This scheme enables you to obtain official recognition of the skills you have acquired not through your studies, but through work, training and/or life experience.

The first step is to check that your intended occupation is covered by the VDC. The next step is to take one or more tests before a panel of professionals, via a skills center.

A successful test results in a certificate of competence. Another method of validating competency is the “dossier approach“.

Each profession covered by the VDC has a specific set of skills to validate (for example, the hairdressing profession includes 4 families of skills). For each skill validated, a competency title is given. Credentials are useful for proving your skills to employers.

Here’s a link to a video that explains and summarizes the skills validation process.

The benefits of credentials :

• You have access and exemptions when enrolling in professional training courses
• You have access to and exemptions from the Jury Central de la Communauté française de l’enseignement secondaire ordinaire (CESS).
• The “titre de compétence” allows you mobility in Belgium and abroad with the Europass certificate in addition to the “titre de compétence”.
• If you are under 21, the qualification gives you access to social benefits.
• If you obtain all the qualifications, this gives you access to apply to the public sector with a level C (CESS).
• Titre de compétence allows you to work in companies.
• It gives you access to become self-employed.
• If you have acquired skills through training, you can apply for the corresponding title.

In the Flemish Community, there is the EVC (Erkenen van Verworven Competenties), which also allows you to have skills acquired through experience (professional, personal or training) recognized. It is similar to the Validation des Compétences scheme offered by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.

Employers are increasingly looking for experienced candidates. Put all the chances on your side by writing a CV that highlights your professional background. Providing evidence of professional practice in the field/trade/type of position for which you are applying may be enough to get you hired by some employers.

Ask for support in putting together your Curriculum Vitae.

You can find this support from a variety of sources: government agencies, associations, private coaches, the web…

The screening offered by La Cité des Métiers is a free assessment tool that allows you to get a better idea of your professional skills. The process combines a computerised questionnaire where you answer questions about your experience, knowledge, etc. and an interview with an advisor to discuss your results and obtain a precise assessment of your level of mastery of the skills needed to practise your profession.

The results of the screening can help you to make informed choices about your professional future: continuing your studies, finding a job, validating your experience, etc.

Flanders’ employment and training body, the VDAB, offers career guidance services, including skills assessments. They can help you identify your strengths, interests and skills, and find suitable training or jobs.

It is said that most jobs are found through networking. Mentoring is an exchange between an experienced person (the mentor) and a less experienced person (the mentee). The mentor shares their knowledge, experience and network to help the mentee progress in their career. Building a professional network is an invaluable asset when it comes to finding a job, changing career or developing your business.

There are a number of organisations and programmes that can help.

There are specific certificates in a number of fields of activity, such as lifesaving, youth work, sport and transport, which are generally obtained following training and tests.

To have a certificate of this kind obtained abroad recognised in Belgium (e.g. first-aid attendant, youth worker, swimming instructor, etc.), contact the competent authority in your field of activity, or contact CIRÉ or BON directly, who will be able to advise you.

In principle, to be hired in the public sector you need a diploma or its equivalent, to prove your level of education and give you access to the corresponding job and salary levels.

If you do not have the required diploma, you can access the desired level by obtaining the corresponding access card (level A = Master, B = Bachelor or C = CESS/DSO), through a test organised by TravaillerPour (formerly Selor, the official recruiter for the federal administration).

However, there are other ways of applying to the civil service without a diploma. Here are some alternatives:

1. Some public authorities may dispense with the CESS requirement, under certain specific conditions.
2. Professional experience may sometimes replace the CESS.
3. Specific training or professional qualifications may be recognised as equivalent to the CESS, depending on the criteria of the public employer.
4. Public administrations sometimes organise internal competitions with different requirements. Employees already working in the civil service can use this route to progress without the CESS.
5. Access Card C: The Royal Decree of 29 January 2013, amending that of 25 April 2005, stipulates that if a person has passed a test and obtained their Access Card C, they may apply with a CESS level.
6. If you have all the qualifications for a job that are covered by the Validation of Competences, you will have access to level C in the civil service.

To gain access to the A, B and C access cards in the Flemish civil service without a diploma, there are specific procedures for proving your skills and professional experience. The VDAB offers help and access cards in the form of a portfolio. Here are the links:

Working for the Flemish administration: information and form
Recruitment of candidates with non-degree qualifications

To teach in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, you must demonstrate that you have teaching qualifications in the subject you wish to teach.

