Every Synodeo diploma is accessible through the validation of prior experiential learning. Synodeo does not award state diplomas, and makes no such claim. The VAE principle itself stays the same: to have real competencies formally recognized, competencies built through experience, personal as much as professional. What you already know how to do does not have to be relearned; it remains to be documented, demonstrated and validated.
What Synodeo's VAE makes possible
Synodeo runs its own validation of prior experiential learning, for the whole of its professional diplomas. The principle is simple: what you already know how to do does not have to be relearned. We examine your real practice, one piece of support work at a time, and the diploma attests to the competencies you demonstrate, not to time spent in training. Depending on your experience, a significant part of the program can be validated directly.
A distinction we insist on making clear
Synodeo's VAE is a validation internal to the school. It is a serious, standalone process, but it is distinct from the VAE regulated by the French state: it goes through neither an official jury nor registration with France's National Register of Professional Certifications. Two of our programs, Trainer (RNCP 37275) and Tutor (RS 5515), additionally prepare you for a registered certification: for those, an official VAE, with an eligibility file and a jury, remains possible through our partner training organization, under its own rules and its own calendar. We tell you plainly, at the assessment, what you can claim in each case.
How it works
It all starts with the positioning assessment, free and with no obligation: a portfolio, then a 50-minute conversation with a mentor, to look together at what your experience can have recognized. If the VAE is the right route, support with the portfolio and the final review is priced by quote at the assessment: its scope depends on your experience and the diploma you aim for. Organizing and sitting the jury is included in the tuition fees. A VAE is not written alone, and it is not for you to face it single-handed.
The process, step by step
The procedure always follows the same path. Each step has a precise role, and you know in advance what it costs, or does not cost.
- 1
Professional assessment Free
A short portfolio, then a 50-minute conversation with a mentor. We look at your background, your evidence and your defining situations, to determine which diploma your experience lets you aim for. This is also where special cases are spotted, in particular the official RNCP and RS titles.
- 2
Project validation and eligibility decision Free
After the assessment, Synodeo confirms in writing that your project is eligible: the diploma you aim for, the competencies to document and the professional situations you will need to describe. You start from a clear basis, having committed to nothing.
- 3
Support with writing the portfolio and mock interviews By quote
The heart of the work. One-to-one support to build your evidence portfolio, choose the situations to document and prepare the defence through mock interviews. Its scope depends on your portfolio; the quote is set at the assessment, with no surprises along the way.
- 4
Organizing and sitting the jury, made up of two to three professionals Included in tuition fees
Synodeo convenes a jury of two to three professionals from the field. You present your practice, and they assess the competencies you genuinely master, from your portfolio and your defence. This step is included in the tuition fees, at no additional cost.
- 5
Receiving the diploma or certification
The jury validates, in full or in part. If validation is full, you receive the Synodeo professional diploma. If it is partial, a targeted top-up is offered so you can complete the process, without starting over.
Timeframe: allow two to four months between the assessment and the jury, depending on the diploma, your commitment and your availability.
Official titles (RNCP and RS): a separate setup
For the official titles, prepared through the Trainer program (certification RNCP 37275) and the Tutor program (certification RS 5515), the files and juries are organized with specific partners that follow the passing conditions proper to these official titles. Depending on your situation, additional time or costs may apply (internships, complementary training, etc.). All of this is checked and quoted during the professional assessment.
Can your experience be recognized?
Three questions to see clearly.
1. Have you been supporting, training or advising people for more than three years?
2. Can you describe two or three concrete situations you carried through from start to finish?
3. Do you have traces of that practice: assignments, feedback, materials, references?
If you answered yes twice out of three, recognition is probably within your reach. The only way to know for sure is the assessment. It's free. Get my experience recognized →
What this changes for you
A program matched to your reality, and a diploma that attests to proven competencies, not a mere pass-through.
Get my experience recognized (the assessment is free and with no obligation)