Creating a training catalogue in France: structure, content, distribution

The training catalogue is often the first document a prospect sees — and one of the first a Qualiopi auditor asks for. A sales showcase on one side, compliance evidence on the other: this dual status deserves a methodical build rather than course sheets piled up over time. Structure, content, how many courses to offer, distribution formats: here is how to create a catalogue that sells and passes the audit, as a training provider operating in France.

A dual role: selling and informing the public

The sales showcase

The catalogue embodies your offering: it lets a prospect understand in minutes what you deliver, for whom, at what price and under what conditions. A clear catalogue shortens the sales cycle: the client arrives at the first call with the right questions, not basic ones.

The medium for the public information required by Qualiopi

The Référentiel National Qualité — the framework behind Qualiopi certification — requires, in its very first indicator, complete, accessible and up-to-date public information on every service. Concretely, indicator 1 — public information expects the following to be communicated before any enrolment:

• the prerequisites and target audience;
• the objectives of the course;
• the duration and delivery format (on-site, remote, blended);
• the prices;
• the access lead time (time between the request and the start of training);
• the assessment methods;
• accessibility for people with disabilities and the contact of the disability referent — on this point, see our article on the disability referent in a French training organisation.

A well-built catalogue ticks all of these boxes in a single document: it is the simplest piece of evidence to show the auditor, alongside the notices on your website — not to be confused with the mandatory displays of a training organisation, which stem from separate obligations.

The standard course sheet: sections to include

Every course in the catalogue deserves a sheet structured the same way. Here is an outline that covers both the commercial expectation and the regulatory requirement:

Section	Expected content
Title	Precise, results-oriented, identical to the one on the programme
Objectives	Written as observable skills (“be able to…”)
Audience and prerequisites	Who the course is for and with what prior knowledge; state “none” if applicable
Duration and format	Hours and days, on-site/remote/blended, group size
Access lead time	Indicative time between the request and the start of training
Price	Per person or per group, VAT status, what it includes
Teaching methods	Pedagogical approach, resources and materials
Assessment methods	How learning is measured (quiz, practical exercise, certification)
Disability accessibility	Statement on possible adaptations and referent’s contact details
Contact	Named contact, email, phone

Catalogue, programme, quote: the trio the auditor cross-checks

The catalogue sheet does not live in isolation. It summarises the detailed training programme, which in turn feeds the quote and then the training agreement. The auditor — like the funder — checks consistency end to end: a price that differs between catalogue and quote, a duration that changes between the sheet and the programme, or an objective reworded from one document to the next are classic inconsistencies, easy to spot and easy to avoid.

The practical rule: the detailed programme is the source document; the catalogue sheet is its faithful summary; the quote picks up the figures. Any change starts from the programme and propagates to the other two. For the displayed price itself, rely on a consistent pricing scale rather than rates set sheet by sheet.

How many courses to offer? Fewer than you think

Intuition pushes you to expand the catalogue to “cover every need”. That is usually counterproductive, for two reasons.

On the client side first: a famous experiment by Iyengar and Lepper published in 2000 in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology shows that too much choice demotivates purchase: a display of 24 jams attracted more passers-by than a display of 6, but converted roughly ten times fewer buyers. Transposed to training: a tight catalogue, where each offer is distinct and legible, helps the prospect decide; thirty near-identical sheets paralyse them.

On the provider side: every published sheet is a commitment. You must be able to deliver the course, keep its programme up to date and produce its evidence during an audit. Ten courses you truly master beat thirty sheets, half of which never found a trainee — and which you will nonetheless have to account for.

The right reflex: start from the skills you can actually sell, merge variants into a single sheet with options (duration, level, in-house/open sessions), and only add an offer when recurring demand justifies it.

Formats and distribution: PDF, web, marketplaces, EDOF

• Web pages: the best format for being found. Each course becomes an indexable page that can rank on its own queries; it is also the easiest medium to keep current.
• Dated PDF: essential for prospecting, tender responses and as versioned evidence. It must stay strictly in sync with the web pages.
• Training marketplaces and directories: a supplementary channel, useful for testing an offer, bearing in mind the commissions and the dependency they create.
• EDOF for the CPF: if your courses are eligible for the CPF (the French individual learning account), the EDOF listing becomes one more version of your catalogue, with its own drafting rules — our guide to getting listed on EDOF for the CPF walks through the steps.

Whatever the channel, keep a single source of truth: same objectives, same durations, same prices everywhere.

Updates and versioning: a catalogue carries a date

A catalogue without a version date is a weak signal during an audit and a source of commercial disputes (which price applied at the time of the quote?). Adopt three simple habits:

1. Date every version (“2026 catalogue — July 2026 edition”) on the cover and in the footer.
2. Archive previous versions: they prove that your public information is regularly refreshed and document your regulatory watch.
3. Trigger updates on events: a change of price, programme or format, or newly available satisfaction rates — without waiting for the annual review.

Common mistakes

• Missing prices (“contact us”): incompatible with indicator 1’s requirement to inform the public about prices, and a documented commercial brake.
• Forgotten disability accessibility statement on the sheets: one of the easiest gaps for an auditor to flag.
• A catalogue inconsistent with the programmes: durations, objectives or prices diverging between documents.
• Copy-pasted sheets where only the title changes: missing prerequisites and generic objectives betray a facade catalogue.
• Web and PDF versions out of sync after a partial update.

Take action

The Complete Kit Certif includes catalogue sheet, programme and quote templates that are already consistent with one another, plus every document expected across the 32 indicators (€297, 14-day guarantee, documents in French). Building your offering from scratch? The ebook Créer son organisme de formation en 30 jours (€67, in French) guides you from defining the catalogue to the first sale, or choose the kit + ebook pack at €347.