If you do not have the required qualifications, you can always register on the Primoweb database, which the directorates consult to recruit their staff, or contact the teaching networks and schools directly.

However, there are other ways of teaching in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. Here are the possibilities:

• Valorisation of useful experience (VALEXU) : Valexu is an application designed to submit a request for the valorisation of experience acquired outside the educational field. Only paid work experience that is directly linked to the Technical Course (TC) or Professional Practice (PP) functions can be taken into account for valorisation.
• Profdemain/Profvolant projects allow you to study and teach at the same time. These projects offer you a part-time work contract in a school in the City of Brussels, while at the same time training for the teaching profession via the VAE.
• For jobseekers, there is financial support for studying to become a teacher.
• To teach a modern language: Anyone with a master’s or bachelor’s degree can obtain a title listed for language teaching if they obtain at least a certificate of successful completion of a level 9 teaching unit in the target language, in social promotion.

The Flemish Community also has a system for recruiting teachers on the basis of experience. For more information: click here.

In Belgium, there are several possibilities for working as a care assistant or registered nurse. Here are a few possibilities to consider before embarking on another project.

Anyone who has been employed as full-time or equivalent care and support staff for at least five years in the ten years preceding their application, in one or more approved home help services, can be permanently registered as a care assistant if they have :

a certificate stating that they have successfully completed at least 200 hours of additional theoretical training ;
a certificate stating that they have completed a minimum of 75 hours of additional practical training in a hospital, rest home for the elderly and/or approved rest and care home.

Develop your skills while working:

While continuing to work, it is possible to start or continue studying nursing or care assistant. Project 360 and 600 provides reimbursement of enrolment fees and training leave in addition to paid educational leave. The project is aimed at people working in nursing homes, private hospitals or home care services.

However, there are certain conditions: you must have worked for the company for at least 9 months on a permanent part-time contract, and you must not have a higher diploma or a CESS for nursing studies.

As with the 360 and 600 projects, there is also a project for refugees, the integrasoins project, which allows to continue studying.

If you are a qualified professional in an European Economic Area (EEA) country and wish to practise your profession in another EEA country, professional recognition under EU Directive 2005/36/EC gives you access to this labour market under the same conditions as nationals. Please note that only the 115 regulated professions are concerned, and specific conditions apply depending on your diploma and nationality.

This is an official document certifying that you have the necessary professional qualifications to carry out a specific activity in another EU country. In other words, it serves to have your professional experience acquired in Belgium recognised in another Member State.

The European Qualifications Passport for Refugees (EQPR) is an innovative tool introduced by the Council of Europe to facilitate the professional integration of refugees. It is a standardised document that can be used to assess a refugee’s skills and qualifications, even in the absence of official diplomas.

There are 2 steps to applying for an EQPR:

• An online application
• An oral interview

This scheme enables you to obtain official recognition of the skills you have acquired not through your studies, but through work, training and/or life experience.

The first step is to check that your intended occupation is covered by the VDC. The next step is to take one or more tests before a panel of professionals, via a skills center.

A successful test results in a certificate of competence. Another method of validating competency is the “dossier approach“.

Each profession covered by the VDC has a specific set of skills to validate (for example, the hairdressing profession includes 4 families of skills). For each skill validated, a competency title is given. Credentials are useful for proving your skills to employers.

Here’s a link to a video that explains and summarizes the skills validation process.

The benefits of credentials :

• You have access and exemptions when enrolling in professional training courses
• You have access to and exemptions from the Jury Central de la Communauté française de l’enseignement secondaire ordinaire (CESS).
• The “titre de compétence” allows you mobility in Belgium and abroad with the Europass certificate in addition to the “titre de compétence”.
• If you are under 21, the qualification gives you access to social benefits.
• If you obtain all the qualifications, this gives you access to apply to the public sector with a level C (CESS).
• Titre de compétence allows you to work in companies.
• It gives you access to become self-employed.
• If you have acquired skills through training, you can apply for the corresponding title.

In the Flemish Community, there is the EVC (Erkenen van Verworven Competenties), which also allows you to have skills acquired through experience (professional, personal or training) recognized. It is similar to the Validation des Compétences scheme offered by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.

