RPL made simple

Contents

What is RPL?

What are competency standards?

What is assessment?

What is evidence?

What is a recognition portfolio?

Professional conversations

Common types of supporting documents

What is RPL?

Recognition of prior learning (RPL) is an assessment process which acknowledges your previous learning and experience towards a qualification.

Recognition is a process to determine your skills and knowledge based on evidence of your past achievements or through demonstrating your skills and abilities. The aim of recognition is to reduce unnecessary repetition of previous learning and to achieve qualifications in less time.

RPL recognises that you are competent to undertake a particular work activity. Being competent means:

  • knowing how to do a job
  • understanding why the job should be done that way
  • being able to do different tasks at the same time
  • dealing with everyday problems that occur in the job
  • understanding workplace policies and procedures
  • fitting in with others in the workplace.

Your assessor will want to be convinced that you can do these things not just once, but all the time—even when things are not going smoothly.

Competency can be achieved through:

  • formal or informal training
  • work experience
  • general life experience
  • any combination of the above.

All assessment pathways must incorporate RPL, which allows competencies held by individuals to be formally benchmarked against the Tourism, Hospitality and Event national competency standards.

What are competency standards?

Competency standards are used all around Australia. They describe what your industry accepts as effective performance in the workplace. This includes the skills and knowledge you need to do a job. Employability skills were considered in the development and validation of the national competency standards and are integrated into this Training Package qualification. Employability skills are linked to key competences, which include collecting, analysing and organising information, communicating ideas and information, planning and organising activities, working with others and in teams, using mathematical ideas and techniques, solving problems, using technology and cultural understanding.

Competency standards are often referred to as units of competencies and they can be found in a document called a Training Package. Most industries have a Training Package. Each unit of competency is in turn broken down into smaller parts, called elements and performance criteria. These are what assessors use when they are judging whether or not someone is competent.

What is assessment?

Assessment occurs when an assessor views and considers the evidence you have submitted in order to gain recognition. The evidence you submit will be compared to a set of competency standards to judge whether you are ‘competent’ or ‘not yet competent’ in that area of your work. If you are ‘not yet competent’ your assessor will explain why and what you can do to achieve competency. You may need to provide more evidence, do some gap training or gain more experience before being assessed again.

There are a number of ways in which your competence may be demonstrated and assessed including:

  • questioning
  • interviewing
  • reports
  • skill demonstration
  • supervisor’s reports
  • third party reports
  • work based projects
  • workplace documents.

What is evidence?

Evidence is information provided to demonstrate the range of skills, knowledge and experience that you have achieved in relation to a particular unit of competency. It forms the basis for a judgement about your competence. Evidence can be in the form of documents but it may also be video, photo or audio evidence collected before and during an event or could be a blog or wiki record of activities leading up to an event.

It is important that any evidence you gather is verified by someone who has witnessed your work. A supervisor or manager may be appropriate, or in an event workplace, it may be a contractor or supplier who has worked with you.

You should also match each piece of evidence to the unit of competency being assessed. You can do this by writing down the critical aspects of assessment your evidence relates to. Have your supervisor verify their relevance by initialling them or writing some comments.

The assessor will require all the supporting documentation (evidence) you submit to be:

  • Valid

Does your evidence relate directly to the unit/s of competency being assessed?

  • Sufficient

Is there enough evidence to cover all the parts of the competency unit? There must be sufficient quality and quantity to demonstrate to the assessor that you can consistently achieve the standard required.

  • Authentic

Can you demonstrate that the evidence provided is your work, and not that of someone else? Copies of workplace documents must be verified as your own work by your supervisor or clearly indicate your contribution. Copies of formal documents must be verified as authentic against the originals.

  • Current

Does the evidence you have provided demonstrate you can currently apply the skills and knowledge?

N.B. The critical aspects of assessment for each unit of competence can be downloaded from the National Training Information System (NTIS) at the following website:

What is a recognition portfolio?

A recognition portfolio is a collection of documents and other documentary evidence (that you have received approval to use) that show what work you have done and the skills and knowledge you have developed. You could use a concertina file or a set of document folders, a ring binder or perhaps an art portfolio.

The most common and flexible format for a portfolio is probably the ring binder containing clear plastic sleeves for holding collected documents as this will enable you to collect and store evidence and then when presenting the portfolio, to write any explanations of what you are presenting.

When building a recognition portfolio to apply for formal recognition against nationally endorsed units of competency, the documentary evidence you collect should be organised under headings that relate to the critical aspects of assessment for the unit of competency.

There are a number of reasons why you might put together a recognition portfolio, which are listed below.

  • so that you can demonstrate competency to a qualified assessor and apply for formal recognition of competence
  • for your own records and as part of your résumé
  • as a resource to use in your workplace
  • as a reference for your own further learning and resource to assist others you may train and mentor.

Professional conversations

Professional conversations provide examples of questions that an assessor may ask in order to clarify or expand on the evidence you have provided. Remember that assessors may wish to ask additional questions.

Common types of supporting documents

Supporting documentation / Examples and recommendations
Training qualifications and experience / Examples include: qualifications, statements of attainment, résumé, job experience, documentation of study completed through Registered Training Organisations in the area being assessed, documentation of in-house industry training completed, and details of mentoring in the workplace.
Some recommendations:
  • Sighting of originals of certificates or certified copies and descriptions of relevant content of courses or training.
  • Copies of current and previous job descriptions which have been verified as authentic.
  • Descriptions of current role, professional experiences or voluntary work.
  • References from an appropriate person to verify learners work history.

Samples of work / Examples include: sample products of work, relevant reports or professional records, meeting attendance, diary entries, client records, event plans for contractors, project plans and evaluation. Records include any information that show what work has been done and when it was undertaken e.g. meeting minutes and actions.
Some recommendations:
  • Explanations of the context of the work behind the planning for an event or end result.
  • How the work meets the desired outcomes and followed any relevant policies, procedures or guidelines.
  • Where possible, documentation should be signed and verified by a manager or line supervisor.

Statements of support Supervisor’s reports / Examples include: statements by people who have seen the learner demonstrate the required skills and can support their claim for competency. For example clients, contractors, suppliers, management committee members, co-workers at the same level, supervisors or someone from another organisation with whom learners have worked on a particular project.
Some recommendations:
  • Provide professional details and contact details of the person supporting the claim.

Case studies / A case study can be based on real life situations from the learner’s work that demonstrate their skills, understanding and knowledge of many areas. It can demonstrate the learner’s problem solving and decision making skills in working with clients, venue staff, volunteers, performers, contractors, suppliers and or committees.
Some recommendations:
  • Learners must provide sufficient detail and discuss fully the points required in each competency or cluster to be deemed competent.

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