Who Can Use Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)?

But what about when you already have the experience these courses are set around? When, throughout one means or another, you have built competency in a field against the guidelines of a recognised qualification? That’s when you turn to Recognition of Prior Learning. In this blog, the team at Skills Certified explains who can use RPL and how.

What is RPL?

Fresh students looking to enter into a specific field will generally do so through courses offered and facilitated by Registered Training Organisations (RTOs). These are the bodies in place to deliver programs reflecting and instilling appropriate practices, so new workers will operate in accordance with Australian competency standards.

RPL works a little different. Using this process, a candidate can apply for an RTO to assess their existing skills, knowledge and experience cultivated outside formal training avenues, against the relevant qualifications. Should the RTO find that the candidate meets their competency criteria, they will be awarded with either some units within the qualification or the qualification in its entirety.

The RPL Process

The RPL process is a direct route made easier with the assistance of organisations like Skills Certified’s partner RTOs. Our team provides free, no-obligation skills checks to your working history to move forward with building an ‘Experience Portfolio’. We do this to provide an RTO assessor with a resource filled with the relevant documentation proving the candidate’s competency. These can include photos and footage of the candidate conducting related work, qualifications obtained overseas, and references of previous employers, and samples from completed projects. The assessor will then either award units of competency if they deem that the evidence is sufficient.

Who Can Use RPL?

RPL can benefit those with experience in a range of industries. Through collaborating with Skills Certified, you could use your past experience to obtain qualifications, such as: