VAE

Validation of prior learning

The Validation of Acquired Experience (VAE), resulting from the Social Modernization Act of January 17, 2002, and enshrined in the Labor Code, is an individual right that allows individuals to have their expertise validated without having to complete a full training program.

VAE aims to obtain full professional certification—or one or more skill sets that constitute it—by demonstrating the skills acquired through experience.

Although VAE exempts candidates from following a traditional training program, it is nevertheless a process that requires a strong commitment on the part of the candidate and will be assessed by a panel of examiners.

Thus, candidates must demonstrate that they have acquired, through their activities, skills that correspond to those targeted by the certification and its reference framework.

Professional, personal, volunteer, continuous or intermittent, full-time or part-time experience may be taken into account.

Candidates must prepare a dossier in which they present the main activities they perform or have performed, the contexts in which they perform them, and the resources mobilized in connection with the certification sought.

At the end of the program, he defends his application for accreditation of prior learning before a dedicated panel.

TERMS OF ACCESS

The VAE is open to anyone, regardless of age, status, or level of education.

A candidate may submit only one application per certification and up to three applications for different certifications during the same calendar year.

All ENSAM certifications listed in the France Compétences directories are accessible through the VAE (validation of acquired experience) process.

The phases of the VAE

Phase 1: submission of a pre-application file / €250

The candidate completes a feasibility file. Its content details precisely the candidate's studies, professional and extra-professional background, and the certification or part of the certification sought.

Phase 2: Admissibility review / €800

The feasibility dossier is reviewed by a dedicated ENSAM committee to determine whether the application is eligible.

The eligibility review assesses whether the candidate can apply for the certification in question based on their experience.

At this stage, recommendations may be made with a view to ultimately validating the entire certification process (recommendations for additional training, professional simulations, etc.), but the opinion on admissibility does not in any way prejudge the outcome of the process.

Phase 3: Drafting of Booklet 2 (optional support / €2,800)

Once the decision on admissibility has been made, the candidate compiles the VAE application file, known as "Booklet No. 2."

Candidates may prepare Booklet 2 on their own or request individualized support from ENSAM.

In this case, he benefits from the support of ENSAM experts to analyze his activities and translate them into terms of skills, abilities, and knowledge with regard to the certification sought.

Phase 4: presentation to the jury / €3,800

The candidate has one year from the date of admissibility to present their application to a panel appointed by the head of the institution. The panel decides on the validation of the certification.