There are certain conditions to be met before you can become self-employed. First of all, you must be 18 years old. If you are not a Belgian or EU national, you will need to obtain a professional card (unless you are exempt).

To set up your own business, you need to prove that you have been admitted to the profession for regulated trades and that you have basic management skills. Several regions in Belgium, such as Flanders and Brussels-Capital, have implemented a reform to remove the requirement to demonstrate knowledge of basic management.

The requirement to demonstrate basic management knowledge is no longer required to set up a commercial or craft activity in the Brussels-Capital Region. The aim is to facilitate access to entrepreneurship. This change applies from 15 January 2024. (It is important to note that certain conditions do not change in this reform of access to the profession).

All companies must register with the Banque-Carrefour des Entreprises (BCE).
To apply for registration, you need to go to an approved business counter. It is also important to note that for certain activities, it will always be necessary to demonstrate professional skills.

How to gain access to the profession :

There are various ways of proving professional skills

• By having a Belgian or foreign diploma
• By having sufficient professional experience abroad (3 to 5 years, depending on the position)
• By joining forces with someone who has the necessary skills (professional and/or managerial)
• By one or more professional qualifications (professional skills)
• By passing an oral and/or written exam in French before the central jury or company jury

If you are a qualified professional in an European Economic Area (EEA) country and wish to practise your profession in another EEA country, professional recognition under EU Directive 2005/36/EC gives you access to this labour market under the same conditions as nationals. Please note that only the 115 regulated professions are concerned, and specific conditions apply depending on your diploma and nationality.

This is an official document certifying that you have the necessary professional qualifications to carry out a specific activity in another EU country. In other words, it serves to have your professional experience acquired in Belgium recognised in another Member State.

Do you want to know if your diploma allows you to demonstrate your entrepreneurial skills? The Diplodb and Anabin databases enable you to check whether your foreign diploma is accepted in Belgium to prove your skills in management and/or in your field of activity. If this is not the case, you may ask for advice from one of the accredited business counters, and check our alternatives: other solutions are possible.

The European Qualifications Passport for Refugees (EQPR) is an innovative tool introduced by the Council of Europe to facilitate the professional integration of refugees. It is a standardised document that can be used to assess a refugee’s skills and qualifications, even in the absence of official diplomas.

There are 2 steps to applying for an EQPR:

• An online application
• An oral interview

Each region has a central jury which organises various tests to show that you have the skills required to start your business: basic management skills or professional skills (if you are starting up in a regulated profession).

In order to prove the entrepreneurial skills required to start a business, you can also associate with someone who already has these skills (management or professional skills).

This third person must have an actual link with the company: he/she can be co-manager, employee, spouse or legal cohabitant… There are also exceptions and exemptions, which vary from region to region.

If you are unable to prove the required skills to launch your business, it is also possible to obtain them.

There are various training courses which will provide you the basic knowledge in business management, as well as the qualifications for a wide range of professions.

In the Wallonia-Brussels Federation :

Universities and higher education institutions are actively involved in welcoming and supporting refugees and migrants. Concrete measures have been put in place, such as free access to certain procedures and enrolment as a free student. Special reception desks offer a one-stop shop to meet the needs of refugees. French language courses, administrative assistance and material support are offered to facilitate their integration. Specific programmes, such as the one at IHECS, combine language learning and professional training. UMons, UCLouvain and other institutions offer French as a foreign language courses, administrative assistance and material support. ULg and ULB have set up specific welcome offices for refugees.

In Flanders :

Flemish universities are working together to share best practice and optimise the reception of refugees. A range of programmes are on offer, from preparatory courses to language courses, as well as psychological and material support. Projects such as THEA in Antwerp and Welcome Student Refugees at the VUB offer personalised integration programmes.

Do you want to enter higher education but don’t have the required diploma (DSO, CESS or its recognition)? If you have several years’ experience in the field in which you wish to study, you can have this recognised in French-speaking higher education via a Valorisation des Acquis de l’Expérience (VAE).

This will give you access to the studies you want, and you can even obtain exemptions to shorten the duration of your studies.

At Flemish Community educational establishments, you can have previously acquired skills recognised in the same way. This is known as EVC.

Previously acquired diplomas, certificates, experience, voluntary work, etc. are known as previously acquired qualifications or VA/EVK.

