Kerrie Barnes is a senior risk and compliance professional whose career has been built through hands-on experience, strong leadership, and a deep commitment to integrity. Now Risk and Compliance Lead at the Gold Coast Suns, an Integrity and Complaints Consultant, and a final-year law student, Kerrie’s RPL graduate story shows how Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) can turn decades of real-world experience into nationally recognised qualifications.
Through RPL with Churchill Education, Kerrie achieved BSB60619 Advanced Diploma of Work Health and Safety and a BSB50920 Diploma of Quality Auditing, adding to her existing qualifications in Business Leadership and Project Management.
For Kerrie, RPL wasn’t about changing direction — it was about formally recognising the skills she had developed over more than 20 years in leadership, governance, risk, and compliance roles, and ensuring her qualifications finally matched the depth of her professional experience.
Profile Snapshot
Name: Kerrie Barnes
Qualifications Achieved (RPL):
- BSB60619 Advanced Diploma of Work Health and Safety
- BSB50920 Diploma of Quality Auditing
- Leadership and Project Management (previous RPL)
Current Roles:
- Risk and Compliance Lead, Gold Coast Suns
- Integrity and Complaints Consultant
- Law student, final year approaching
Career Journey: Learning by doing
Kerrie Barnes has never followed a straight line. And that is exactly what makes her story powerful.
She finished school in 1993, at a time when university was presented as the default path to success. She enrolled twice in science-based degrees but quickly realised traditional academic study did not suit how she learned.
“I’m a curious person. I learn by doing,” Kerrie says. “I just didn’t fit the mould.”
Instead of forcing herself into a pathway that felt wrong, Kerrie chose experience.
That decision led to more than 20 years in Surf Life Saving, where she built a career grounded in leadership, governance, and responsibility.
By her mid-20s, she was managing the SLSQ Point Danger Branch, overseeing 11 clubs and up to 6000 members. For most of that time, she worked alone.
“I was the sole person there,” she says. “The leadership was massive.”
Despite the scale of her role, none of that experience was formally recognised on paper.
Discovering RPL with Churchill Education
Kerrie first discovered Churchill Education after reading about its founder and his own experience with RPL. She had previously explored other providers but found the process overwhelming.
“I’d looked at other RPL options and it all seemed too hard,” she says. “But Churchill made sense. Someone who actually got what real experience looks like.”
With a demanding workload and limited time, RPL offered a practical way to formalise skills she was already using every day.
Why Recognition Mattered
As Kerrie’s career progressed into senior roles across risk, compliance, and integrity, formal qualifications became increasingly important.
“Some employers want experience, some want the bit of paper, and some want both,” she explains. “I had the experience, so I just needed the paper that said I had it.”
RPL gave Kerrie the ability to safeguard her career, ensure her skills were recognised as current, and align her expertise with professional expectations.
“It also proved to me that I’m on the right track,” she says. “That I’ve chosen well.”
Completing RPL During a Full Life
Kerrie completed her most recent RPL while working full-time, running a consultancy, caring for her mum, and studying law.
Her days often stretch to 12 or more hours.
“I’m up at 4.30am,” she says. “And by the time I get to my own emails at night, it’s usually pretty late.”
The process required gathering evidence from years of work, including files from previous roles. When Kerrie reached a sticking point, Churchill arranged a conversation with an assessor.
“It was so much easier just to talk it through,” she says. “That was the turning point.”
Graduation: Relief, Then Pride
When Kerrie received confirmation that she had achieved the Diploma of Work Health and Safety and the Diploma of Quality Auditing, her reaction came in waves.
“The first feeling was relief,” she says. “I just thought, thank God.”
A day or two later, something else settled in.
“I actually felt proud,” she says. “With everything going on, I got it done.”
That sense of achievement was amplified by the genuine support she felt from her Career and Education Advisor, Sarah Tom.
“She was genuinely invested,” Kerrie says. “It didn’t feel like I was just another job.”
Living and Working on Her Own Terms
Kerrie is clear about the values that guide her career. A line tattooed on her wrist captures it perfectly.
“I would rather die having spoken in my manner than speak in your manner and live.”
Authenticity and integrity matter.
“It probably has cost me at times,” she says. “But I’m okay with that.”
To balance long hours and high responsibility, Kerrie fiercely protects her downtime. Friday nights are reserved for frozen pizza, football, and quiet.
“By Friday, I don’t want to make another decision,” she says. “That’s my reset.”
Looking Ahead
Kerrie is approaching the final year of her law degree. While she has not locked in a specific legal pathway, the qualification complements her work in risk, complaints, governance, and integrity.
“I chose to study law because it fits with everything I already do,” she says.
Whether she practises law formally or not, the foundation is there.
Advice for Others Considering RPL
Kerrie encourages experienced professionals to reconsider how they view their own expertise.
“What you think your skill level is and what it actually is are two different things,” she says. “RPL shows you what you’ve already earned.”
For her, RPL was not about changing direction. It was about recognising what was already there.
Key Takeaway
Kerrie Barnes has built a career defined by responsibility, curiosity, and integrity. Through RPL, her experience has been formally recognised, allowing her qualifications to finally match the depth of her real-world expertise.
Find out what qualifications are waiting for you!
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