Skip to main content
European Commission logo

Eurydice

EACEA National Policies Platform:Eurydice
Teaching and learning in vocational upper secondary education

France

6.Secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education

6.8Teaching and learning in vocational upper secondary education

Last update: 27 November 2023
On this page

Curriculum, Subjects, Number of Hours

The curricula for the vocational route include general lessons, which are compulsory and common to all specialities, and specific lessons for each speciality. The CAP has about 200 specialities; the vocational baccalaureate about 100.

The current general education curricula were introduced in 2019.

Definition of Curricula

The general education curricula for the professional path are developed on a national level, according to the same procedure followed for the curricula of the other school education levels.

Specialised structures, the Professional Advisory Commissions (CPCs), are responsible for drawing up the curricula for specific courses and the reference frameworks for vocational education diplomas, from the CAP to the BTS, in line with the development of trades. The CPCs are bodies composed of employers, employees, public authorities and qualified persons. Decree No. 2019-958 of 13 September 2019 establishes 11 professional advisory commissions, corresponding to the major fields of economic activity ("Arts, entertainment and media", "Social cohesion and health", etc.).

Contents of Curricula

CAP (school status)

The CAP training includes :

  • a compulsory period of training in the workplace of 12, 13 or 14 weeks, depending on the speciality, and fixed by the decree creating each speciality;
  • Technological and vocational courses which represent a little more than half of the timetable. They take place in the form of lessons, practical work and workshop work, indoors or outdoors, depending on the speciality of the CAP;
  • general education :
    • French ;
    • mathematics ;
    • physics-chemistry ;
    • history-geography ;
    • moral and civic education ;
    • applied arts and artistic cultures ;
    • physical and sports education ;
    • prevention-health-environment
    • Modern language (depending on the speciality)

These lessons are related to professional activities and cover about half of the weekly timetable.

The timetables are available in the order of 21 November 2018 on the organisation of teachers in CAPs under school status

Vocational baccalauréat (school status)

  • a period of on-the-job training: 18 to 22 weeks spread over the three years of training, depending on the speciality and fixed by the decree creating each speciality;
  • teaching based on the mastery of professional techniques specific to each speciality;
  • general education :
    • French ;
    • mathematics ;
    • history-geography and moral and civic education ;
    • applied arts and artistic cultures ;
    • living language ;
    • physical and sports education ;
    • prevention-health-environment.

Depending on the speciality, students are offered a course in economics and management or economics and law and a course in physics and chemistry or a second foreign language.

The timetables are available in the order of 21 November 2018 on the organisation of teachers in the vocational Baccalaureate under school status.

Teaching Methods and Materials

Teaching Methods

The principle of pedagogical freedom of teachers applies to all levels and types of education, including vocational education. 

Compared to general secondary education, initial vocational training is characterised by the provision of company-related education. This is reflected in different teaching methods depending on the type of training.

CAP (school status)

In CAP under school status, the following are present:

  • the co-intervention of general and vocational teachers is reinforced. The aim is to make general education concrete for pupils in a professional perspective;
  • each pupil benefits from an increased amount of time dedicated to consolidating, supporting and preparing his or her future project (192.5 hours in the CAP over the entire cycle);
  • Throughout the course, the student or apprentice prepares, individually or collectively, a "masterpiece", which he or she presents at the end of the second year of the CAP before a jury and which is assessed and taken into account in the examination.

Vocational baccalauréat (school status)

In the vocational baccalauréat under school status, the following are present:

  • the co-intervention of general and vocational teachers is reinforced. The aim is to make general education concrete for pupils in a professional perspective;
  • each student benefits from a reinforced time dedicated to the consolidation, support and preparation of his or her future project (265 hours in the vocational baccalaureate over the whole cycle);
  • Throughout the course, the student and the apprentice prepare individually or collectively a "masterpiece", which they present at the end of the final year of vocational training before a jury and which is assessed and taken into account in the examination.

Training through apprenticeship

Consists in combining the training at an employer's and a general education provided outside of the professional environment in an apprentice training centre.

Teaching Materials

Professional lycées have premises and equipment that make it possible to reproduce the conditions for exercising professional activities on an actual or simulated scale. Installing equipment and premises is based on lycée equipment guides, which are reference documents for those responsible at the rectorat and regional levels. The material operation of the professional lycée, is the responsibility of the region.