Accreditation of prior learning and experience (VAE)

The formal qualification you may obtain as a result of VAE may help you:

• get a new job;
• switch to a new position;
• advance in your present career;
• shorten the duration of the training you wish to undertake;
• make your professional and/or extra-professional experience count.

The VAE is available for the following qualifications:

• Certificat de capacité professionnelle (CCP, Vocational capacity certificate);
• Diplôme d’aptitude professionnelle (DAP, Vocational aptitude diploma);
• Diplôme de technicien (DT, Technician’s diploma);
• Diplôme de fin d’études secondaires de l’enseignement secondaire général (General secondary school leaving diploma);
• Brevet de maîtrise de l’artisanat (master craftsman’s diploma).

The formal qualifications CCP, DAP and DT that can be recognised under the VAE scheme may be viewed on the eSchoolBooks website.

Cross-border apprenticeships (formations de l’apprentissage transfrontalier, TRF) do not lead to a Luxembourgish vocational qualification, and therefore cannot be obtained via the VAE scheme.

The diplomas awarded on successful completion of general secondary education that can be recognised under the VAE scheme may be viewed on the eSchoolBooks website.

More information about the master craftsman’s diplomas that can be recognised under the VAE scheme can be found on the website of the Chambre des métiers (Chamber of Skilled Trades and Crafts).

Higher education diplomas cannot be obtained via the VAE scheme. Access requirements and procedure differ according to the level (BTS qualification, bachelor’s or master’s degree); they may be viewed on Guichet.lu.

Only qualifications from which a first group of pupils has graduated through initial training may be accessible through the VAE process. This applies in respect of the reformed training programmes of the Chambre des métiers and the new qualifications offered as initial training under the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth’s vocational training scheme and general secondary education. If you have any doubts, you can contact the VAE team for more information.

To help you fully understand and assimilate the expectations and requirements (essential skills and knowledge) associated with the various qualifications, you can consult the curricula/training programmes for certificates, diplomas or degrees on the following websites:

• For the CCP, DAP and DT qualifications, use this link to the eSchoolBooks website. Then select CCP, DAP or DT and the trade or profession you are interested in.
• For the diploma awarded on successful completion of general secondary education, use this link to the eSchoolBooks website. Click on “Enseignement secondaire général” in the section “Classes supérieures”. Then select the qualification you are interested in.
• For the master craftsman’s diplomas, you will find further information on the website of the Chambre des métiers.

With regard to languages: It is necessary to have a good command of the languages included in the educational syllabus for the qualification sought. For the master craftman’s diploma, candidates may choose between German and French.

To find out which qualification best matches your experience, we strongly recommend that you:

• request a prior appointment with the VAE team for an explanation of the procedure;
• use the guidance available from the Service de la formation des adultes (SFA), which will provide support and help you define your career plan;
• get information from the partners in the VAE scheme, which are the Chambre de commerce, the Chambre des salariés, the Chambre des métiers, the Chambre d’agriculture, the Institut national pour le développement de la formation professionnelle continue (INFPC) and the Maison de l’orientation. 

The advisers of the different departments are available to answer any questions you may have.

There are two steps in applying for validation:

First step (15% of the procedure)

First you fill in the application for admissibility:

• either online on Guichet.lu; or
  
• by filling in the application for admissibility (PDF) by hand and sending it to us by registered post or handing it in in person at our office:

Ministère de l’Éducation nationale, de l’Enfance et de la Jeunesse
Direction générale accréditation et reconnaissance
Cellule VAE
29, rue Aldringen
L-2926 Luxembourg

In the application for admissibility, you will provide information about your experience, especially your professional experience, your volunteering or personal experience and your education and training. In your application for admissibility, you indicate which formal qualification you hope to obtain by validating your previous experience.

You must provide documents to support your statements. These documents can be of a very different nature. A list of documents to be provided is included in the form; it may also be viewed online on Guichet.lu.

On the basis of the information and the supporting documents you provide, the VAE team will check if your experience allows you to claim VAE and if your application is admissible.

When you apply for admissibility, you will have to provide:

• various official documents, such as a copy of your employment contract or certificate of employment or pay slips providing proof of your experience;
• an affiliation certificate to the social security scheme if you are self-employed;
• certificates issued by the president of any associations if you have done any volunteer work with an association;
• sworn statements for private activities;
• photocopies of your certificates, diplomas or degrees, statements of marks, certificates proving successful completion of units or modules, VAE decisions, certificates of internships or certificates that you have successfully completed a training course;
• a copy of your identity document;
• a copy of the debit note: to submit an application for admissibility, you must pay € 25 by bank transfer to the account of the Administration de l’enregistrement, des domaines et de la TVA (IBAN: LU76 0019 5955 4404 7000, BIC: BCEELULL) with the following reference: “virement, validation des acquis de l’expérience (Rgd du 11 janvier 2010)” and your last and first name.

Documents in a language other than one of the official languages of the Grand Duchy (Luxembourgish, French or German) must be accompanied by a translation supplied by a sworn translator (ask for the list from the Parquet général on 475981-335 or 475981-672 or consult the website of the Ministry of Justice).

Be aware that the documents you submit with your application will not be returned. The same applies to documents such as pay slips, employment contracts and diplomas. Please provide us only with copies of each official document requested.

Please take note of our policy on the protection of personal data relating to the accreditation of prior learning and experience.

It is your responsibility to make absolutely sure that the information you provide is accurate.

