Akademia VCA — Training Center — 10 years experience

Terms and conditions

Version 3.0 · effective from 29 September 2026

1. Who we are and what these terms cover

  1. These terms set out the rules for signing up for courses and exams and for using the akademiavca.nl website.
  2. The website and the training centres are run by Akademia VCA, ‘s-Gravelandseweg 397, 3125 BJ Schiedam, the Netherlands, KvK 64597237 (“Akademia VCA”, “we”). Contact: info@akademiavca.nl, tel. +31 10 226 27 74, +31 685 773 110.
  3. Terms used in these terms and conditions:
    • Payer — a private individual or a company that places the order and pays for it;
    • Participant — the person who takes part in a course or exam (this may be the same person as the Payer);
    • Course — training with or without an exam, on a specific date and at a specific centre. Courses vary in length — from one day to several days of classes; the duration, programme and hours are given in the description of each course on the website and in the booking confirmation;
    • Exam — the exam on its own, without training;
    • Online course — a course you complete on your own on an online platform, without attending classes at a centre;
    • Digital content — materials supplied in digital form, e.g. e-books and practice test packages;
    • Account — an optional customer account on the website.
  4. By placing an order, you accept these terms and confirm that you have read the Privacy Policy.

2. What we offer

  1. On the website we take bookings for courses, training and exams in occupational safety and other vocational training, on the dates and at the centres shown in the calendar. The current offer, programme and the way each course ends (exam, diploma, certificate of attendance) are given in its description on the website.
  2. For courses without a date in the calendar, you can register your interest (“Register your interest”). Registering interest is not an order and costs nothing — we will get in touch once a date is known.
  3. External exams (e.g. VCA within the SSVV system) are conducted by independent examination bodies. The exam result depends solely on the Participant — we do not guarantee that you will pass.
  4. We also offer online courses (accessed via the akademiavca.online platform) and teaching materials in digital form, e.g. e-books and practice test packages. Digital materials are personalised — marked with the buyer’s details — and intended solely for the buyer’s personal use. The access period for an online course is given in its description.
  5. On the website we also offer, free of charge, a VCA practice test and our AI assistant Kasia (section 9). Both are there to help you.

3. Placing an order

  1. You place an order by choosing a date, entering the details of the Participants and the Payer, accepting these terms and choosing a payment method. You can collect several bookings in the basket and pay for them together.
  2. Enter the Participant’s details exactly as they appear on their identity document, including any middle name. We use them to register the Participant for the exam, and the diploma is issued on their basis — an error in the details may mean the Participant is not admitted to the exam.
  3. Companies from the Netherlands provide their KvK number; companies from other EU countries provide their VAT number, which we check in the VIES system. For an active VAT number from outside the Netherlands, the invoice is issued under the reverse charge mechanism (BTW verlegd).
  4. Once the order has been paid (or once you have chosen payment by bank transfer — section 5.3), we send the Payer an email confirmation with information about the course or exam, its date and the centre where it will take place.

4. Prices and discounts

  1. Prices are given in euros and include 21% BTW (VAT), unless stated otherwise next to the price.
  2. When you book several Participants in one order, we automatically apply a discount that depends on the number of Participants. Once you have created an account on the website, we count the Participants from all your orders — a discount you have already earned will be applied automatically to your next orders.
  3. Special prices and discounts for companies and large organised groups are set individually, by arrangement with our office (section 8.3). Special prices and company discounts cannot be combined with promotions run by Akademia VCA.
  4. Promotions cannot be combined with one another, unless the terms of the promotion say otherwise.
  5. The price that applies is the price at the time the order is placed.

5. Payments

  1. Online payments are handled by Mollie B.V. (iDEAL, Wero, Przelewy24, Apple Pay, payment cards, SEPA bank transfer and other methods shown at checkout).
  2. For a course with an exam, you can choose a booking with a deposit equal to the exam fee for each Participant. You pay the remaining amount on site on the day of the course, in cash or by card.
  3. If you pay by bank transfer, your place is reserved as soon as you place the order. The order is paid once the money reaches our account. If the transfer has not arrived before the course date, we will contact the Payer.
  4. We issue the invoice in the Payer’s name and send it by email once the order has been paid. The Payer is responsible for providing the details needed to issue it correctly.

6. The day of the course or exam

  1. The Participant must bring a valid, undamaged, untaped identity document with a photo (identity card, passport, temporary passport or driving licence), no more than 10 years old. A photo of the document on a phone is not a document. Without a document, the examination body will not admit the Participant to the exam. Digital ID apps (e.g. mObywatel) and certificates of a lost document are not accepted either.
  2. Please arrive 15 minutes before the start time given in the confirmation. During this time we check the list of Participants and their identity documents and hand out training materials and headphones. We start the course on time.

7. Changing the date, absence and refunds

  1. You can report an absence or a change of date by 20:00 on the day before the course or exam — by phone (+31 685 773 110) or by email (info@akademiavca.nl). In that case we refund the full amount paid or move the booking to another date — whichever you prefer.
  2. We order VCA exams from SSVV on the Participant’s behalf with an obligation to pay, always by 20:00 on the day before the course. This means that we pay for the exam of every Participant on the exam list — whether or not they turn up.
  3. That is why, in the case of an absence not reported within the deadline in section 7.1, we refund the amount paid minus the cost of the exam. If you paid only the deposit (section 5.2), the deposit covers the cost of the exam and is non-refundable.
  4. We make refunds within 14 days, using the same method you paid with (or by bank transfer if that is not possible).
  5. Dates cannot be changed from the Account — call or write to us and we will sort everything out.
  6. Online course: a refund is only possible until you first log in to the platform. Once a login has been recorded, no refund is due.
  7. Digital content (e.g. e-books, practice test packages) is personalised and delivered immediately after payment — it is non-refundable.
  8. Consumers (private individuals): by booking a course on a specific date, you are asking us to perform the service on that date. You have the right to withdraw from the contract within 14 days of its conclusion without giving a reason; if the course or exam takes place within that period, you can withdraw on the terms set out in sections 7.1–7.3. Once the service has been performed, the right of withdrawal expires. When you buy an online course or digital content, you consent to us starting to supply it before the 14 days have passed and you acknowledge that you lose the right of withdrawal as soon as you first log in to the platform or the file is made available to you — you confirm this when placing the order.

