A shortcut to the degree consecrated by law.

ACCREDITATION OF PRIOR LEARNING ("VAE" law on APL)

The VAE process for accreditation of prior learning is a new system introduced in France by the law on social modernisation (law 2002-73 of January 17, 2002), completing the systems for accreditation of prior professional experiential learning ("VAP") of 1985 and 1993.

Article 133 of the law, dealing with accreditation of prior learning ("VAE" APL), completes article L. 900-1 of the labour code by instituting a full right to recognition of one's experience through accreditation of prior learning ("VAE" APL):

• any person engaged in professional life is entitled to get validation of his experiential learning, especially professional, for the obtention of a degree, a vocational of professional title, or a qualification certificate.

Article 134 of the law completes the article L. 335-5 of the education code with the accreditation of prior learning ("VAE" APL):

• degrees and vocational or professional titles are obtained through the ways of school and university, apprenticeship, continued professional training, or, totally or partially, through accreditation of prior learning ("VAE" APL),

• the accreditation of prior learning ("VAE" APL) products the same effects as the other modes of control of knowledge and skills,

• can be taken into account, for accreditation of prior learning ("VAE" APL), all professional competencies acquired through the exercice of salaried, non salaried or benevolent activity, in direct relation with the containt of the degree or title – the minimal required length of activity cannot be inferior to three years,

• the evaluation commission can grant the totality of the degree or title through accreditation of prior learning ("VAE" APL).

Then, article 137 of the law also completes articles L. 613-3 and L. 613-4 or the education code:

• any person can also ask for the accreditation of the higher studies that she accomplished, particularly abroad,

• the accreditation of prior learning ("VAE" APL) produces the same effects as the succes to the control exam or exams of knowledge and skills that it replaces.

In short, this new law extends the 1985 decree and the 1992 law in the sense that accreditation of prior learning ("VAE" APL) can now allow to obtain a full degree (not any more a bare derogation to access to a cycle of study, or a part of the exams for a degree), in the sense also that an experience of three years even part-time can be taken into account (not any more five years full-time), that the experience can be from a benevolent activity, thus social, political, syndical, religious, cultural, associative... (not any more strictly professional), and in the sens that one can also ask for the accreditation of studies accomplished abroad. Nevertheless a lot of universities are still in the experimentation phase of thers process and forms, and the accreditation of prior learning ("VAE" APL) didn't reach its full spead.

The Université Multiculturelle Internationale, addressing in particular to French candidates, took into account this new "competition" in the field of accreditation of prior learning, and offered equivalent modalities (but without the rigidities of calendary and dossier fees) before even the publication of the application decrees in France. Besides, UMI already issues a diploma supplement and even when the degree was obtained through accreditation of prior learning ("VAE" APL), which puts it again on the first line of innovation. UMI goes even further since besides accreditation of prior experiential learning, be it professional of not, it also permits to validate the product of personal study or self-learning. Of course the mode of obtention of the degree (accreditation of prior learning) is not written on it.