Distance learning attendance: how to prove real follow-through
Three elements establish a learner's attendance in distance training. Which ones, what a platform keeps, and the mistakes to avoid.
Read the articleYou are the quality manager of a training provider or a CFA. Your next audit falls in December, and one question keeps circulating: do we have to redo everything? Rest assured: most of your evidence remains valid. But a few points need a real look before the date, and others are not yet settled.
What is confirmed
French decree no. 2026-728 of 1 August 2026 amends the national quality framework. The two sources we consulted agree on the essentials:
- the framework has 33 indicators instead of 32 from 1 November 2026;
- the seven criteria stay the same;
- until 31 October 2026 inclusive, the 32-indicator framework applies;
- indicator 33 is new and concerns only CFAs.
An audit carried out from 1 November therefore relies on the new version.
The indicators affected
The two sources do not draw up exactly the same list, which is normal: the official text is dense and each publisher summarises it in its own way. Here are the points on which they agree.
| Indicator | What changes, according to the sources |
|---|---|
| 1 | Public information: teaching methods and funding |
| 2 | Publication of the method for calculating results rates |
| 12 | Prevention of violence and harassment (wording varies by source) |
| 19 | Distance training: demonstration that learners followed the action |
| 20 | CFA governance and educational oversight |
| 27 | Subcontracting: written contract and allocation of responsibilities |
| 32 | Analysis of risks to the quality of services |
| 33 | CFA: assessment of content by apprentices |
One source adds indicator 7, the other indicators 3, 14 and 15. We do not settle them here: reread the text of the decree before ruling them out.
The new indicator 33: what it asks for
It targets CFAs. The scheme for apprentices to assess content must be distinct from the usual satisfaction survey. According to one of the sources, the results must also be shared with the teaching teams.
In practical terms, the question changes. Instead of "did you like the training?", the question becomes: "did this module teach you what it promised?".
Indicator 19: the proof that the learner followed
This is the point that touches every provider offering e-learning. You must be able to show that the person actually followed the action, not merely that access was opened for them.
The French decree of 2014 on distance training already gives three elements: work submitted, tracking and assistance data, specific assessments. Our article on proof of attendance goes through them, and the one on the evidence to keep gives the checklist.
The sources also mention a teaching referent required beyond a certain number of trainers. This threshold is not defined to date.
What is not yet fixed
- The threshold for the teaching referent (indicator 19): not defined.
- The threshold of permanent trainers in CFAs (indicator 20): it is to come from an order, not published as of the latest news.
- The reading guide: a new version is announced and is to specify the evidence expected.
- The exact fate of audits already scheduled: the sources do not all treat it in the same way. Ask your certification body which version it will audit you against.
What to do this week
- List your actions that include e-learning and check what you keep for each one.
- If you are a CFA, decide how and when apprentices will assess the content.
- Reread your subcontracting contracts.
- Ask your certification body which version will apply to your audit.
Kognisia, compatible with the Qualiopi approach, produces tracking, results and submitted-work records: see the Qualiopi page. The certification remains your organisation's.
And outside France?
Qualiopi, its 33 indicators and the CFA status are specific to France. If you are in England, the nearest thing is not a certification but a funding and inspection regime, which has moved a lot in 2026. The European Union has no common quality certification for training providers: each country has its own mechanism, generally narrower.