8. Customer account

  1. Creating an account is optional. If you would like one, we will send you a link that lets you create your account; after that, you log in with such a link or with a password. Your password must be at least 10 characters long and must not be a common, easy-to-guess password. When you log in with a password from a new device, we will also ask for a code sent to your email address. In your account you can see your orders and enquiries, your invoice details, your consent to marketing information and your cookie settings (you can also change these at any time using the “Cookie settings” link in the website footer).
  2. The email address of your Account is also the address to which we send order confirmations.
  3. A company that has used our courses before can ask for access to its history (Participants and the validity of their qualifications) and its individual terms. We grant access after verification by our office.
  4. You can delete your account at any time in the Account settings.

9. Practice test and AI assistant

  1. The practice test reproduces the course of a VCA exam, but it is not an exam and does not give you any qualification. The result of the practice test does not guarantee the result of the exam — it is only a way of checking your knowledge. We can send the result to your email address; we store neither the address nor your answers.
  2. Kasia is an assistant based on artificial intelligence. In accordance with the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act, Regulation (EU) 2024/1689), we always tell you in the chat window that you are talking to an AI. Kasia answers automatically and can make mistakes; she does not take orders, does not change dates and does not make any decisions about your case. Only these terms, the offer on the website and the order confirmation are binding. How we process conversations is described in the Privacy Policy.

10. Complaints

  1. You can submit a complaint by email to info@akademiavca.nl or via the contact form. Tell us what it concerns (order number, date, Participant) and what you expect.
  2. We reply within 14 days.
  3. A failed exam is not grounds for a complaint — the result is decided by the examination body on the basis of the Participant’s answers.
  4. Online courses and digital content: you can submit a complaint if the content does not work as we described — e.g. a file will not open, is incomplete, or you cannot log in to the platform for reasons on our side. In that case, we will first fix the error, deliver the content again or restore access (and extend it by the length of the interruption). If that is not possible, we will refund the money in full or in part. The absence of a right to a refund under section 7 does not limit your right to complain.
  5. Incompatibility with a device or browser that does not meet the technical requirements in section 13, or loss of access because login details were shared with other people (section 11.3), are not grounds for a complaint.

11. Copyright

  1. The texts, photos, illustrations, practice test questions and other materials on the website belong to Akademia VCA or are used with the permission of their authors.
  2. Copying and distributing these materials without our written consent is prohibited.
  3. Access to an online course and to digital content is personal. You may not share login details or files with other people. In the event of a breach, access will be blocked without a refund.

12. The Akademia VCA® trade mark

  1. Akademia VCA® is a registered trade mark. Both the name and the logo are protected, including the logo with the helmet.
  2. Without our written consent, you may not use the Akademia VCA® mark or any name or logo confusingly similar to it — in company names, internet domains, social media profiles, adverts, advertising, training materials or in any way suggesting that someone acts on our behalf, is our partner or runs Akademia VCA training.
  3. It is particularly prohibited to place our mark on diplomas, certificates of attendance, certificates and cards that we did not issue. We report forgery of such documents to the police and to examination bodies.
  4. We take every infringement seriously. We take legal action against infringers: we demand that the infringement stop and its effects be removed, as well as compensation for damage and reimbursement of costs, including legal costs — on the basis of trade mark protection law.
  5. If you notice someone impersonating Akademia VCA, let us know: info@akademiavca.nl.

13. Technical requirements

  1. To use the website, the checkout and the account, all you need is a device with internet access, an up-to-date browser and an active email address, to which we send confirmations and login links.
  2. We recommend an up-to-date version of Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari (one of the two latest versions) with JavaScript and essential cookies enabled. Older browsers may not work properly.
  3. For online courses you need:
    • a computer, tablet or smartphone with an up-to-date operating system (Windows 10 or later, macOS 12 or later, iOS/iPadOS 16 or later, Android 10 or later);
    • a stable internet connection — for lessons with audio and video recordings we recommend at least 5 Mb/s;
    • speakers or headphones — the lessons include voice-over recordings;
    • a screen at least 360 px wide; tests are more comfortable on a computer or tablet.
  4. We supply e-books and other files in PDF format — you can open them in your browser or in any PDF reader.
  5. If the requirements for a specific product differ from the above, we give them in its description.

14. Personal data

The rules for processing personal data and using cookies are described in the Privacy Policy.

15. Final provisions

  1. Matters not covered by these terms are governed by Dutch law, in particular the Dutch Civil Code (Burgerlijk Wetboek). A consumer retains the protection afforded by the mandatory provisions of the law of the country in which they live.
  2. Disputes are settled by the court in Rotterdam (rechtbank Rotterdam). This does not deprive a consumer of the right to go to the court having jurisdiction under the law, in particular the court of their place of residence.
  3. We may change these terms. We publish the new version on the website at least 7 days before it takes effect. Orders placed earlier are fulfilled under the previous terms.
  4. If any provision proves to be invalid, the remaining provisions continue to apply.
  5. There may be short interruptions to the website’s operation due to maintenance or updates.

The previous version of these terms was effective from 1 May 2018.