EXPERIENCE, a route towards qualification

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EXPERIENCE,a route towards qualification

• The French framework
• Firenze 30/11/06
• Michel Feutrie

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Three steps

• 1985 validation for access
• 1992 validation for credits
• 2002 validation for qualification

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1985 Validation for access

• A decree authorising access to all levels of
  higher education on the basis of prior learning
  and/or personal and professional experience
• In 2003, universities examined 19960 application
  forms and gave a positive answer to 14930
• These arrangements are still alive

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1992 Validation for credits

• A law in 1992 and decrees signed by four
  ministries Education (1993), Higher Education
  (1993) Agriculture (1993) and Youth and Sports
  (1999)
• Allowing vocational training institutions or
  universities to award credits on the basis of
  professional experience
• At least a five years work experience was
  required
• It was not possible for the jury to award a full
  diploma, candidates had to participate in at
  least one module or unit
• This law is replaced by the 2002 law

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2002 Validation for a qualification

• A law and two decrees
• - A general one for all learning ans training
  organisations
• - A specific one for HE institutions

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The 4 pillars of the 2002 French framework
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1 A new right for individuals

• They can claim for validation of their
  experience, if they have been in paid, unpaid or
  voluntary employment or activity for at least 3
  years
• Learning and training organisations have to give
  them an answer

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2 A new road towards qualification

• Learning and training organisations are allowed
  to award a full qualification (degree, diploma,
  certificate) on the basis of individual
  experience,
• By this way VAE is opening up a new road towards
  qualifications by comparison with schooling,
  apprenticeship, or further education, which no
  longer calls for learning or training

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• Learning and training are no longer the only road
  leading to a qualification
• What is essential now is what you assess? Which
  competences does the validation process
  guarantee?

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3 A global approach of experience

• The whole experience of an individual, and not
  only professional/work experience, should be
  taken into account.

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4 All qualifications are concerned

• state diplomas
• qualifications awarded by accredited
  organisations
• professional certificates/diplomas awarded by
  professional organisations
• These qualifications must be registered in a
  national list (Répertoire National des
  certifications professionnelles) established by a
  new State Commission (Commission Nationale de la
  Certification Professionnelle)

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Process and arrangements
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A 4 or 5 steps process

• Reception, general information on VAE and
  orientation towards the learning and training
  organisation offering the most appropriate
  qualification regarding the candidates project
• Verification of coherence with formal
  requirements and of opportunity of the demand
• Preparation of the  dossier  or production of
  the evidences required by the institution in
  charge of validation
• Interview by the jury and decision
• If the jury awards part of a qualification,
  propositions concerning complements must be
  provided by the jury to the candidate

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A  system  emerging

• Arrangements concerning information and
  orientation have been set up in order to cover
  the whole territory (creation of  Points relais
  conseil  in each big town
• Concerted approach between ministries
• Financing by Regions, ministries or companies
• Commissions dealing with this issue at State or
  regional level or national (social partners) or
  sectorial level (companies)
• Evaluation process, reports,

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Main results
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2005 Results for ministries

• 75000 dossiers received
• 58000 dossiers accepted
• 43000 dossiers examined by jurys
• 22000 qualifications fully awarded

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An opportunity for individuals

• A recognition, a valorisation for themselves,
  their family, their company,
• Acquisition of an official recognition, of
  something which is socially and professionnaly
  identified
• A help to become more conscious of what they have
  learnt, to become aware of their potential
• A help to direct their personal and professional
  route
• Results in terms of remuneration, promotion,
  advancement, re-employment,

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An opportunity for companies3 logics involved in
VAE process

• VAE a tool for the management of competences
• VAE a tool for an external staff evaluation in
  order to organise professional routes (internal
  or external)
• VAE a tool for thinking learning and training
  policies on another way

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Management of competences

• Organise internal and external mobility from
  designing professional routes to organisation of
   social plans 
• Bring up teams or groups to professional
  standards
• Make more coherent levels of qualification in
  teams
• Increase the recognition of experienced employees
  or those without qualification, or considered as
  low qualified
• Focus on key occupations
• .

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New way of evaluation

• Validation can be considered as an external way
  of staff evaluation, which can be considered as
  complementary and independant comparatively with
  usual means of evaluation in the company
• Links with the professional interview or
  competences appraisal
• Legibility and transportability
• Identification of pententials among staff

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New approach for training

• Individualisation of routes
• Reduction of the duration of learning and
  training courses
• New formative approaches, far away from
  traditional courses
• Necessity of a shared approach between the
  individual, his/her company or organisation and
  the learning or training institution

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Five effects
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• Inversion of the logic of evaluation
• An individual centred approach
• A developmental logic
• Re-write our descriptive documents
• A global approach and a process thought as
  continuous

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Which perspectives ?
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• The current results demonstrates a real
  improvement from ministries, social partners, a
  large part of learning and training institutions,
  a real interest from population, but
• What about the future of this framework ?
• What about the acceptation by companies, by
  recruiters of the results of validation?
• What about resistant learning and training
  institutions ?
• Which support coming from other European
  countries ?

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• My view is that
• We will move progressivily from an individual to
  a collective demand, depending of the inclusion
  of this procedure in human ressources policies in
  companies
• We will move from a  one shot  approach, to a
  recurrent approach as the first step of each
  training or learning period on a lifelong return
  between work and training

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To conclude

• VAE gave us the opportunity to develop a  full
  size  experience on validation of non formal and
  informal learning
• This obliged institutions, organisations,
  companies and also individuals to think
  differently
• It is time now to work on informations gathered
  through analysis, surveys, reports,
• Confrontation with European colleagues is
  necessary, their questions, doubts, critics are
  very useful if we want to think about new
  developments

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• Thank you for your attention