Recently, you may have been thinking of switching careers or moving on to a better role with another company. However, as you’ve looked at job adverts, you’ve noticed that many of them require you to have a degree that you don’t have.
This can be a frustrating position to be in. You know that you have the skills you need to move forward in life, but you don’t have a way to prove it.
It’s like you’ve been held back at no fault of your own. Fortunately, there is a solution: the RPL.
With an RPL, also known as a recognition of prior learning, you can get a certificate that demonstrates the skills and work experience you already have.
However, you may not be sure about getting an RPL certificate or how much you’ll have to work to get it.
That’s why we’ve put together this article. In it, you’ll learn everything you need to about why getting an RPL in Australia can change your career for the better. Finally, you can switch careers or get your dream job. Read on to learn more.
The Prime Quality Assurance Body to Measure Recognition of Prior Learning RPL
When you have the experience that gives you the same skills that you would get from formal learning—for example, at a TAFE college—it’s only fair that you are able to show those skills to a potential employer. This is what the RPL does.
When a prime quality assurance body misuses RPL, by only taking seriously other types of credentials, they are being discriminatory.
Part of why the RPL is so beneficial is that it serves a social purpose. It opens up access, for people who wouldn’t otherwise have it, to advanced educational programs.
In addition to providing the learner with the ability to improve themselves, it bolsters the economic and social growth of the nation where this certification is recognised.
For this reason, prime quality assurance bodies that put artificial preconditions and limits on the RPL aren’t helpful.
If they allow people with the RPL certificate to be able to continue studying but don’t count it as a qualification, they are doing a disservice.
After all, the RPL is an internationally recognised credential. For this reason, and RPL should be considered to be in equal standing with any credentials that have been gained through formal learning.
When you receive a qualification, it’s evidence of learning and knowledge. It shouldn’t make a difference how you got this learning knowledge once you have it.
Fortunately, in some countries, prime quality assurance bodies recognise the RPL. In these countries, they have a sophisticated process in place that makes it easy for different groups of people to get RPLs for certain sets of skills.
If you earn an RPL in one of these countries, you can gain access to many advantages. Let’s review them now.
How RPL Will Help You When Switching Careers
When you’re making a big career switch, or changing to a very different type of role in the company where you’re already working, you’ll find that this can be an incredibly difficult transition. First of all, there’s the anxiety you feel about going into something new.
Additionally, it’s easy to wonder whether this is actually the best choice for you in the long term. You might be asking yourself, “What if this is actually a step in the wrong direction?”
You’ll also have to worry about all the training you’ll have to take part in so you can understand how to fulfil all the new responsibilities of your new role.
This is where an RPL comes in. With the recognition of a prior learning certificate, you’ll be able to meet all the requirements needed for a large number of roles in a variety of professions.
This certificate will show that your skills are certified, as well as your experiences.
Even if you have gained these skills and experiences at work and not in traditional academic, coaching, and educational facilities, they’ll still count in your new employer’s eyes.
It’s the perfect method to show that you’ve learned a lot, but in the real world instead of in the classroom.
Considering that there are many professions where skill and experience matter much more than education, this can be a good thing.
For example, if you work fixing HVAC units, then ten years of experience doing this is just as (if not more) impressive than having a degree from a technical school.
If your future employer requires you to have a degree or certification, then you can easily earn your RPL and switch to a new career or position.
How RPL Will Help You Elevate Your Career Path
An RPL can also help you elevate your career path. If you want to move forward and get a better role than the one you currently have, having this degree can demonstrate that you are capable of getting that role. You have the experience as well as the qualification.
Future employers will appreciate the time you have taken to complete your certification.
Others may require it. Even though they may be impressed by your experience, they may not be able to hire you legally until you have a certification like the RPL.
Additionally, if you’ve been feeling stuck during your career path, you can elevate yourself and get better roles once you have the RPL.
This is because, by putting work into your RPL, you can prove that you have the experience and skills needed for those roles.
The RPL can also be helpful for immigrants who want to get roles in foreign countries. If you’re a migrant worker in Australia, and your foreign qualification isn’t recognised, then you can easily change this by getting the RPL.
This is usually the most cost-effective and fastest way to get a qualification in your area of expertise if you’re a migrant who wants to start working fast in Australia.
Why Qualification Is Important In This Day and Time
When you’re applying for a new role, the skills you have are some of the most important factors hiring managers will take into consideration. So regardless of your actual ability, employers need to see that you have these skills.
When a potential boss is speaking with you about why you’re the right fit for the role, simply assuring them that you have the skills required isn’t enough anymore. After all, they have to take you at your word.
However, when you have a certification, you don’t have this problem.
When you have a qualification, you can demonstrate to your potential employer that your skills are backed by a reputable, formal acknowledgement that is backed by a respectable association or body.
In a world where the economy is so unstable and where different sectors and industries are changing so quickly, employers are looking for potential hires who can show them a professional certification or technological qualification.
However, many of these qualifications and certifications take a long time to get.
This is why the RPL is so important. With it, you can prove all this to your potential employer—but you won’t have to put in too much time because you’ve done most of the work already.
Learning Evidence
When you’re completing an RPL, you’re usually working side by side with an assessor during the process. For your assessor to grant you the RPL certification, they need to collect some data that are related to the skills and work experience you’ve had over the years.
This is so that you meet the requirements for being able to perform tasks in your industry—and so that, eventually, you have the credits you need to earn your RPL qualification.
This collected data is a portfolio that demonstrates a lot about your prior work experience and skills.
It might be made up of personal references from clientele and administrators, customer feedback, group proposal work, volunteer work, optional lessons you’ve taken, work examples, and pre-existing qualifications.
In addition to providing your assessor with this portfolio, you’ll likely be asked to provide actual evidence of you carrying out the functions related to the tasks for the specific RPL certification you’re getting.
This could be video evidence, for example, of you performing a technical task at work.
Once you have done this demonstration and provided your assessor with your portfolio, you can get credits that will make up part of your RPL.
Once you’ve built up enough credits, you’ll save both time and money when getting a new role or starting a new career.
Need More Information?
Now that you’ve learned about how the RPL qualification can change your career for the better, you might need additional information. Maybe you want to learn about how to plan for getting your RPL.
Or maybe you want to find a qualification service that you can earn your RPL through.
Whatever information you need, we can help. At QualifyMe, we’re experts when it comes to the RPL and other qualifications. To learn more about how we can help you, contact us now.