French-speaking schools of “Promotion Sociale” have two systems of validation: Valorisation des Acquis (VA, without the E) and VAE.

Would you like to continue your studies in French-speaking higher education, but the diploma equivalence you have received does not allow you to access the desired studies?

If so, you can sit a DAES exam with one of the juries of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. DAES stands for ‘Diplôme d’Aptitude à accéder à l’Enseignement Supérieur’. The DAES opens the door to (almost) all studies in French-speaking higher education.

There is no Flemish version of the DAES because, in the Flemish Community, the schools and universities themselves decide on access to their study programmes. However, the basic rule is that you must hold a secondary education diploma. If the recognition of your diploma does not allow you access to a particular programme, contact the educational establishment of your choice. The school or university will assess your situation and may offer you a preparatory (transition) year.

The university jury is a system that enables people who are unable to follow a traditional university course to sit examinations to obtain a diploma. The jury is an alternative to traditional studies, making it possible to reconcile professional and social life with studies. To be eligible to appear before this panel, candidates must demonstrate that they are unable to attend regular courses because of :

• Professional obligations: People working full-time or with working hours that are incompatible with course timetables may be eligible.
• Medical reasons: Individuals with chronic or temporary health problems that prevent them from attending face-to-face classes may also be eligible.

There is a similar system in Flanders called ‘examencontract’.

ECTS stands for European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System.

It is a system set up in European higher education to facilitate the mutual recognition of studies and diplomas. Basically, it’s a bit like a ‘common currency’ for higher education in Europe.

ECTS credits represent the volume of work required of a student to acquire the knowledge and skills associated with a given learning objective.

These ETCS credits facilitate student mobility. If a student validates a certain number of ECTS credits at one university, it is easier to have them recognised at another university in Europe.

If you do not have the CESS and you wish to continue your studies in Belgium but have already started higher education abroad?

In principle, you can be admitted to the studies of your choice, provided you can prove that you have passed the equivalent of at least 60 credits in your previous studies.

You want to resume higher studies in Belgium and already have a higher education level recognition (BES/Graduaat, Bachelor, Master)?

The level recognition of your foreign diploma should suffice to grant you access to the studies of your choice.

Do you need the CESS (or DSO) to complete your project?

You can obtain this diploma, as well as those for other levels of secondary education – CE1D and CE2D – by passing the exams before the jury of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation (or the Flemish Community).

Attendance at a prior information session is compulsory.

Jury examinations for the CESS are held every 6 months, i.e. twice a year.

Do you need the CESS (or Diploma SO) to complete your project?

L’enseignement de Promotion Sociale in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation offers adults courses with more flexible timetables and programmes, with a view to obtaining the CESS. There are two ways of obtaining the CESS via social promotion: either by taking the ‘general humanities’ option over two years in most cases, or by doing a year of qualifying secondary education followed by a year of ‘complementary CESS’.

“Volwassenenonderwijs” offers the same type of programme in Flanders, leading to the Diploma Secundair Onderwijs (DSO).

Would you like to study higher education in Belgium but don’t have the required qualification (CESS or equivalent)?

Passing the entrance examination organised by one of the universities of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation (FWB) will open the doors to all higher education studies in French-speaking Belgium, with a few exceptions (study programmes requiring a specific entrance examination).

Note that this is an admission to higher education, not a CESS.

The entrance examination for undergraduate studies in higher education must include the following subjects: French, mathematics (one of these subjects is the subject of an in-depth test) and a language (Dutch, German or English).

The same system exists in Flanders.

Some studies do require specific entrance examinations. Passing theses exams gives you access to the studies in question, without having to provide a secondary education diploma. These specific exams are:

• The specific exams organized by the Hautes Écoles to become a social assistant or a social and fiscal advisor;
• The exams organized by the faculties in applied Sciences to access civil engineering studies;
• The A1 paramedical jury, which gives access to the Bachelor in Nursing and the Bachelor of Midwifery;
• The entrance exams (or preparatory years) organized by Social Promotion education, in order to access a Bachelor’s degree;
• The entrance test known as “Toelatingsproef graduaatsopleidingen”, for all the Graduate degrees offered by universities in the Flemish Community.

Vocational training in Belgium is a set of programmes and schemes designed to train and qualify individuals for specific occupations. These courses are designed to meet the needs of the labour market and can be taken by young people, adults undergoing retraining, jobseekers or workers wishing to upgrade their skills.

