Are you thinking about propelling your career with more qualifications? Embarking on a career change? Or maybe you want to learn more about your field. But when you look closely at the qualification you want, you’re already experience in half of the topics. There’s no point studying what you already know – it’s a waste of time and money. So, what you do? That’s where RPL comes in.
What is RPL?
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is an assessment process that examines your existing knowledge and skills to determine whether you can get some sort of ‘credit’ for what you have done in the past. By leveraging all your years of experience, RPL reduces the overall study time it takes to get your qualification and saves money in the process. In other words, you don’t need to study online or sit in a classroom and go through a heap of materials you already know back to front.
Why apply for RPL?
There are lots of attractive reasons to apply for RPL. If you have experience in the workplace, it means you don’t have to study what you already know. You don’t need to waste valuable time reading material or completing assignments when you already have these skills and knowledge.
If you don’t already have the skills, knowledge or experience, then RPL isn’t for you. It’s almost impossible to obtain RPL if you can’t provide a portfolio of evidence or successfully complete the assessment.
What if you’re not sure? Or you have some experience but no evidence to support it? Our advice is that you are best doing the unit, completing the reading and assessments. You will learn a lot from this process.
Who is eligible for RPL?
It depends on the qualification.
RPL is designed for people with current or recent skills, knowledge and experience in the specific field covered by the unit.
Let’s say the unit is about managing risks. To apply for RPL, you would need to have a few years’ experience managing risk and would need to provide examples of a risk plan and a risk register as part of your portfolio.
Here at Transformed, we use an online self-assessment for every new student to determine if they are eligible for RPL.
The results of the self-assessment give an indication of whether you are eligible for RPL.
If the self-assessment tells us you are eligible for RPL, it simply means you have the right sort of background and experience for that qualification. This doesn’t mean that you are automatically granted RPL for that unit – you still need to put together your submission.
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How to obtain RPL
Each provider has its own RPL process. So, when you are accepted by a new registered training organisation (RTO), ask them for help.
Here at Transformed, to obtain RPL for one or more unit, you need to prepare an RPL submission, which simply means collating a portfolio of documents and undertaking an assessment interview.
If the portfolio and the interview tick the right boxes, you will be granted RPL for that specific unit.
What’s the difference between RPL and Credit Transfer?
Credit Transfer is a separate process from RPL. Credit Transfer involves examining your formal studies (e.g. university, other qualifications) to determine whether any of your past study can count towards your new Certificate or Diploma course.
Again, you’ll complete an assessment to determine the extent to which your previous course is equivalent to the required learning outcomes of your desired qualification.
However, some rules apply, which are specified by the government.
For a start, the unit must be the same unit code or equivalent to the current unit code (that is, the letters and numbers attached to the unit description, for example: BSBRSK401A – Manage risk).
Let’s say you completed a similar unit more than three years ago. Chances are it isn’t current or equivalent to a current unit. This is because the training package upon which qualifications are based is updated by the government every few years, so the course you completed may not be equivalent to the new qualification.
Not sure if you can get Credit Transfer? Send us your qualifications and we’ll let you know whether you are eligible.
Got any questions?
Contact our Transformed team if you have any questions about RPL or Credit Transfer. We’re here to help you through the process.
READY FOR THE SELF-ASSESSMENT? TAKE ME TO THE SELF-ASSESSMENT
Or check out our video on RPL: