France - October 23rd 2012

1. Joint meeting of the Directors-General for Vocational Education and Training and the Directors-General for Higher Education« Expanding opportunities and raising skills: Opening pathways between VET and HE »France France - October 23rd 2012

2. Overall context • A national Directory for professional qualifications with a registration under conditions: • Qualifications corresponding to Degrees created in a partnership framework bringing together social and economic partners. Among them, professional degrees of the French ministry for national education (EQF /Levels 3 and 4) and degrees the ministry for higher education and research is responsible for (EQF 5 and beyond) • Qualifications designed by training bodies or branches • Different ways of access to professional qualifications: • Initial vocational training (« lycées », universities, apprenticeship contracts), • Continous vocational training, • Validation (or recognition) of prior learning • An important actor : the « Régions » (local authorities with elected members), which structure and coordinate the overall vocational training offer locally.

3. Highereducation Lower secondary education : the “collège” (4 years from 11 to 15 years old) Primary education (5 years from 6 to 11 years old) Upper secondary education (3 or 2 years) ‘Bac Général’ ‘Bac Technologique’ ‘Bac Professionnel’ Year 3 ‘CAP’ Counselling Year 2 Year 1 General track and technologically-oriented track Vocational track

4. Figures 2011 Professional « Baccalauréat » • Laureates from initial vocational training • 2011 = 128.000 students in « lycéesprofessionnels » (vocational high schools) and 20.000 apprentices (apprenticeship) • Further studies in higher education for the holders of professional « baccalauréat » • 2011 : 42 %, (with among them 39% studying to get a « Brevet de technicien supérieur » - or advanced technician certificate - (BTS – EQF/level 5) • 2000 : 29 %

5. 1st cycle « Licence »’s programmes • 2 400 000 students in 2012 (academic fall) • 34 000 students. • The 1st cycle : 1 242 000 students, four main pillars. • The ‘licences’ (universities) – ie : Bachelor’s degrees : 782 000 students – 3 300 different licences • The ‘diplômes universitaires de technologie’  - DUT - (universities) – ie : university technology-oriented degrees - : 116 000 students – 24 different subject areas • The ‘brevets de technicien supérieur ’ – BTS - (‘lycées’/post-secondary education) – 262 000 students - 88 different subject areas • The ‘classes préparatoires aux grandes écoles’ – CPGE - (‘lycées’ / post-secondary education) – 82 000 students – 26 different sorts of programmes

6. A complex architecture of study programmes

7. Professional « baccalauréat » holders in higher education 1/2 • Baccalauréat holders not well prepared for higher education … • Drop-out rate : 56 % (9% for the holders of a general baccalauréat) • … massively wishing to get into a post-secondary STS class – ‘section de technicien supérieur’ – for a BTS programme • 80 % wishes for STS registrations • … but whose wishes are rarelysatisfied

8. Professional « baccalauréat » holders in higher education 2/2 • Increasing the access ratio for the most suited programme • Making the access to the STS easier for the professional baccalauréat holders • Optimizing the seats left vacant • Increasing the success ratio for the degree award (to-day : a 55 % success ratio for the holders of a professional ‘baccalauréat’ versus a 85% success ratio for the holders of a general baccalauréat) • Adapting the teaching and learning methods and counselling students better along their own learning processes • Creating a 3rd way to get access to the degree award thanks to recognition of prior learning, after a 3 to 5 year- professional experience.