New Emerging Issues about Guidance and Counselling in an Accreditation of Prior and Experiential Learning Process

Abstract

In this article, we take a look at guidance and counselling provided in French Business Schools, which are part of higher education sector, during the process of accreditation of prior and experiential learning (APEL) based on skills-oriented frames of reference. Based on qualitative research carried out on a sample of APEL guidance counsellors, we focus on three characteristics of the guidance provided in Business Schools, i.e. a characteristic tied to the nature of the required exercise, the impact of a skills-oriented and skills-based approach, and its similarity to certain coaching stances. We then analyse the central role played by self-examination in the APEL process, as well as the similarities and differences between guidance and counselling and guidance and counselling stances in APEL and coaching processes.