You’ve spent years improving your skills and gaining relevant experience through your jobs, and even invested money to attend trainings, conferences, and seminars. But there are occasions when you might find yourself at a disadvantage because you don’t have something official to prove that you’re indeed highly skilled in your chosen field. After all the hard work, don’t you think you deserve to be recognized as a qualified professional?
Through the help of the recognition of prior learning or RPL process, you can indeed have your skills, experience, and knowledge officially recognized. RPL — also known as prior learning assessment, accreditation of prior learning, or recognition of current competence in some countries — is a process used by different bodies and organizations around the world to evaluate the learning that an individual acquires outside the traditional classroom setup.
The objective of RPL is to recognize competence based on a set of standards, and gauge one’s standing in a profession, market or trade qualifications, or level of academic achievement, among others.
RPL in Australia
In Australia, RPL is used by experienced workers to achieve their qualifications and have their areas of expertise formally acknowledged and certified. Once their skills and learnings have been recognized, they will then finally receive their qualifications in the form of diplomas or certificates.
The RPL assessment process in Australia is quite straightforward: after undergoing a skills review to determine if you are eligible for RPL, you’ll be put in touch with an RPL specialist who will determine which qualifications you’re eligible for. The RPL specialist and a separate facilitator will then help you get started by collating supporting evidence for your skills and competencies. The compiled evidence will then go under review by a registered training organization or RTO, and assess if you meet the qualification’s units of competency. If you do, then you’ll be issued a Nationally Recognized Qualification. The entire process can be completed in a matter of weeks.
There are several RPL qualifications that you can be eligible for, including advanced diplomas in hospitality management, event management, travel and tourism, and information technology, as well as certificates in commercial cookery, patisserie, business management, and even horticulture. There many more fields in which RPL can be particularly helpful. If you want your skills in these fields to be recognized and receive the corresponding qualifications, you can immediately undergo a free skills review that usually takes less than 5 minutes.
Advantages of RPL
There are several advantages to having your skills and prior learning recognized in the country. First, of course, is receiving the qualifications based on the skills you’ve developed over the years. Another is that you don’t need to spend a big amount of money to receive your qualifications, and you don’t have to repeat learning or developing the skills you already have. Should the evidence you presented not meet all the unit requirements of your desired qualifications, you can undergo what is called gap training to fill the gaps in your training.
Through RPL, you can turn the skills, knowledge, and experience you’ve acquired through years of patience and hard work into a Nationally Recognized Qualification, paving the way for a bigger clientele, broader career options and opportunities, and improved industry credibility and recognition.
What’s more, as long as the qualifications are issued by RTOs or registered training organizations, you’re sure that the qualifications you receive through RPL meet national quality assurance requirements. This means that all diplomas and certificates received through RPL will be recognized by industry and educational institutions in all Australian states and territories as compliant to the required standards.
Do you already have the skills, knowledge, and training that your trade requires? Then it’s time to get qualified and advance your career. Get certified through RPL today.
About Author: Monica Mendoza is the manager for a fortune 500 company, Monica Mendoza counts communication coaching and personality development among her passions. In her spare time, she engages in writing, gardening, surfing, and hiking.
