Photo by Moe Magners via PexelsReviewing one’s career path is not always easy to do alone. The French skills assessment, known as “bilan de compétences”, addresses exactly this need: a support scheme set out in the French labor code that lets an employee or jobseeker analyze their professional and personal skills, aptitudes and motivations in order to define a career or training project.
This guide covers what a skills assessment is, who is eligible, how it unfolds, its duration, its funding options and the criteria for choosing a reliable provider.
What is a skills assessment?
The skills assessment is a scheme defined by the French labor code (articles L6313-4 and R6313-4 to R6313-8) that allows any working person to analyze their professional and personal skills as well as their aptitudes and motivations, in order to define a career or training project.
It differs from VAE (accreditation of prior experience), which aims to obtain a certification, and from the simpler professional review interview held within a company, whose scope is narrower. The skills assessment is conducted by an outside accredited provider, within a confidential framework: the results belong exclusively to the beneficiary, who alone decides whether to share them with their employer.
Who can benefit from a skills assessment?
The scheme is open to a wide audience. A private-sector employee can benefit from it, whether on a permanent or fixed-term contract, subject to a minimum length of service when the assessment is carried out through the company’s skills development plan. A public-sector employee, a jobseeker registered with France Travail and a self-employed worker can also access it, with eligibility and funding conditions that vary by status.
Employees most often start this process at a turning point in their career: doubt about their direction, a career-change project, a return after a long absence, or simply the need to take stock after several years in the same role. Self-employed workers weighing a change of status often look in parallel at the rules of umbrella company arrangements, an option that eases access to certain training schemes.
What are the steps of a skills assessment?
A skills assessment follows a three-phase structure, set by the labor code and followed by every provider.
Preliminary phase
This first step defines and analyzes the beneficiary’s request, determines the format best suited to their situation, and confirms their commitment to the process.
Investigation phase
This is the longest phase. It consists of analyzing the beneficiary’s professional and personal motivations and interests, identifying their skills and aptitudes, and checking how well these match the job market and possible career moves.
Conclusions phase
The assessment ends with a summary document covering the detailed results of the investigation phase, any training or skills development actions to consider, and the key success factors for the identified career project.
How long does a skills assessment take?
A skills assessment represents on average 20 to 24 hours of support, spread across several individual sessions over a period of six to twelve weeks. This duration includes all three phases, any tests and questionnaires, and the time needed to deliver the summary document. It can vary slightly from one provider to another depending on the method used, without straying significantly from this reference framework.
How to start the process of getting a skills assessment?
Two main paths exist. An employee can approach their employer directly, when the assessment is part of the company’s skills development plan, or mobilize their CPF training account independently, without informing their employer if the process takes place outside working hours. A jobseeker or self-employed worker starts the process directly with the chosen provider, drawing on the Conseil en Évolution Professionnelle (CEP) if needed, a free career guidance service.
In every case, the first step is to select an accredited provider, then check the funding terms before signing the agreement.
Who funds the skills assessment?
Funding is the most decisive factor in starting the process, and several sources can be involved depending on the beneficiary’s status.
| Status | Main funding source | Typical out-of-pocket cost |
|---|---|---|
| Employee (individual request) | CPF training account | None or low |
| Employee (through the company) | Skills development plan | None, covered by the employer |
| Employee in occupational transition | Transitions Pro / CPF | Varies by project |
| Jobseeker | France Travail, CPF | None in most cases |
| Self-employed, freelance | Relevant skills operator (OPCO) | Varies by OPCO |
The CPF training account remains the most commonly used funding source for employees and jobseekers: it is enough to check that the chosen provider is listed on the Mon Compte Formation platform. For self-employed workers, it is the OPCO tied to their activity that sets the funding rules, schemes that usefully complement project management training options when the end goal is a move into a management role.
How to choose a reliable skills assessment provider?
The choice of provider directly affects the quality of the assessment. Several criteria are worth checking before committing:
- Qualiopi certification, required for a provider to be funded by public or pooled funds, including the CPF training account.
- The experience of the consultant handling the support, especially with profiles or sectors close to the beneficiary’s own.
- The methodology used (psychometric tests, interviews, role-play exercises) and how well it fits the beneficiary’s expectations.
- Reviews and feedback from past beneficiaries, available on rating platforms or requested directly from the provider.
- The clarity of the quote and the funding terms, before signing any agreement.
For an HR department that regularly directs staff toward this scheme, it is worth building a shortlist of providers, the same way it would for selecting a certified management training program or any other skills development provider.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a skills assessment cost?
A skills assessment typically costs between 1,000 and 3,000 euros depending on the provider and region, for 20 to 24 hours of support spread over several weeks. This amount is rarely paid out of pocket: it is covered in full or in part by the CPF training account, the employer or a skills operator, which brings the out-of-pocket cost down to zero in most cases.
What is the benefit of a skills assessment for an employee?
A skills assessment helps clarify one’s skills, motivations and aptitudes in order to build a realistic career or training project. It is particularly useful during a period of doubt about one’s direction, ahead of a career change, or to prepare a move to a new role based on a structured analysis rather than a hunch.
What are the three types of skills assessment recognized in France?
A distinction is generally made between the classic skills assessment, focused on analyzing the career path and professional project, the orientation assessment, geared toward defining a new direction, and the career-change assessment, which prepares a shift to a different occupation or sector. Providers’ methods vary, but the three-phase structure is common to all three approaches.
Is a skills assessment financially covered?
Yes, in the vast majority of cases. The CPF training account funds most skills assessments carried out by employees and jobseekers, and the employer can also cover it through the company’s skills development plan. A skills operator (OPCO) or France Travail can complete the funding depending on the beneficiary’s status.
How does a skills assessment actually unfold?
A skills assessment unfolds in three phases: a preliminary phase to scope the request, an investigation phase to analyze the career path, skills and motivations, then a conclusions phase that delivers a summary document and an action plan. The whole process represents 20 to 24 hours spread over six to twelve weeks.