APPLICANT’SGUIDE TO THE

RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING

(In Vocational Education and Training)

APPLICANT’SGUIDE TO RECOGNITIONOFPRIORLEARNING

IntroductiontothisGuide

Congratulations,thefirststep isgenerallythe hardestand youhavetakenthatbyconsidering theopportunitytohaveyourskills,knowledgeandexperienceassessedthroughour RecognitionofPriorLearning(RPL)processinorderforyoutogainfullorpartialcompletion ofaqualification in yourarea ofexpertise.

ThisApplicant’sGuidewilltakeyouthroughanumberofstepsassociatedwithundertaking anRPLassessment.Thestepsarelistedbelowandanswermanyofthequestionsweknow youwillhaveandindicatetherangeofsupportwewillgiveyouonyourjourneytoachieving recognitioninyourchosenvocationalarea.Youshouldensureyoureadtheguide completely.

Steps

  • TheApplication process
  • PreliminarydiscussionwithyourlecturerortheRPLUnitregardingtheRPL process,feesandexploration ofsuitablecourses
  • Completing the RPLSelf-assessmentTool andVET121 RPLApplicationForm
  • Personalrequirements to workinyourchosenvocationalarea
  • Tips andhintstoprepareforRPL
  • The initialinterviewprocess with yourassessor
  • ThesubsequentRPL Assessment

Attheendofthisguidearesomefrequentlyaskedquestionswhoseanswersmayalsohelp you to further understand our RPL process.

TheApplicationProcess

The diagramon thefollowingpageindicatesthestepsinvolved in applying forRPL.The step- by-stepprocessindicateswhereyourapplicationmaybeatanyonetimeandwhereyouare onthejourneytowardsthequalification.Thelastpageofthisguideprovidescontactdetails should you wish to enquire aboutanyaspectofthe processatanytime.

Thefirststepintheapplicationprocess(whenyouhavedecidedtoproceedwithseeking RPL)istofillinandsubmittheVETRPLApplicationForm(VET121)andthenlodgeitatthe RPLenquiryemailaddress:,alternativelyyoucanspeak directlytoyourlecturerortheRPLunit.YourlecturerortheRPLUnitwilldiscussany applicablefeesandprovideyouwithacoursespecificSelf-AssessmentTooltocomplete. Theseformscollectsomeinformationtoallowustorecordyourdetailsonourstudent managementsystem.Itwillalsohelpusplantheinitialinterviewandsaveasmuchtimeas possibleduringthesubsequentRPLassessment.Thisstepwillgenerateanyapplicationfee associated with yourseekingRPL.Please seethe CDU studentguideforfurtherinformation.

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RPLFlowchart

Theflowchart describes theproceduretobefollowed in determiningRPL.

ApplicantRequestforRPL

PreliminaryDiscussion

Applicantadvisedofsuitability

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RPLApplicationformandselfassessmentdistributedtoApplicant

Applicantinformedofformallearningopportunities

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RPLformsreturned

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ApplicantdeemedsuitabletoenrolforRPL

ApplicantnotdeemedsuitabletoenrolforRPL

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StudentenrolswithCDUforms

Formalassessmentprocessbegins

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GapTraining(ifnecessary)undertaken

RepresentsApplicant/StudentResponsibilities

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RPLOutcome

RepresentsAssessorResponsibilities

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Eachself-assessmentdocumentisfocusedonaparticularcourse,orsetofcourseswitha commonthread.Atthebeginningofyourjourney,youmaynotknowwhatcoursewouldbe bestforyou–thatisfine,justsubmittheVETRPLApplicationformandoneofourstaffwill contactyou to discussyouroptions.Oncethe correctcourse is identified,you will be sentthe appropriateself-assessmentdocument.

VETRPL Application Form

TheVETRPLApplicationformisavailablefromyourlecturerortheRPLUnit.Itcanalsobe downloadedfrom basicdetailsthatareneededtoissueyourstudentidentificationnumber,furtherinformation isrequestedsothatwecanplanyourinitialinterviewwithanassessoranddeterminethe mosteffectivewaytosupportyouthroughtheRPLprocess.Ifyouknowwhichcourseyou areseekingRPLfor,theVETRPLApplicationformshouldbereturnedwiththeappropriate self-assessmentdocument.Ifyoudonotknowwhatcourseisbestsuitedforyou,justreturn the VETRPLApplicationform.

Wehavetriedtoensurethatwearenotrequestingtoomuchfromyouatthisinitialstagebut themoreinformationyouprovidethemoreitwillassistustoassistyou.Neverthelesswe understand thatsomeinformationaboutpreviousemployers,etc.isnotalwayseasy toobtain sodothebestyoucanandatleastprovideyourpersonaldetailsandinformationonwhat occupation you areseeking and we can commencefromthere.

