Access to the baccalaureate and higher education in France has become more democratic. The introduction of the vocational baccalaureate has been part of this process, but remains a modest step forward given the very low take-up of vocational baccalaureate courses. If vocational education pathways in France are to become true gateways to higher education and social mobility, career guidance and lifelong learning need to become more effective and the French higher education system needs to be rethought to achieve integrated pathways that complement one another and at the same time differentiate themselves from one another, replacing a sterile, counter-productive hierarchical system. (Contains 5 figures, 6 tables and 5 footnotes.)