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Validating Experience (VAE) 

Verified 07 November 2019 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Any person who has pursued a professional activity may, under conditions, benefit from the validation of the acquired experience (VAE). His experience allows him to obtain a certification in order to evolve professionally.

The VAE allows you to obtain a certification through your experience.

This professional certification must be registered at National Register of Professional Certifications (NCPR).

FYI  

the VAE does not allow to all certifications.

You must have at least 1 year of full-time experience, or 1607 hours (continuous or non-continuous):

  • whether employed or not,
  • or volunteering,
  • on the list of high-level athletes,
  • union responsibilities,
  • a local electoral mandate or a local electoral function,
  • participation in solidarity economy activities, if you are welcomed and accompanied by an organization that welcomes and hosts people in difficulty.

Experience must be relevant to the certification.

The duration of the initial or continuing training activities must represent less than half of the activities taken into account.

Please note

one applicant for employment, compensated or not compensated, may also benefit under certain conditions.

You can ask for support to prepare your validation file or interview with the jury.

Contact the certifying institution to obtain the certificate.

VAE: find your certifier

Reminder

support to the VAE may be financed by the training account..

You can get financial assistance from your employer, a skills operator (OPCO) or the regional council.

Who shall I contact
Who shall I contact

You can benefit free of charge, before setting up, from the accompaniment of a VAE advisor within a relay point (PRC).

Who shall I contact

They can also help you study the relevance of the project and obtain funding.

1re The stage of the EATV consists in establishing and filing its admissibility file.

This folder consists of the following parts:

  • Documents justifying the duration of the activities carried out by the applicant
  • Certificates justifying the duration of the training (initial or continuous) carried out in a working situation
  • Certifications or parts thereof obtained
  • Specific documents requested by the certification body
  • Application form completed and signed 

Validating Experience (VAE) - Application for admissibility

This file must be sent to the certifying body (check the conditions of this deposit on the organization’s website).

VAE: find your certifier

The organization will verify that the file is indeed admissible, in particular as regards the length of service required. Upon receipt of the complete file, the organization has two months to notify you of its decision. It will also give you a date for the exam.

Warning  

you can only file one file for the same certification per year, and no more than 3 files per year, all certifications included.

Once your application has been deemed admissible, you will be offered an evaluation session of your AEV file.

Setting up the file

You must build a file that includes:

  • description of your ability to validate,
  • skills and knowledge applied during your experience,
  • and any additional training you have received.

The application for validation shall be submitted to a jury composed of at least 25 % professionals.

You must send this file to the certifying body.

Board assessment

The jury will verify that your knowledge corresponds to the skills, knowledge and skills of the degree you wish to obtain. 

Total Validation

If your qualifications correspond to the skills, abilities and knowledge required to obtain the relevant certification, the jury will make a full validation decision and award the diploma or certification to you. You will receive a certificate of competence indicating this.

Partial Validation

If your knowledge does not fully correspond to the skills, abilities and knowledge required for the certification in question, the jury will make a partial validation decision.

You will receive a notification indicating what needs to be further assessed.

You will also receive a certificate of competence indicating the parts of the certification obtained definitively. These parts of certifications allow for test waivers if the regulations established by the certification body provide for total or partial equivalencies.

Refusal to validate

If you do not meet the required level of competence, aptitude or knowledge, the jury will refuse to grant you the diploma.

The jury's decision is yours notified, by mail, by the head of a higher education institution or the certifying body.

Any person (employee, public official...) may request from his employer, a leave to prepare the validation of the acquired experience (VAE) or to participate in the validation tests. The person must have one year's professional experience (1607 hours) in relation to the certification.

The maximum leave shall be 24 hours of working time (consecutive or non-consecutive) per validation.

Conditions differ depending on the sector in which you work.

In the private sector

This leave is considered a period of work for the purpose of calculating your seniority in the company and your entitlement to paid leave.

Your VAE leave cannot be deducted from your leave entitlements.

You must submit your application to your employer at least 60 days prior to the commencement of the AEV. It must include:

  • the relevant professional certification,
  • the date, nature and duration of the actions envisaged,
  • the name of the certifying body,
  • any document attesting to the admissibility of your application for the AEV.

Within 30 days of receiving your request, the employer will inform you in writing of its agreement or the reasons for postponing or rejecting your absence. This deferral may not exceed 6 months from the date of application.

If your employer does not respond within 30 days, your request is accepted.

When you return from your leave, you must present a certificate of presence provided by the certifying body.

You will only be able to request a new VAE leave from the same employer after 1 year.

In the Public Service

State Civil Service (FPE)

The staff member shall be granted VAE leave at his request. His remuneration is maintained.

VAE actions may be financed by the administration if they are included in the training plan. In this case, you must sign an agreement with the administration and the certifying body.

Territorial Public Service (FPT)

The staff member shall be granted VAE leave at his request. His remuneration is maintained.

You must submit your application to your employer at least 60 days prior to the commencement of the AEV. It shall specify:

  • the relevant professional certification,
  • the date, nature and duration of the actions envisaged,
  • the name of the certifying body.

Within 30 days of receiving your request, the employer will inform you in writing of its agreement or the reasons for postponing or rejecting your absence.

In the event of an agreement and financial assumption, you will have to sign an agreement with the community or the employer institution and the certifying body.

When you return from your leave, you must present a certificate of presence provided by the certifying body.

You will only be able to request a new VAE leave from the same employer after 1 year.

Hospital Public Service (HPF)

The staff member shall be granted VAE leave at his request. His remuneration is maintained.

VAE actions may be funded by the employing institution if they are included in the training plan. In this case, you must sign an agreement with the administration and the certifying body.

FAQ