RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning)
What is RPL?
RPL is short for Recognition of Prior Learning.
It is the process of turning your skills, knowledge and experience into nationally recognised qualifications.
RPL and You
you if you want to:
- Secure a new job or internal promotion
- Change industries or professions
- Increase your career security
- Meet industry compliance requirements
- Gain credit towards university study
- Re-enter the workforce
Being awarded qualifications through RPL means that you don’t have to study what you already know. Instead you provide workplace examples that you already have the knowledge and skills that studying the qualification would give you.
Workplace examples for an RPL assessment can be attained through both paid and voluntary work, in Australia and overseas.
Qualifications gained through RPL range from Certificates and Diplomas up to Advanced Diplomas and Graduate Diplomas.
Being awarded nationally recognised qualifications through RPL shows employers what you know, and gives you an important feeling of self-worth. A minimum of six months of relevant experience is required and the experience cited in your workplace examples must be from the last five years.
What’s Involved in Churchill’s RPL Process
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Book a Free Qualification Appraisal
Have a free consultation with one of our Skills Recognition Advisors to find out if your working experience can be translated into qualifications through our Recognition of Prior Learning service. Submit your details and we will call you to have a chat within the next business day. This could be the most powerful thing you’ve ever done for your career!
Frequently Asked Questions
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) programs are designed to award people nationally recognised qualifications for knowledge and skills that they have gained outside of the classroom. Employers have long known that candidate employees may have far more to offer than a fancy degree as people gain highly valuable skill and experience in the workplace.
So that RPL is of any value to either employer or skilled employee a strict set of legal criteria is used to govern the methods used to evaluate potential recipients. In addition, these methods evaluate the organisations offering the programs and the assessment process used to establish qualifications to ensure the RPL process is fair.
There is no set title for the organisations that can offer RPL programs. However, there is a highly regulated set of standards that they must meet to be recognised as a Registered Training Organisation (RTO). Churchill Education is proud to be one of Australia’s most acknowledged and trusted providers of Recognition of Prior Learning.
Providers must meet all of the criterium defined in the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015 and meet the Australian Qualification Framework which governs all education in Australia. Churchill Education not only conforms to these standards in all of our RPL process, but goes to great lengths to make sure our graduates are guided every step of the way, and receive advice on qualifications specific to their individual career goals.
There is no limit to the fields that an RPL qualification can be issued for. Workers in almost every sector of society gain knowledge and develop skills every day that could help them gain RPL certifications.
At Churchill Education, there are RPL qualifications already in place for 10 key industries areas:
- Defence
- Police
- Mining
- Public sector
- Aviation
- Private sector
- Small business
- Construction
- Community
- Security
Under current guidelines, 6 months of experience within the last 5 years is the minimum requirement for certificate level RPL programs, but more time is required for the awarding of diplomas and higher-level qualifications. This experience can be documented in the following ways.
Certificates issued by the ADF
- Commendations
- Desensitised payslips
- Duty Statements
- Position Descriptions
- Resumes
- Employee training certificates
- Posting notices
- Promotion notices
- Recent PARs
- ROAs
There’s a lot of ways to get your skills and experience recognised during the RPL process.
Employers don’t have to recognise an RPL certificate or diploma, but it would be very foolish of them to not regard it. In that sense, RPL qualifications are mostly accepted by Australian employers as they are a credible proof of skills and experience. It could be difficult for an employer to deny a promotion or employment on the grounds of unsatisfactory skill level to the holder of an RPL certificate.
Churchill Education offers Recognition of Prior Learning assessment services in a wide array of industries. For more information on how they can help you reach your goals without the need to spend endless hours in a classroom, contact us today.
Graduate stories
After 30 years of Military service, Ken was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes and had to be medically discharged. Ken was able to convert his service into an Advanced Diploma in Work Health and Safety, which helped him to secure civilian employment at a management level and achieve a better quality life.
Graduate Reviews
