Certifications
Having what you already do recognised
Practice exercised on the job is recognised block by block, on a documented file and before a panel that gives reasons for every decision. All 72 professional qualifications in the catalogue are open to this route, from level 4 to level 7, for 360 blocks in total.
What the experience route recognises
A professional qualification describes acts: running a risk assessment, keeping accounts, shipping an application. Anyone who has performed those acts for years holds the competency, and the experience route exists to establish it formally. The review bears on evidence of practice — documents produced, decisions taken, results achieved — block by block, against the same framework as the taught path.
- The documents you actually produced on the job
- The decisions taken, their context and what they produced
- The functions exercised, their duration and their remit
- The teams supervised and the budgets carried, where applicable
- An interview before a panel, on the practice described in the file
The process, from first contact to qualification
- 01
Place your practice
An interview establishes the target qualification and matching level, from the functions actually held.
- 02
Build the file
Block by block, with the documents produced on the job. Support covers how to present the evidence.
- 03
Appear before the panel
The interview bears on the practice described. The panel rules block by block, and gives reasons for each decision.
- 04
Complete, then obtain the qualification
Recognised blocks are acquired; those remaining are worked through as a path, with their hour volume.
The four levels open to this route
The level is chosen on the responsibility you exercise today, never on years accumulated. At levels 6 and 7, exercised experience is the main prerequisite: it supplies the raw material of the file.
| Level | Responsibility exercised | Qualifications | Blocks | Supervised hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 4 | Skilled employee and operative | 20 | 100 | 400 to 800 h |
| Level 5 | Senior technician and supervisor | 18 | 90 | 600 to 800 h |
| Level 6 | Manager and professional | 17 | 85 | 750 to 800 h |
| Level 7 | Expert and executive | 17 | 85 | 700 to 700 h |
What this route awards
- qualifications open
- 72
- blocks recognisable separately
- 360
- credits at stake
- 4 975
- document awarded, identical
- 1
Same title, same public reference and same transcript as at the end of a taught path.
Questions about recognising experience
How many years of experience are needed?
The panel rules on documented practice, not on a duration. A function held for two years with substantial decisions weighs more than a long stay in an execution post: the file has to establish the acts, year by year.
Is the awarded document distinguishable from another?
It carries the same title, the same credits, the same verification reference and the same transcript. The framework being identical, so is the attested competency: that is the condition for the route to mean anything to an employer.
What happens if a block is not recognised?
The panel gives reasons and names what the file lacks. The block concerned is then worked through as a path, with its supervised hours, and the blocks already recognised stay acquired. Many files combine both routes.
Can you aim straight for level 6 or 7?
Yes, and it is the most frequent case on this route: the catalogue holds 17 level 6 qualifications and 17 at level 7, all open to people who already hold the function. The initial interview places the level from what you exercise.
Explore next
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