CompletingtheRPLSelf-assessment

The RPL Self-assessment Toolforyourchosenqualification hasbeensupplied as aseparate documentforyouto completeandreturn.Itwill onlytakeyou about15minutestocomplete as ithasbeendesigned to indicatewhatyou have alreadybeen doinginthe workplace.

The RPL Self-assessment Tool isan importantstartingpointfortheoverall RPL assessment processthatonceyou have successfullycompleted will enable usto issueyou aqualification in yourchosen area.Theotherbenefitisthatthe RPL self-assessmentwillassist you to prepareforthe subsequentRPL assessment,as the assessorwill befocusingonthesame statementsthatyou have respondedtoand will assessactivities thatdemonstratetheskills, knowledge andexperience you have in yourchosen vocationalarea.

TipsandHintstoPrepareforRPL

Ourassessorsmustmakesureyouhavetheskillsandknowledgetomeettheindustry standard.Thismeansyoumustbeinvolvedwithusinacomprehensivequalityprocessthat coversthecontentof thequalificationyou wanttoberecognisedfor.

Assessmentwillhappeninavarietyofwaysandbeingpreparedcansaveyouvaluabletime and alsomaketherecognition processstress-freeforyou.

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Herearesometips andhintsforyouto consider:

1.Bepreparedtotalkaboutyourcurrentjobrolesandyourworkhistoryparticularlyif youarenotcurrentlyemployed.Hopefullyyouhaveprovidedsomedetailsonyour applicationformaboutwhereyouhaveworked,eitherpaidorunpaid,andwhattasks youperformedthere.Thesewillmakeagoodstartingpointandputyouateasewith the RPL process.

2.Ifyouhaveapositiondescription,andeventhoughyoumaynotbeabletobringit withyou,bepreparedtotalkabouttheresponsibilitiesanddutiesyouhaveinyour currentrole

3.Ifyouare inaworkplacethatissupportingyourapplicationtoget qualifiedbe preparedtodiscusstheopportunityforyourassessortocontactyourworkplaceor previousworkplacesoyourskillscanbeconfirmedbysomeonethatworksorhas worked with you.

4.Youmay alsohavecommunity contactsfromunpaidorvolunteerworkyouhavedone thatmaynotappeartoberelatedtothisapplicationbutyouwillbesurprisedathow farourassessorswill goto findevidence tosupportyourclaim.

5.In-housetrainingconductedbyin-housestafforsupplierstoyourindustryorservice areaisgenerallyofahighquality.Bepreparedtotalkaboutanyopportunitiesyou havehadinthisarea,andifyouwereissuedwithacertificateforyourattendanceat thetraining bring itwith youforyourinterview.

6.BepreparedtodiscusswithyourCDUassessoraboutotherwaysyoucan demonstrateyourskills,forexampleifyouhaveanyreferencesfromemployersor diarynotesfromwhenyouattendedin-housetrainingortradeshows.Sometimes evenphotographsofprojectsyouhaveworkedonthatyoucanuseto‘trigger’ discussion with yourassessormaybe valuable contributorsto yourassessment.

7.Otheritemsordocuments,ifyouhavethemreadilyavailable,youshouldconsider supplyingcopies ofwith yourapplication may include butnotbe limitedto:

anylicences orticketsheld,e.g.forklift,working with children,etc.

briefCV orworkhistory

Job SafetyAnalysis(JSA)thatyoumayhave completed

certificates–suppliertrainingcourses,in house courses,workshops,seminars

Certificates–club coursese.g.firstaid, surflifesaving,etc.

photographsorDVD’sofworkundertaken

technicaldrawingsorsite plansyou have workedwith

workplace inductions

performanceappraisals

membership ofrelevantassociations

hobbies,interestsoutside ofwork

references orlettersfrompreviousemployersorsupervisors

anyotherdocumentationthatmaydemonstrate industryexperience

PersonalRequirements toWorkinyour ChosenVocationalArea

TheRPLSelf-assessmentToolincludesinformationofsomeofthepersonalrequirementsto workinyourchosenvocationalarea.Manypersonalrequirementsyoualreadyknowfrom yourpreviousexperiencebutitisimportantthatyoureviewthislisttoconfirmthisisthe vocation you wish to be in.

So whatwillI havetodo next?

