of the VAE procedure have been digitised. The training credit on each citizen’s personal training account (CPF), may be consulted and amended online. The initial contact with relevant regional authorities (PRC) can be made via online forms; the continuous guidance and support which applicants receive once they have been declared eligible can be offered face-to-face, via online meetings or in a hybrid format - and even the final hearing with the validation commission can now be held online. This new flexibility is particularly appreciated by VAE participants with disabilities or in remote areas. However, many participants still prefer the face-to-face examination.

The 2002 legislation on VAE and decree set some general criteria on quality assurance procedures, including with respect to the functioning and composition of VAE juries.

In relation to the provision of support to VAE applicants, a number of methodological tools have been developed by State services in order to outline a set of key principles for the provision of support (after the first part of the application - i.e. for those applications considered eligible). The main objective is to ensure a consistent level of the quality of support provided regardless of geographic region or economic sector.

In addition, a number of regional quality charters for the support of VAE candidates have been signed by the State and the regional authorities. They focus on various aspects such as providing suitable conditions to receive candidates, ensuring the transparency of the procedures, guaranteeing the confidentiality of the procedure, providing high-quality support services with reasonable waiting times consistent with the needs of the candidates, ensuring the professional standards of practitioners, and further developing cooperation and information exchange between institutions. Progress is measured by satisfaction surveys for candidates and the monitoring of candidates’ pathways after the validation procedure has been completed.

VAE quality assurance systems/procedures are the responsibility of each awarding body (at the Ministry/national level or at the provider level). However, all national laws and regulations on the quality of vocational and continuing education and training apply largely to the VAE procedure.

Monitoring and evaluation processes have been reinforced and expanded since 2018. Continuous monitoring is undertaken by the statistical division of the Ministry of Labour (DARES) and by the Directorate for evaluation, forecasting and performance (Direction de l’évaluation, de la prospective et de la performance - DEPP) (see section 9.2) while ad-hoc evaluations by expert commissions may be commissioned by the state at any time.

Additional evaluations can be commissioned by the state on an ad-hoc basis. The most impactful evaluation of this kind was an evaluation of the existing validation procedure commissioned by the then Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, in 2015. At the time, VAE was considered under-utilised and not reaching its objectives (250 000 persons qualified in 10 years, against the initial objective of 60 000 per year). The aim was thus to evaluate VAE policy in terms of effectiveness and efficiency, governance, access, quality and relevance. The task was entrusted to an expert commission composed of members of the General Inspectorate of Social Affairs (IGAS), the General Inspectorate of National Education (IGEN) and the General Inspectorate of National Education and Research Administration (IGAENR).

In October 2016, the evaluation’s conclusions identified the main weaknesses of the scheme and recommended a number of measures to make VAE more attractive, including:

• a simplification of the steps and formalities to be completed in order to engage in the system as well as shortening the duration of the VAE pathway;
• enhanced guidance and support to candidates to increase success rates;
• targeting VAE as a priority towards unemployed groups or those at risk of job loss, on growth sectors of activity or specific territories in order to make VAE a tool in the service of employment policy;
• the development of collective VAE projects in connection with employment areas.

These recommendations have now been implemented successfully through new legislation (see section 3), amended administrative procedures and enhanced outreach in collaboration with subnational partners (see section 7).

There has been relatively little change in the levels of trust in validation since the last Inventory update in 2018.

The VAE system grew rapidly from a quantitative point of view in the first years of its existence and has been fluctuating ever since with the changes in the French economy. The 2008 financial crisis led to more applications for VAE in an increasingly competitive labour market.

According to a survey carried out with working-age adults by BVA in 2016, almost half of the respondents knew precisely what VAE is (in particular, the elaboration of a file, the personal training account and the VAE leave). Of the 59% of respondents who were familiar with VAE, 51% had a “good” image and 34% had a “very good” image of the system, i.e. a total of 91% held a positive view of VAE. VAE is considered useful for employees (92%), while also increasing profits for employers (75%). However, 28% of those who had heard about VAE in 2016 had inquired about the process, and only a quarter had actually undertaken VAE. The government’s aim since then has been to increase the availability and attractiveness of VAE, most notably via the state-funded personal training account and the training leave, which were advertised widely.

In the end, however, like in 2008, it was external pressures that made VAE more attractive to working-age citizens. The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, and concomitant long-term shifts in employment (drastic increase in unemployment at first, then steady demand in rapidly growing sectors like ICT), has been the most important catalyst for VAE in the last decade. As French citizens reorient their careers, the French state has rolled out large-scale investment programmes for reskilling and recovering from the crisis. This has increased the visibility and use of VAE as a reliable tool to develop, change and consolidate career paths. On the other hand, 81% of those who have undertaken a VAE approach are satisfied. Dissatisfied people criticise the complexity of the process.

On the employer side, a survey was conducted by TNS Sofres in June 2016 among 1 400 company managers, in the framework of the evaluation mission (IGAS-IGAENR, 2016).

VAE is known by at least two thirds (66%) of respondents and half (53%) say they see exactly what it is. Contact persons working in large companies are more familiar with VAE than those from smaller companies. VAE is first known by word of mouth (28%) and the media (16%). Institutional channels such as CCIs (6%), OPCAs (1%), government services (1%), or the region (less than 1%) are not or rarely mentioned as vectors of VAE's notoriety.

The system is positively perceived by managers (86% have a good image). Although the usefulness for companies is slightly less recognised than that for employees (76% consider the VAE useful for companies vs. 91% useful for employees), the results remain very positive. VAE is perceived as a complex system (64%) and some points remain little known: 65% of respondents are unaware that it is sufficient to provide pay slips to prove a past activity, 59% that the candidate's experience does not necessarily cover all the skills of the diploma in question, 52% that it is not necessarily necessary to take a written exam.

