In this article, we share the top four most versatile qualification through RPL. In today’s fast and competitive workforce being recognised for what you already know is a super power…
Sometimes, you fall into a career straight after school.
Maybe you were recruited into an organisation like the ADF, or you went into the family business, or applied for a job on a whim and got it. Maybe you went to uni, or just straight into the workforce.
Maybe you did that job for a while, and built a life around it. It might not have been the most fulfilling work, but there were parts you got satisfaction from, and while you didn’t jump out of bed in anticipation of getting to work every day, you weren’t unhappy…
Maybe you started a family, bought a home, and your financial obligations grew.
But, as they grew – so did the pressure to keep that job that didn’t really engage you. It’s probably been ten or twenty years or so, now? That’s a lot of your life spent doing something that you’re actually only half-hearted about.
Studying takes a lot of time, and a lot of money. Not many of us can afford to put our lives or income on hold to start from scratch in a new industry.
The good news is – you don’t have to.
In that ten or twenty years you were working, you probably developed some specific skills that were pertinent to your industry. But, it’s likely that you also developed skills that you could apply to any industry. Leadership, training and team management, administrative skills, an understanding of work health and safety, how government departments operate – all of these form the basis of qualifications that you could get through RPL.
RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) means that you don’t have to sit in a classroom and learn things you already know (and have been doing for years!). Instead, the knowledge, skills, training and experience that you have is assessed and packaged into nationally recognised qualifications that could take you into just about any industry, without the time, expense or effort of studying.
Getting RPL also means that you could shift sideways into a new career, without taking a step back down the ladder in terms of your seniority, pay grade or level of responsibility (unless you want to). Sound pretty good?
If you have decided to take that sideways step into a new industry, the best qualifications for bridging that gap are generalist rather than industry-specific. Accordingly, we’ve compiled a list of the most versatile qualifications that we commonly award people through RPL.
- BSB51918 Diploma of Leadership and Management
Have you had experience managing a team and/or a department within an organisation? The skills that you built up while undertaking this work could secure you a qualification that showcases your ability to perform in roles of responsibility. - BSB41419 Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety
Have you had experience in safeguarding the health and safety of workers? If you have a good understanding of how to ensure compliance with WHS laws and maintain WHS management systems, you could be eligible for this qualification, applicable in a wide variety of industries. - PSP40416 Certificate IV in Government Investigations
Have you had experience working in the public sector? Do you have sound knowledge about the operations of government organisations, and have you worked with a degree of autonomy? This qualification can help to translate your learning into a solid qualification. - BSB50415 Diploma of Business Administration
Have you had experience dealing with the administrative tasks of an organisation? If you’ve worked in a capacity that involved applying your organisational skills to projects, managing meetings or planning administrative systems, this is an ideal qual for consolidating and validating those skills.
