Individualised learning paths for French training providers and CFAs: rules and methods

What is an individualised learning path?

Individualising a path means starting from each learner's situation (prior learning, objective, constraints, any disability) to adjust what needs adjusting: entry point, modules followed, duration, pace, delivery mode and support. The term (individualisation des parcours) is common in French vocational training; it covers what others call personalised learning paths.

The law allows for it. Article L6313-2 of the French Labour Code (Code du travail) defines a training action as "a learning path enabling a professional objective to be reached", which can be delivered wholly or partly remotely or in a work situation.

Who is concerned?

Article L6316-1 of the Labour Code requires quality certification for providers funded in particular by a skills operator (OPCO, the sector bodies that fund training), the State, the regions, the Caisse des dépôts et consignations (the public financial institution that manages the personal training account, CPF) or France Travail (the public employment service). This certification, issued under the Qualiopi brand, covers the four categories of actions defined in Article L6313-1: training actions, skills assessments, accreditation of prior experience (VAE) and apprenticeship training, which includes CFAs.

What does the National Quality Framework require?

The framework breaks down seven criteria (Article R6316-1) into indicators. Those that structure individualisation are listed below, in the wording of Decree No. 2019-565 of 6 June 2019, kept unchanged or supplemented by Decree No. 2026-728 of 1 August 2026:

Indicator	Framework text (translated)	What it implies
4	"The provider analyses the beneficiary's needs together with the company and/or the funder(s) concerned."	Gather the need before building the path
5	"The provider sets operational, measurable objectives for the service."	A measurable target, the basis for any adaptation
8	"The provider sets the procedures for positioning and assessing prior learning at the start of the service."	A written, applied entry-assessment procedure
10	"The provider delivers and adapts the service, support and follow-up to the beneficiaries."	Adaptations that are decided and recorded
11	"The provider assesses whether the beneficiaries have achieved the objectives of the service."	Assessments linked to objectives
12	"The provider describes and implements measures to encourage beneficiaries' engagement and prevent dropout."	A system to detect and act on disengagement
13	For work-study programmes, coordination with the company, anticipation of the tasks assigned and progressive learning between the training centre and the company	A path that links the CFA and the company

The reading guide (guide de lecture) published by the French Ministry of Labour specifies, for each indicator, the expected level and examples of evidence. Check which version applies to the framework in force on the date of the audit.

What changes on 1 November 2026?

Decree No. 2026-728 of 1 August 2026, published in the Journal officiel on 4 August 2026, updates the list of indicators and comes into force on 1 November 2026. The seven criteria are unchanged and the framework goes from 32 to 33 indicators. For individualisation:

• Indicators 4, 5, 8, 10 and 11: wording unchanged.
• Indicator 12: adds the obligation to ensure the prevention and handling of any situation of violence, including sexist and sexual violence, harassment or discrimination during training.
• Indicator 19: where modules are delivered remotely, the provider must check that learners actually follow them.
• New indicator 33: a system for learners to evaluate content and teaching, separate from the general satisfaction survey, whose results are shared with teaching teams and feed a continuous improvement process.

The decree contains no transitional provision. How it applies to providers in the middle of a certification cycle should be confirmed with one's certification body.

How should entry assessment be carried out?

Entry assessment (positionnement) measures the gap between the person's prior learning and the objectives of the programme. It usually combines several tools: an interview on background and goals, a test or practical exercise on the target skills, and a review of diplomas, certifications and competency blocks already obtained. It leads to a proposed path (shortened, reinforced, additional modules) and leaves a dated record.

For apprenticeships, Article L6222-7-1 of the Labour Code allows the contract to be shorter or longer than the training cycle, given the apprentice's initial skill level or skills acquired, for example during a stay abroad, civic service or military volunteering. The duration is then set by an agreement between the CFA, the employer and the apprentice (or their legal representative), attached to the contract.

How can competency blocks be used to build modular paths?

Under Article L6113-1 of the Labour Code, professional certifications registered in the RNCP (France's national register of professional certifications) are made up of competency blocks, "homogeneous and coherent sets of skills contributing to the autonomous exercise of a professional activity, which can be assessed and validated". France compétences' vademecum (January 2026) specifies that a validated block is acquired for life by its holder, has its own RNCP registration number and must not be confused with a training module.

In practice, a provider can:

• link each module to one or more blocks, so that learners are exempted from blocks already validated;
• offer block-by-block progression, especially for adults changing careers;
• inform learners about the possibility of validating one or more blocks, which indicator 3 requires for certifying programmes.

How can the path be adapted along the way?

Indicator 10 implies monitoring progress and adjusting: remediation on a concept not yet mastered, additional resources, a change of pace, disability-related adjustments. For CFAs, Article L6231-2 provides for a disability officer and the adjustments needed for the contract to run smoothly. For remote training, Article D6313-3-1 requires appropriate technical and teaching support, information on the activities to be completed, and assessments throughout or at the end of the programme.

Adaptive digital tools can support this work by measuring learning through exercises and offering adjusted activities. They make records easier to produce, but it is the provider's processes that are audited: no tool on its own makes a provider compliant with the framework. The mechanisms are described in What is adaptive learning.

How can dropout be prevented?

Indicator 12 requires measures that are described and implemented. A common system includes warning signs (absences, not logging in to remote modules, falling results, late assignments), a quick conversation with the learner, an adjustment of the path and, if needed, referral to outside support.

For CFAs, Article L6231-2 sets specific missions: supporting apprentices, together with local youth employment centres (missions locales), facing social and material difficulties that threaten the contract; allowing an apprentice whose contract has ended to continue training for six months while helping them find a new employer; directing apprentices who have dropped out towards people able to help them.

How should learning be assessed and recorded?

Indicator 11 requires assessing whether objectives have been met. For CFAs, Article L6231-2 refers to assessing the skills acquired, including through continuous assessment, in line with the certifying body's rules. The records usually kept for each learner are:

1. the entry-assessment result and the proposed path;
2. the adaptations decided and their justification;
3. interim and final assessments, linked to objectives;
4. follow-up reports and dropout-prevention actions;
5. from 1 November 2026, the results of the learners' evaluation of content and teaching (indicator 33).

Measuring learning, beyond attendance and completion, is covered in Measuring skills acquisition, beyond completion rates.