Becoming a prevention advisor: level 1, 2 and 3 training

Every employer must have a prevention advisor, but not every prevention advisor needs the same training. Here you read which level fits which company, what the law requires of the training, where you can follow it and how you fund it. Everything comes from the Code on well-being at work and the lists of the FPS Employment.

The three levels at a glance

Sources: Code on well-being at work, book II title 1 (internal service), FPS Employment; Code on well-being at work, book II title 4 (training and refresher courses), FPS Employment; Training and refresher training of the prevention advisor, FPS Employment; List of institutions providing a basic course for prevention advisors (level III), FPS Employment (checked on 23 October 2026)

Which level fits which company?

The law divides employers into four groups, by number of employees and the risk of the sector. The group decides the minimum training of the prevention advisor who heads the internal service, and what the other prevention advisors of that service need.

The number of employees is an average over the four preceding quarters. If a technical business unit falls in a different group than the company, the activity of that unit counts. If an occupational physician or a psychosocial prevention advisor sits in the internal service, the requirements of the external services apply to them.

Source: Code on well-being at work, book II title 1 (internal service), FPS Employment; Training and refresher training of the prevention advisor, FPS Employment (checked on 23 October 2026)

What the law requires of the training

In the law, level 1 and level 2 are called supplementary training. Both consist of the same multidisciplinary basic module, followed by a specialisation module of their own level. If you hold level 2, you therefore only need the level I specialisation module for level 1, provided you meet the admission requirements.

A level 1 or 2 course only counts if it is recognised by the Minister of Employment. The list of recognised courses is on the website of the FPS Employment and a recognition is valid for at most five years. So check the list before you enrol, even if a programme shows up in another database.

The hours in the law are minimum hours. Over how many months they are spread, whether classes are held during the day or in the evening and what the training costs is set by the institution. Institutions may exempt you from subjects you already passed in a bachelor's or master's programme.

Sources: Code on well-being at work, book II title 4 (training and refresher courses), FPS Employment; Training and refresher training of the prevention advisor, FPS Employment; Recognised supplementary training courses for prevention advisors, level I and II, FPS Employment (checked on 23 October 2026)

Recognised training institutions

For level 1 and 2, only a course recognised by the Minister of Employment counts. These are the institutions on the FPS Employment list on our check date. For level 3 the FPS keeps a separate list.

Names, places, language and end date as on the FPS Employment list, alphabetical and without preference. The place is the seat on the list; classes may take place elsewhere. Ask the institution for the price, timetable, duration in months and its own admission rules. University programmes without an end date are listed that way.

Sources: Recognised supplementary training courses for prevention advisors, level I and II, FPS Employment; List of institutions providing a basic course for prevention advisors (level III), FPS Employment (checked on 23 October 2026)

The route via VDAB and the Flemish training incentives

In the VDAB course database you find prevention advisor courses from different organisers, each with the target group, the place and the cost. VDAB is a search aid there: whether a level 1 or 2 course legally counts is on the FPS list. At the time of our check, none of the level 2 prevention advisor courses in that database carried the label Erkend door VDAB, the label that makes a course free for jobseekers.

If you are in work, VDAB points you to the training incentives of the Flemish government: training vouchers, Flemish training leave if you work in the private sector and Flemish training credit if you take time credit. Which courses qualify is shown in the training database for Flemish training incentives. Look up your own course there before you enrol.

Training vouchers are only for employees, not for jobseekers or full-time self-employed people, and where you live and work counts. If you hold at most a secondary school diploma, you use them for courses in the training database. If you are highly educated, they only apply to a course from the personal development plan of career guidance in the past six years. You apply online through the WSE counter.

Sources: VDAB, prevention advisor level 2 courses; VDAB, learning for people in work; Flemish training incentives, Flemish government; Training vouchers for employees, Flemish government (checked on 23 October 2026)

Step by step

1. Determine the level. Check which group your current or intended employer belongs to and whether you will head the internal service. That decides whether basic knowledge is enough or you need level 2 or 1.
2. Check your prior education. For level 2 the law asks for an upper secondary certificate, for level 1 a bachelor's degree at university level. If you do not have it, check whether the route with five years of practical experience is open to you.
3. Choose a recognised institution. Pick an institution on the FPS list with the right level, your language and a recognition that runs beyond your training. Ask the institution about the timetable, the duration in months, the price and its own admission rules.
4. Arrange the funding. Discuss the training with your employer and look up your course in the training database for Flemish training incentives for training vouchers, training leave or training credit.
5. Complete both modules and pass. First the multidisciplinary basic module, then the specialisation module. You finish with an assessment and a practical final paper you defend before a jury.
6. Keep learning. After your certificate, refresher training remains a right and a duty. Agree with your employer how much and which.

After your certificate: refresher training and working time

Every prevention advisor has the right and the duty to keep their knowledge up to date. The law does not set the extent; you agree it with your employer. For level 1 and 2 the FPS strongly recommends an annual three-day refresher course.

If you are a prevention advisor in an internal service, the time you spend on training activities counts as normal working time and the costs are reimbursed.

Sources: Code on well-being at work, book II title 1 (internal service), FPS Employment; Code on well-being at work, book II title 4 (training and refresher courses), FPS Employment; Training and refresher training of the prevention advisor, FPS Employment (checked on 23 October 2026)

Frequently asked questions