The VAE or Validation des Acquis de l'Expérience is a procedure for the

recognition of prior learning Recognition of prior learning (RPL), prior learning assessment (PLA), or prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR) describes a process used by regulatory bodies, adult learning centres, career development practitioners, military organizati ...

that allows any French educational institution to grant degrees partly or completely based on work experience. A

portfolio Portfolio may refer to: Objects * Portfolio (briefcase), a type of briefcase Collections * Portfolio (finance), a collection of assets held by an institution or a private individual * Artist's portfolio, a sample of an artist's work or a ...

of the applicant's achievements and work experience is presented to a committee at the

education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

al institution. The committee will then decide if the documents presented in the portfolio show work that merits partial credit towards a particular degree. The integrity of the vetting procedure is down to individual institutions, however, to produce a false document in support of an application is a felony punished by a large fine and up to three years in jail in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

History

A French law, passed August 23, 1985, allowed people with work experience to ask for a Diploma equivalence, but this was mostly for vocational degrees. A significant change came with the ''Loi de Modernisation Sociale'' (Law of Social Modernization) dated January 17, 2002, that specifically authorized universities and other "''établissements d'Enseignement supérieurs''" ( higher education institutions) to grant standard degrees (''

BTS BTS (), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010. The band consists of Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook, who co-write or co-produce much of their material. Originally a hip hop group, they ...

, DEUG,

Licence A license (American English) or licence (Commonwealth English) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another part ...

, Maîtrise, DES, DESS, Master, Mastaire,

Doctorat A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''Licentiate (degree), licentia docendi' ...

, etc.'') based only on the work experience of the candidate. The required minimum of work experience was also lowered from five to three years.

Legal status

The VAE is now included in the French Code of Education at Part legislative, Third part, Book VI, Title Ier, Chapter III, Section 2, Art. L613-3 to L613-6. It is important to note that Art L- 613-4 states: "The validation produces the same effects as the knowledge or aptitude testing process that it replaces." The degrees and

diploma A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offi ...

s obtained through the VAE process are exactly the same and any mention of the VAE is prohibited in order to fight possible unlawful discrimination. The VAE decision is done on file after interview (electronic or physical) by a VAE Jury made of professors belonging to the university.

Recognition

VAE is now law and all French universities must apply it if asked. In 2005, 21,379 students applied for the VAE, 61% were women. 59% received a full degree. Among those, 10% received a degree equivalent or superior to the bachelor's degree. More than 1250 bachelor's or higher degrees were granted through the VAE in 2005 in France (+50%). In France the VAE is, according to the government website, in full expansion and universally accepted. Internationally, the countries that ratified the Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region recognize it. In the US, credentials evaluators, universities, federal and state governments also recognize the VAE degrees with the notable exception of the state of Oregon.

Non-French speaking students

The VAE works like the European Erasmus Programme and the Bologna declaration on harmonization of European degrees that allows international students to attend French universities. In 2004, Ecole supérieure Robert de Sorbon® started VAE in foreign languages (English, Spanish & Italian), followed by several other universities. The validation documents provided to the committee at the university deciding the validation must be in a language that the committee members can read and understand if not in French.The leader in International VAE with students coming from 161 countries is th
Ecole supérieure Robert de Sorbon®

References

{{reflist

History

Legal status

Recognition

Non-French speaking students

References

External links