Education System and VET System
School attendance is compulsory between the ages of 4 and 16 years. Pupils have to attend school for at least 12 years. This period involves primary school (école fondamentale) and secondary education (enseignement secondaire). Primary school comprises four learning cycles (cycles d'apprentissage) with a two-year duration each. Secondary education includes two branches of education (ordres d’enseignement): General secondary education (enseignement secondaire classique) and Technical secondary education (enseignement secondaire général).
Higher education involves a range of Bachelor and Master programmes as well as Doctoral studies. In addition, short-cycle programmes leading to Higher Technician Certificates (BTS – Brevet de technicien supérieur) are offered by technical secondary schools. Post-secondary non-tertiary education mainly consists of preparatory courses for a Master Craftsperson certificate (Brevet de maîtrise).
The medium and upper cycles of technical secondary education offer four different programmes:
- Technical programmes (régime technique) leading to a Technical secondary school leaving diploma (diplôme de fin d'études secondaires générales) (ISCED 354 - EQF 4);
- Vocational programmes leading to a Vocational capacity certificate (certificat de capacité professionnelle, CCP) (ISCED 353 - EQF 2);
- Vocational programmes leading to a Vocational aptitude diploma (diplôme d'aptitude professionnelle, DAP) (ISCED 353 - EQF 3);
- Technician's programmes (formation de technicien) leading to the Technician's diploma (diplôme de technicien, DT) (ISCED 354 - EQF 4).
Learners in vocational programmes leading to CCP, DAP and DT represented 45,8 % of the population of medium and upper cycles of technical secondary education in 2021/2022. Of a total of 7348 learners in IVET, 551 were following a CCP programme under apprenticeship. 3903 learners were registered in programmes leading to a DAP diploma, of which 2861 learners (73,3%) under apprenticeship. 2894 learners participated in programmes leading to technician’s diploma (DT). DT programs are mainly school-based or mixed tracks (combining one to three years of school-based learning with one or two years of dual learning). A share of 120 learners (4.1 %) were under apprenticeship contract leading to a DT in 2021/2022 (Service de la formation professionnelle, 2022).