The Ministry will examine your application for admissibility. It may request additional information and may ask you to produce the original documents.

Second step (85% of the procedure)

If your application for admissibility is accepted and declared admissible, you will need to complete the second part of the VAE procedure and fill in the application for validation on the merits.

In this second step in the VAE procedure, you apply for validation on the merits of your application using one of these two forms:

• in French: Demande de validation sur le fond (PDF);
• in German: Antrag auf grundsätzliche Anerkennung (PDF).

Using its guided questionnaire, the application for validation on the merits should allow you to provide a detailed list and description of your skills, knowledge and capacities that match the requirements of the qualification you wish to obtain.

You may compile your application as a separate Word document, as long as you keep to the official structure for the application. Please provide information regarding:

• your background ("parcours") (P1, P2, P...)
• your previous employment ("emplois") (E1, E2, E...)
• your activities ("activités") (A1, A2, A...).

Validating your previous experience requires you to compile a narration of that experience. Make sure your descriptions are detailed enough to demonstrate your knowledge, skills and attitudes. This will require you to go back in time and find situations that you should describe as precisely as you can, together with the conditions under which you have performed such tasks.

For the validation commission to assess in which context you have developed and used your experience and skills, you must provide detailed answers to the questions of the descriptive forms regarding your background ("parcours") (P1, P2, P...), your previous employment ("emplois") (E1, E2, E...) and your activities ("activités") (A1, A2, A...).

To choose your activities, we recommend that you take into account the training programme for the formal qualification (certificat, diplôme, brevet) that you have selected. You have to use this programme as a basis for compiling and drafting your application for validation on the merits. You can find details of the training syllabuses in the above section “How do you identify the right qualification?”.

We advise you to be very careful about the quality of the information you provide. Make sure you are both precise and succinct.

In the section on "Attachments" (Annexes), you are invited to supply all the documents (training certificates, photos, attestations, reports, etc.) that shed light on your previous experience and the skills you have acquired.

You can ask for help in compiling your application for validation on the merits. A form to request assistance for the second part of the application for validation is attached to the letter informing you that your application has been accepted.

You need to fill in an application form to get assistance:

• directly via MyGuichet.lu; or
  
• by filling in the form attached to the letter informing you of that your application has been accepted.

To guide you through the procedure, the VAE team offers assistance in the form of methodological guidance in compiling your application.

Assistance may take the form of:

• a group workshop or an information session organised by the VAE team; or
• one or more individual interviews with the person assisting you.

The assistance is spread over a number of face-to-face or phone interviews or exchanges of e-mails with the person assisting you. Assistance is strongly recommended; it is available in French, German and Luxembourgish.

The VAE team will give you the name of an assistant, who will be your contact throughout the process of compiling your application. It is up to you to make contact and arrange an appointment; this marks the start of your period of assistance.

The person assisting you has the task of passing on techniques enabling you to analyse your professional practices and helping you find ways of formalising your application so that you are able to make your own choices about what to describe in your application. The VAE is a purely personal process. You alone are responsible for your decisions and for what you include. It is important to remember that the assistant will not fill in the application for you, and will not draft any content that could be included in your application. The assistant will only guide your thinking about the skills you have acquired throughout your professional career and in your extra-professional and private activities by advising you how to summarise them in your application for validation on the merits.

In conclusion, it’s your life and your experience. Therefore, it is up to you to convince the commission by explaining your background in your own words to prove that you meet the requirements for the qualification you hope to obtain.

For the application for admissibility: no deadline for submission.

For the application for validation on the merits: you will be informed of the deadlines in the letter declaring your application admissible.

As two validation sessions are scheduled per calendar year, the application for validation on the merits may be submitted within the following deadlines:

• either until 28 February for the May/June session; or
  
• until 31 July for the October/November session.

You must comply with these dates. However, you can submit your validation request beforehand. If the application for validation on the merits is sent by post, the date of the postal stamp will be considered as proof. The address is:

Ministère de l’Éducation nationale, de l’Enfance et de la Jeunesse
Direction générale accréditation et reconnaissance
Cellule VAE
29, rue Aldringen
L-2926 Luxembourg

If you submit your application for validation on the merits within the specified deadlines, the VAE team passes your application on to the competent validation commission.

The decision of the competent commission will be communicated to you by the Ministry no later than one month after the end of the chosen session.

Your application for validation is submitted to the members of the competent validation commission for analysis and decision. The validation commissions meet twice a year, during the two validation sessions in May/June and October/November.

Each commission has six members: two representatives of employers, two representatives of employees, and two representatives of the educational environment. There is a validation commission for each qualification. The commission compares the skills you describe and document in your application with the skills required by the official curriculum to obtain the qualification sought.

The validation commission assesses your experience and skills and compares them with the requirements for obtaining the formal qualification sought, on the basis of the reference syllabus (framework programme).

Once the validation commission has examined the application, it may decide that an interview or a test in a real-life or simulated situation is necessary.

The commission can opt for one of the following decisions:

• It grants full validation.
• It grants partial validation: If the commission deems your skills insufficient, it may grant partial validation requiring further assessment. You then have three years to acquire the skills you lack (through training or by gaining additional experience, for example).
• It refuses validation: if the skills you indicate in your application do not correspond to the requirements of the framework programme of the formal qualification sought, the commission may decide to not grant any validation at all.

To be granted full validation, you must prove that you have all of the knowledge, skills and competences included in the framework programme of the qualification sought. This means it is important that you check your application really is complete before you submit it to the validation commission for assessment.