You have nowread throughjustaboutall oftheApplicant’sGuide and thefollowingpointswill guide you throughwhatto do next:

  • CompletetheVETRPL ApplicationForm,return ittous,and retainacopy.Aninvoice fortheappropriateapplicationfeewillbeissuedwithin5workingdaysofprocessing. Pleasenotethattheofficialassessmentcannotcommenceuntilpaymentisreceived fortheapplicationfee.
  • Ifyouhavetheappropriateself-assessmentdocument,pleasereadthroughitand completetheself-assessment thatdetailswhatacompetentpersondoesinthe workplace.Returnthisformwith theVETRPLApplicationform.
  • IfyoudonothavetheappropriateRPLSelf-assessmentform,simplyreturntheVET RPLApplicationFormandoneofourstaffwillcontactyoutodeterminethe appropriateself-assessmentdocumentforyou.Onceyoureceiveit,pleasefillitin and return.
  • Gatheranyextradocumentsorinformationthatsupportsyourapplication.
  • PleaseseetheCDUVETStudentGuide( services.
  • ForwardalloftheextradocumentstotheaddressonthefinalpageoftheRPLSelf- AssessmentTool orbyemail ifyou have themelectronically.Wewould preferthatyou send copiesratherthanoriginalsastheycouldgo missingin-transitto us.
  • WaitafewdaystohearfromCDUandbepreparedtodiscussatimeandplacefor yourinitialapplication interview.

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FrequentlyAskedQuestions

Thefollowinglistofcommonquestionsandanswershasbeendevelopedtoillustratetoyou thattheRPLprocessiseffectiveanduser-friendlywhilststillmaintainingthequalityrequired byindustryforcompetentstaff.Ifyouhaveanyotherquestionspleasedonothesitatetoask byusing the contactdetailsatthe bottomoftheapplicationform.

Question 1:

WhatisRecognition ofPriorLearning (RPL)all about?

Answer1:

RecognitionofPriorLearningisaboutdeterminingwhethertheskills,knowledgeand experienceyou’vegainedinthepastpartiallyorcompletelyqualifyyouforaqualification offered by CDU withouthavingto undertake anyfurtherstudy.

WhenyoufirstenquiredaboutapplyingforRecognitionofPriorLearning,youmayhave receivedthisApplicant’sGuide,andotherdocumentscontainingstatementsthatdescribe,in auser-friendlyway,theskillsandknowledgethatiscontainedinthequalificationyouare applyingfor.Allyouhavetodoissimplyrespondtoeachstatementbyindicatingwhether youcanperformtheskilltotheleveldescribedandsubmitittoCDUalongwithanyother informationthatyouthinkmaysupportyourapplicationforthequalification.Informationon the type ofsupporting information you maysupplyisdetailed in thisApplicant’sGuide andthe otherdocumentation.

Ifyoufeelthat your prior experiencesalreadyindicate that youpossesstheskillsand knowledgeinoneormoreofthestatementsfortheunits,thenanRPLapplicationmaybe worth yourwhile.

Question 2:

Whathappenswhen I applyforRPL?

Answer2:

ThisApplicant’sGuidedetailsthecompleteRPLprocessandindicatesarangeofadditional information thatyou maywantto compile and submitto supportyourapplication forRPL. The processalsorequiresyoutocompletetheSelf-assessmentforthequalificationorcourseyou areapplying forandforwarditwith anysupporting informationtotheaddressintheform.

OncewehavereceivedyourRPLapplication,self-assessmentandanysupportingmaterials wewillcontactyouandarrangeadateforyoutohaveaninterviewwith anRPLAssessor.Thisinterviewmaybe in person orbytelephone in thefirstinstance.

YourRPLAssessorwilldiscussyourresponsestotheSelf-assessmentandhowyour previousknowledge,skillsandexperiencematchtherequirementsofthecourseor qualificationandwhereanygapsmayappeartobepresentatthisstage.They’ll thenorganiseatimeandaplaceforyoutomeetsotheycanassessactivitiesthatdemonstrate theskills,knowledgeandexperienceyouhave.Oncethey’vegatheredtheevidencefromthe activitiesthathavetakenplacetheywilldetermineifthereareany gapsinyourknowledgeor skillsthatmayhavetobefilledpriortoyouachievingthequalificationorstatementof attainment.Theywill discuss arangeofoptions tofill thesegapswith you.

Question 3:

Howlongdo Ihave tohave been working beforeIcan applyforRPL?

Answer3:

ThereisnosettimetohavebeenworkingpriortoapplyingforRPLbutexperiencedworkers havegenerallyappliedtheirknowledgeandskills,communicatedeffectively,understoodand appliedrelevantlegislationandsolvedworkplaceproblemsinarangeofsituationsovertime tobecomecompetent.TheRPLSelf-assessmentToolindicatestherangeofactivitiesthat people have beeninvolved in to becomecompetent.Have aread throughthese activities and makeadecisionbasedonthemaboutwhetheryoushouldapply.Ifyouthinkyouhavemost ofthemthenwecandiscussarangeofoptionsavailabletoyousothatyoucantakethe opportunitytofillthegapsandgain afull qualification.

