RPL

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Recognition of prior learning (RPL) is about recognising the skills and knowledge you have already collected through work and life experiences and transferring them to your current training course requirements. RPL occurs at the beginning of your course and can minimise the amount of time needed to complete your studies. RPL is available to iLearn eCollege students who can demonstrate they already possess the skills and knowledge relevant to the qualification, skill set or unit of competency they are completing.

The biggest dilemma students have when applying for RPL is the collection of evidence to establish competency against the unit criteria. Each unit of competency has predetermined elements, performance criteria and underpinning knowledge, all summarised on training.gov.au. Training.gov.au is the National Register on Vocational Education and Training (VET) in Australia and contains the authoritative information about Nationally Recognised Training (NRT) which consists of:

To apply for RPL for one or several units of competency, enrolled students can complete the RPL Application form and provide evidence substantiating their claim. All required documentation should be placed into one folder/portfolio and will need to be clearly labelled and referenced to the unit/s of competency it relates to.Β  In some cases, one piece of evidence may apply to several performance criteria and can be used to support a claim for some criteria.

The evidence must be:

Evidence can be direct or supplementary:

Direct evidence – this evidence will consist of your own work, for example:

Supplementary evidence – this is evidence about you that is provided by others, for example:

 

A unit of competency contains several competency standards, and to achieve a competent outcome successfully, all these standards must be met. It is important to remember that Recognition of Prior Learning is not about personally judging your skill level, prior work experience or previous educational achievements. RPL is a form of assessment whereby the learning outcomes of a unit of competency can be demonstrated, through evidence, as having previously been met. Our qualified trainers and assessors disseminate the evidence presented to determine the outcome of the RPL application and provide gap training exercises where necessary.

 

Credit Transfer

Credit transfer is an acknowledgement of previous formal learning in the form of units of competency. Credit transfer provides recognition of equivalence in content and learning outcomes between different types of learning and/or qualifications.

iLearn eCollege recognises Statements of Attainment and Records of Results issued by other registered training organisations. You may apply for credit transfer by providing certified copies of your transcripts, which are then verified with the issuing training organisation for authenticity. Your trainer, guided by the packaging rules of the qualification or unit of competency, determines the extent to which any previously recognised competencies are equivalent to the requirements of your desired qualification.

iLearn eCollege does not charge you for RPL applications, gap training preparation or credit transfer applications. All enrolled students have the option of achieving competency through RPL, credit transfer or gap training without incurring additional fees. At times, insufficient evidence may be presented to be able to award a competent outcome for some units of competency. If you are unable to successfully achieve a competent result through the RPL assessment process, you can complete the unit of competency through formal assessment, i.e. studying the unit.