Here is an overview of the different types of vocational training available in Belgium:

Promotion sociale education :

promotion sociale in Belgium is an education system aimed primarily at adults who wish to return to education or improve their skills in a particular field. It provides recognised qualifications, ranging from basic certificates to university-level diplomas.

IFAPME and SFPME courses :

IFAPME or SFPME is a network of organisations in Belgium offering work-linked and continuing training, mainly for young people, adults and the self-employed.

VDAB, FOREM and Actiris training courses:

• VDAB (Vlaamse Dienst voor Arbeidsbemiddeling en Beroepsopleiding) for Flanders.
• FOREM (Office wallon de la Formation professionnelle et de l’Emploi) for Wallonia.
• Actiris for the Brussels-Capital Region.

Sectoral training:

Sectoral training courses in Belgium offer workers/jobseekers the opportunity to upgrade their skills, retrain or meet new market requirements, while supporting the competitiveness of companies and the growth of the sectors concerned. Sectoral certification is organised by the sector in question in collaboration with work-linked training (SYNTRA Vlaanderen, IFAPME, IAWN), education and job-seeker training bodies (VDAB, FOREM and Bruxelles Formation).

In-company training :

In-company training is essential for developing employees’ skills and keeping organisations competitive. It enables companies to meet the challenges of the labour market and maintain a skilled and motivated workforce. In-company training enables jobseekers to learn a trade, complete a work placement and gain new experience in a professional environment. There are a number of grants and projects to support in-company training.

Example:

• In-company Individual Vocational Training (IVT) offers on-the-job training in the profession in which the person will be employed on completion of the course. In this way, employers can train a candidate to meet their company’s needs.
• Ateliers de Formation par le Travail – A.F.T. are schemes designed to help people who are no longer in the labour market to acquire vocational skills and to facilitate their integration or reintegration into the labour market. A.F.T. is aimed primarily at low-skilled jobseekers, young people without qualifications, the long-term unemployed and people experiencing particular difficulties in finding work.
• Stage de transition: is a scheme to help young people under the age of 25 enter the labour market. It is mainly aimed at young jobseekers who are having difficulty finding stable employment and who need to gain work experience.
• Stage First: is a scheme designed to help young people aged between 18 and 30 with few qualifications and no work experience to enter the labour market through work experience with an employer.
• Individuele beroepsopleiding: acquiring work experience in Dutch

This scheme enables you to obtain official recognition of the skills you have acquired not through your studies, but through work, training and/or life experience.

The first step is to check that your intended occupation is covered by the VDC. The next step is to take one or more tests before a panel of professionals, via a skills center.

A successful test results in a certificate of competence. Another method of validating competency is the “dossier approach“.

Each profession covered by the VDC has a specific set of skills to validate (for example, the hairdressing profession includes 4 families of skills). For each skill validated, a competency title is given. Credentials are useful for proving your skills to employers.

Here’s a link to a video that explains and summarizes the skills validation process.

The benefits of credentials :

• You have access and exemptions when enrolling in professional training courses
• You have access to and exemptions from the Jury Central de la Communauté française de l’enseignement secondaire ordinaire (CESS).
• The “titre de compétence” allows you mobility in Belgium and abroad with the Europass certificate in addition to the “titre de compétence”.
• If you are under 21, the qualification gives you access to social benefits.
• If you obtain all the qualifications, this gives you access to apply to the public sector with a level C (CESS).
• Titre de compétence allows you to work in companies.
• It gives you access to become self-employed.
• If you have acquired skills through training, you can apply for the corresponding title.

In the Flemish Community, there is the EVC (Erkenen van Verworven Competenties), which also allows you to have skills acquired through experience (professional, personal or training) recognized. It is similar to the Validation des Compétences scheme offered by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.

Many vocational training courses require a certain level of education before they can be taken up. There are two main routes open to applicants: passing an admission test or taking part in a pre-training course.

Admission tests are a selection tool, assessing the skills and knowledge required to enter the course. Pre-training courses offer preparatory programmes designed to optimise the chances of passing these tests.

These access arrangements are particularly suitable for applicants who do not have the Belgian Certificate of Higher Secondary Education (CESS) or its foreign equivalent.

We strongly recommend that you contact each institution to find out about the specific admission requirements for the course in question.