Question 4:

Will anyofthepreviousqualificationsthatI’ve gained countinthe RPL process?

Answer4:

WhenyousubmityourapplicationforRPLincludecertifiedcopiesofanyqualificationsthat youhavealreadyobtained.TheRPLassessorwillconsideraCreditTransferifanyofthe unitsofcompetency inthecourseyouhavecompletedarethe sameasinthecourse youare applyingfororapprovedtobeequivalenttotheunit/sofcompetency intheTrainingPackage forthevocationalarea.

Question 5:

Ihavebeenworkingforthesameorganisationforanumberofyears,isthissufficient evidence togain RPL?

Answer5:

Notnecessarily.Thelengthoftimeinaworkplaceisnotbyitselfsufficientevidence–you mustbe able to demonstratethatyou have the knowledge and can performthe skillsrequired tothestandardexpectedintheworkplacethatisdetailedintheunitsofcompetencyinthe qualification.Somepeoplemayworkformanyyearsinoneplacebutstillneedtodevelop broaderskillsandknowledge.Nevertheless,throughtheSelf-assessmentprocess,youwillbe abletodetermineexactlywhatskillsandknowledgeyoudohaveandwhatgapsmaystill exist.Iftherearen’tmanygaps,youmaystillconsiderRPLandreceiveoptionsonhowthe gapscan befilled.

Question 6:

HowisitpossibletogetaqualificationifIhavenotattendedany formaltraining? Willitbeas goodas onegainedthroughstudyataTAFEanywhere else in Australia?

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Answer6:

TheAustralianQualificationsFramework(AQF)recognisesskillsandknowledgeirrespective ofwhereyoulearntthoseskills.Youdonothavetoattendformaltraininginordertoget theseskillsrecognised.Thequalificationwillbethesameasanygainedthroughstudy anywhere else in Australia.

Question 7:

Whatarethebenefitstomyorganisationiftheyareto supportmethroughthe RPL process?

Answer7:

Manyorganizations havecometorealize thatprovidingan employee with a‘piece ofpaper’ is onlyonesmallbenefittoboththecandidateandthebusiness.Theyhavetraditionallystated “ourbiggestassetisourpeople”butare also veryconsciousofthefactthatwordsalone don’t get thejobdone.Throughout theworkplace,theyacknowledgethereare oftengapsin people’sknowledgeandskillsthattheywoulddesperatelyliketohavefilledinorderforthe businesstobemoreproductive,moreresponsiveandmoreprofitable.AnRPLassessment willassistinidentifyingthegapswhethertheyareinplanning,budgeting,serviceor production,andoncefilled will add value to thebusinessas well as totheperson.

Question 8:

Iwasnevertoogoodatdoingtestsatschool.WillIhavetositforpracticalandtheorytests during my RPL?

Answer8:

TheRPLassessmentprocessisonethatencouragesyoutodiscussanddemonstratetasks thatyoudoeveryday atwork.Itinvolvesanassessordevelopingarelationshipwithyouasa professionalcolleagueastheyencourageyoutodiscusswhatyouhaveachievedovertime asyouhavegatheredtheskills,knowledgeandexperienceassociatedwithyourspecialist area.It’snotanassessmentthatrequiresyouto‘statedefinitions’or‘listitems’butismore aboutyourpracticalapplication associated with realworkexamples.

Question 9:

PeoplewhohavebeenthroughanRPLhavetoldmethatIneedtocollectandsupplya wholerangeofdocumentsinordertobeassessed.ManyoftheplacesIhaveworkedatin thepastnolongerexist;peopleIworkedwithhavemovedon;andinsomecases,Ididn’tget onwiththebossorothersandleftwithoutanyreference.Ididn’talwayshaveadocumented jobdescriptionandIdon’tknowhowtocreateaCVorresume.ButIknowhowtodothejob andwhyImakethedecisionsthatIdoonadailybasis,sohowmuchdocumented information doIhave tosupplybeforeIcangothroughthe RPL process?

Answer9:

ThisApplicant’sGuidetoRPLcontainsaformforyoutocompletethatasksforsomebasic informationforustohelpyoubeginyourjourney.Thesectionontheself-assessmentabove alsogivesyouexamplesofarangeofdocumentsthatshouldbeeasyforyoutoassemble suchasany‘licenses’or‘tickets’youhold;butifyoucan’tsupplythemtheyarenotabarrier to you applyingand being interviewed to determine yourability.

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VETRPLenquiries

Office of VET Business Improvement – Red 4.1.02

Charles Darwin University

Ellengowan Drive

CASUARINA

Northern Territory0909

e.

t. 1800 085209

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