| Country | Equivalent or rule | Reference | Key point |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (England) | No single label: Ofsted inspects further education and apprenticeship training providers, Ofqual oversees regulated qualifications, the Office for Students regulates higher education. Apprenticeship levy: employers with an annual payroll above £3 million pay 0.5%, with an allowance of £15,000 a year | gov.uk pages of the regulators; apprenticeship funding rules; Growth and Skills Levy factsheet; Pay the Apprenticeship Levy | Responsibility for apprenticeship funding rules passed to the DWP on 1 April 2026. From 1 August 2026: employer co-funding of 25% for new apprentices aged 25 and over, end of the 10% government top-up on levy contributions, and funds expiring after 12 months (24 months for funds received before August 2026). From September 2026: public funding withdrawn for 16 standards for new starts. From 1 October 2026: £2,000 hiring payment for non-levy employers taking on 16 to 24 year olds, first payments possible in January 2027. All of this applies to England; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have not been verified. |
| European Union | No equivalent: no single quality certification for training providers | No common text | Qualiopi is not required "in Europe": see the rule of the country concerned |
| Germany | AZAV: approval of the provider and of the measure by an accredited certification body, for training funded by the Bundesagentur für Arbeit | §§ 176 to 181 SGB III; §§ 2 to 5 AZAV | Functional equivalent, not identical. Requires a quality system with participant surveys. Approval of the measure limited in principle to three years (up to five). No approval for in-company training |
| Spain | Register of training entities: accreditation (certificates of professionalism) or responsible declaration (other specialities) | Orden TMS/369/2019 | Concerns only catalogue-based vocational training for employment from the public catalogue. A company training its own employees does not have to register, unless it entrusts the organisation to a third party |
| Italy | Regional accreditation of health and safety training providers | Intesa of 20 March 2008; Accordo Stato-Regioni of 17 April 2025, part I, point 1.2 | Valid only in the Region that issued it: a provider active in several Regions must be accredited in each. Certificates issued are valid nationwide |
These rules change, sometimes within a few months: have the framework that applies to your situation checked by a local adviser before acting.
Frequently asked questions
Is my current certification called into question?
The sources consulted indicate that an existing certification is not called into question. It is the evidence linked to the modified indicators that must be re-examined before the audit. One of the two sources specifies that this point will be confirmed later.
Does indicator 33 concern a training provider outside apprenticeship?
No, it targets CFAs. The other modified indicators, however, concern all providers.
Do I have to redo my whole quality file?
No. Go back over the indicators listed above, check your evidence one item at a time and close the gaps. The rest of the file does not change.
What is the risk in case of a gap?
According to one of the sources, a gap leads to a non-conformity with a deadline to remedy it, set by the certification body. A minor non-conformity left unaddressed may be reclassified.
Summary
On 1 November 2026, Qualiopi has 33 indicators: a new one for CFAs and an important clarification on e-learning. The thresholds and the reading guide are not yet known, so keep some margin. Next step: choose an online action and check that you can prove, for each learner, what they actually followed.
Sources
- CNFCE: Qualiopi, what changes on 1 November 2026, accessed on 13 October 2026.
- Certiforma: Qualiopi decree 2026-728 and 33 indicators, accessed on 13 October 2026.
- Centre Inffo: open and distance training, first decree published in the Official Journal (2014), accessed on 13 October 2026.
- SGB III, § 176 (Germany, AZAV approval), accessed on 13 October 2026.
- SGB III, § 179 (Germany, approval of the measure), accessed on 13 October 2026.
- AZAV, § 2 (Germany, quality system), accessed on 13 October 2026.
- Orden TMS/369/2019 (Spain, register of training entities), accessed on 13 October 2026.
- Italian Ministry of Labour, Accordo Stato-Regioni of 17 April 2025, accessed on 13 October 2026.
- Italian Ministry of Labour, FAQ of 27 March 2026, accessed on 13 October 2026.
- Ofsted, about the regulator (United Kingdom), accessed on 13 October 2026.
- Ofqual, about the regulator (United Kingdom), accessed on 13 October 2026.
- Office for Students, about the regulator (United Kingdom), accessed on 13 October 2026.
- Gov.uk, apprenticeship funding rules (England), accessed on 13 October 2026.
- Gov.uk, Pay the Apprenticeship Levy (England), accessed on 13 October 2026.
- Gov.uk, Growth and Skills Levy factsheet (England), accessed on 13 October 2026.
The Kognisia team
Kognisia designs a SaaS learning platform, with a training catalogue and white label as options.
Kognisia designs a SaaS learning platform, with a training catalogue and white label as options.