It is mainly the employees who initiate the approach (in 82% of cases), companies being much less inclined to launch a VAE (the company is at the origin of the approach in 29% of cases). Indeed, the benefit for the company is not always clearly perceived. Even when the approach is initiated by the company, managers declare that they do so primarily for the benefit of the employee(s), at 67%, and to a lesser extent for the company (32%). Nevertheless, respondents who have already experimented with VAE say they are largely ready (87%) to recommend the system to their counterparts. And expectations for improvement remain limited and fairly general, primarily a request for simplification of procedures (33%).

Literature:

DARES (2017). La validation des acquis de l’expérience en 2015 dans les ministères certificateurs. Juin 2017, DARES Résultats N. 038.

Direction de la prospective et de la performance (DEPP) (2017a). Dispositif académique de validation des acquis. Notre d’information N. 17.27

Direction de la prospective et de la performance (DEPP) (2017b) Validation des acquis de l’expérience dans les établissements d’enseignement supérieur: un dispositive qui s’essoufle. Note d’information N. 17.31.

DOUCET, Sandrine (2015). Rapport d’information deposé par la Commission des Affaires Européennes sur la validation de l’apprentissage non formel et informel, Rapport n 2926. Available at: http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/14/pdf/europe/rap-info/i2926.pdf

FCU (2015). Conduire un projet collectif de VAE en direction des entreprises. Avril 2015.

France Stratégie (2017). Compétences transférables et transversales. Quels outils de repérage, de reconnaissance et de valorisation pour les individus et les entreprises?. Avril 2017. Available at: http://www.strategie.gouv.fr/sites/strategie.gouv.fr/files/atoms/files/gt2_competences-ok.pdf

IGAS-IGANR (2016). Evaluation de la politique publique de validation des acquis de l'expérience. RAPPORT, IGAS (Inspection générale des affaires sociales) N°2016-013R / IGAENR (lnspection générale de l’administration de l’éducation nationale et de la recherché) N°2016-065. Octobre 2016. Available at: http://www.education.gouv.fr/cid115493/evaluation-de-la-politique-publique-de-validation-des-acquis-de-l-experience.html

IGEN-IGAENR (2015). L’introduction de blocs de compétences dans les diplômes professionnels, Rapport n. 2015-078, November 2015. http://cache.media.education.gouv.fr/file/2015/23/3/2015-078_blocs_competences_531233.pdf

IGAENR (2014). Rapport n° 2014 061. L'implication des universités dans la formation tout au long de la vie. Juillet 2014. http://cache.media.education.gouv.fr/file/2014/97/5/2014-061-L-implication-des-universites-dans-la-formation-tout-au-long-de-la-vie_367975.pdf

IGAENR (2011). Rapport n° 2011-125. Le fonctionnement des jurys de VAE. Inspection générale de l’administration de l’Éducation nationale et de la Recherche, Décembre 2011. http://www.ladocumentationfrancaise.fr/var/storage/rapports-publics/124000247/0000.pdf

Malaquin, M. (2013). La Validation des Acquis de l’Expérience en France : portée et limites d’un dispositif légal, Note du CEP, Décembre 2013, Centre Etudes & Prospective du Groupe Alpha. Available at: http://www.groupe-alpha.com/data/document/122013-vae-france.pdf

Ministère de l’économie (2018). Annexe au projet de loi de finance pour 2018, Formation professionnelle. Available at: https://www.performance-publique.budget.gouv.fr/sites/performance_publique/files/farandole/ressources/2018/pap/pdf/jaunes/Jaune2 018_formation_professionnelle.pdf

Objectif Formation en Lorraine, Dossier: Loi Travail: quels impacts pour la VAE. Numéro 68, Décembre 2016.Available at: http://www.lorpm.eu/upload/portail/Archive%20Objectif_Formation/Objectif_68.pdf

Pôle Observation et Prospective Observatoire VAE (2015). Pourquoi la VAE n’a pas trouvé sa place auprès des professionnels du BTP ? Available at: http://www.cariforef-reunion.net/files/2015_VAE_BTP_CREFORNormandie.pdf

Pôle observation et prospective, observatoire de la VAE (2013). « L’impact de la VAE sur les parcours professionnels en Haute Normandie », Crefor Haute-Normandie, juin 2013

Réseau des CARIF OREF (2015) La VAE à travers les régions (information conseil et validation), Année 2013. September 2015. http://www.intercariforef.org/reseau/content/la-vae-à-travers-les-régions

Secrétariat d’État chargé de la Réforme de l’État et de la Simplification (2017). "61 mesures pour simplifier la vie des français". Mars 2017. Available at: http://simplification.modernisation.gouv.fr/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/61_nouvelles_mesures_de_simplification_pour_les_particuliers-1.pdf

Secrétariat Général à la Modernisation de l’Action Publique (SGMAP) (2016) Enquête sur la notoriété et le recours à la validation des acquis de l’expérience auprès des salariés et des demandeurs d’emploi. Juillet 2016. Available at: http://www.modernisation.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/epp/epp_vae_enquete_notoriete-recours.pdf

Websites:

http://www.vae.gouv.fr/

https://www.francecompetences.fr/

https://www.strategie.gouv.fr/publications/metiers-2030

https://www.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr/fr/france-2030-plan-d-investissement-pour-la-france-de-demain-88087

https://www.budget.gouv.fr/documentation/documents-budgetaires/exercice-2023/projet-de-loi-de-finances/budget-general/investir-pour-la-france-de-2030

http://travail-emploi.gouv.fr/actualites/l-actualite-du-ministere/article/la-validation-des-acquis-de-l-experience-vae-expliquee

• Ministère de l’éducation nationale et de la jeunesse
• Ministère du Travail, du Plein emploi et de l’Insertion