VAE for the Higher Technician Certificate

General information

Validation of non-formal and informal learning (Validation des acquis de l'expérience – VAE) allows experience to be recognised with a view to obtaining all or part of a Higher Technician Certificate (Brevet de technicien supérieur – BTS).

VAE is for anyone, regardless of age, level of study or professional status. The prerequisite is to have completed at least 3 years or 5 000 hours of paid, unpaid or voluntary work (not necessarily continuously) directly related to the requested certification and in the field concerned.

Would you like to have more information about this topic?

The INFPC organises free information sessions dedicated to the Validation of non-formal and informal learning (VAE)

For more information, visit www.infpc.lu

Identifying the diploma that corresponds to the applicant's experience

To identify the diploma that corresponds to their experience, applicants can consult the list and obtain information from the corresponding secondary schools. Not all BTS qualifications are accessible via VAE as yet, given that at least one cohort of students must have completed a full cycle of training before the corresponding procedure can be implemented.

Procedure

The application for validation of non-formal and informal learning and the registration application should be sent to the management of the corresponding secondary school. The application should be accompanied by a portfolio setting out, with reference to the qualification being sought, the knowledge, skills and abilities that the applicant has gained through experience.

Based on the proposal of the management of the secondary school, the Minister appoints an ad hoc committee for each training programme.

The committee assesses the validation request and the portfolio, and interviews the applicant. It may request a placement into a professional situation (whether real-life or simulated). In its deliberation, it assesses the skills and knowledge acquired through experience with regard to the curriculum of the diploma sought.

The ad hoc committee may take one or several of the following decisions:

• exemption from producing one of the certificates set out by Article 10 (1) of the Law of 19 June 2009 (setting out the terms and conditions for higher education courses of study leading to a Higher Technician Certificate);
• registration provided that an additional part of the curriculum is completed;
• exemption from attending some of the training modules or classes comprising the modules;
• exemption from compliance with some of the validation measures;
• exemption from all of the modules, classes and examinations leading to the certificate being granted.