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Let qualify me, qualify you
Let qualify me, qualify you

Did you know that, according to the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment, RPL a recognition of the existing knowledge and skills a student has gained through prior training or life or work experience?

If you’re thinking of getting an RPL—short for Recognition of Prior Learning—then you may be wondering whether it’s right for you.

After all, getting an RPL will take a bit of work on your end. Is it worth putting in the time and effort to earn this qualification? Not having this answer to this question can leave you feeling unsure or stressed about making the decision.

There are many ways you can get ahead in your job role and industry, whether you have an electrical, building inspection, tree lopping, plumbing career or anything in between.

In this article, we’ll review all the benefits of RPL. That way, you can decide whether this qualification is right for you.

Finally, you can use all the experience you’ve gained in your career so far to become even more successful, getting better roles and earning more money.

1. More Access for “Non-Traditional” Students

One of the benefits of getting an RPL is that there’s more access for “non-traditional” students. By this, we mean people who may have not had the opportunity to do further study. Many people have gone straight into working without getting an education.

Whether they’re digital marketers, business lawyers, or pre purchase building inspectors, many people who have worked a long time in these industries want to move their career forward by getting qualifications that can get them better, higher-paying roles.

However, they often find that they don’t have the education required to get these qualifications.

If you’ve been struggling with this situation, then there’s a solution: getting the RPL. Even if you’re lacking a formal education, your career and life can get an instant boost for which you’ve been waiting for so long.

This is whether you’re a successful business person, a well-qualified social worker, and so on. You know you have what it takes, all you need is access. You’ll get this with RPL.

2. Acknowledges the Value of Learning Outside a Formal Setting

When it comes to the benefits of RPL, one of them is that this qualification acknowledges the value of learning outside a formal setting. By this we mean, this qualification values and recognises learning that happens in the workplace.

For example, if you’ve worked in the electrical trade, there are many things that you learn on the job.

These might include how to set up electrical wiring in a home or replacing sockets that have come loose and are a fire hazard.

When you perform these parts of your role, you’re following all the necessary security measures legally required.

You have these skills, but without an RPL, you can’t show that you have them to a future employer.

This is why an RPL is so effective. It acknowledges the value of what you’ve learned, after which you can identify missing skills and gaps you have to fill to reach the high point of life.

You’ll also improve with further learning tasks to achieve the requirements of the particular job or qualification you’re going for.

3. Validates the Worth of the Learning Students Have Achieved by Themselves

One of the other benefits of RPL is that it validates the worth of the learning students have achieved by themselves. This is useful because this makes it easier for you candidates to be promoted or find a new career of their choice faster.

Without RPL, if you wanted to change roles or start a new career, you’d have to spend years learning skills at a trades school—skills you already know you have.

When you have skills you’ve achieved on your own, you feel confident about the particular work you can do in the role you’re applying for.

With RPL, you don’t need to have a formal education to demonstrate this to your employers.

This is why the RPL is beneficial for those who need formal education for their career growth but who already have achieved this by themselves with experience.

4. Enables Students to Progress to Other Education or Training Programmes

When a student has the RPL, it enables them to progress to other education or training programmes. It is a quick pathway to the higher TAFE qualification or a university degree. If you’ve been thinking about going back to school, this can make the process much easier.

Whether you want a painting RPL, building RPL, or any other RPL qualification you can earn your stripes through any RPL organisation such as Qualify Me!

As you likely already have many of the required skills, it won’t take too much time or effort to earn your qualification.

Once you’ve done this, you can go on to complete studies in many educational institutions in Australia.

5. Eliminates Unnecessary Repetition and Duplication of Material Already Familiar to Students

Additionally, the RPL eliminates unnecessary repetition and duplication of material already familiar to the students. As a result, this reduces the unnecessary education and training that the candidate doesn’t want and already has in him or her.

This is because the course is quick, easy, and fruitful. When you start your RPL, you’ll meet with someone who will take a look at what skills you already have.

Then, they’ll document how this experience adds up to what you need to earn the qualification. Sometimes, this will include video documentation of you completing tasks.

If there are any areas where you have to improve, this is the only additional work you’ll have to complete. This helps participants re-enter the workplace with better knowledge.

Then, you’ll be well on your way to earning your RPL and completely improving your career.

This is especially helpful if you’re an immigrant who has prior work experience in your home country or a qualification that isn’t usable in Australia. The RPL improves the international immigration and visa process.

6. Shortens the Time Necessary to Earn a Qualification

Getting an RPL also shortens the time necessary to earn a qualification. This motivates students who might otherwise be discouraged by the length required to complete a college-level course or a particular programme of study.

It can feel daunting, if you’ve been working for a long time but haven’t been back to school in a while, to have to go back to the classroom.

Additionally, enrolment in a course that takes a lot of time and commitment is not only a big investment of your time but also keeps you from being able to work as much as you want to.

The RPL is the perfect solution. You can still earn a qualification that improves your career whilst not giving up too much time or money.

7. Enhances Students’ Pride and Self-Esteem for What They Have Accomplished As Learners

Too often, people who work in industries such as construction, electric services, and painting do not have enough pride or self-esteem for what they do. Because these are seen as “working class” industries, it’s easy to see less value in them.

However, nothing could be farther from the truth. These are careers that require both hard work and high intelligence.

When students start working on their RPL qualification, they are able to see how much they have accomplished as learners on the job.

They’ll see that there’s value to every skill they’ve learned and every achievement they’ve accomplished. As a result, their pride and self-esteem for what they have accomplished as learners will be enhanced.

8. Enhances Students’ Perception and Understanding of Learning as Lifelong Process

Finally, the RPL enhances students’ perception and understanding of learning as a lifelong process. When they’re earning the RPL, they see that everything they have learned at work is worthy of the qualification they’re going to earn.

They come to understand that, throughout their lives, they have been learning worthwhile skills.

Then, when they complete the RPL, they’ll add additional skills so that they can earn the qualification.

This might inspire them to go on to continue complementary studies or to learn more skills on the job in new, more challenging roles. This will set up those with an RPL to be learners for life.

Getting the RPL

Now that you’ve learned about the 8 benefits of RPL, you might need additional information. Maybe you want to learn about what’s required for you to do to earn the RPL qualification. Or maybe you want to find out where you can get the RPL.

Whatever information you need, we can help. At Qualify Me, we’re experts when it comes to the RPL. We also offer the RPL qualification. To learn more about how we can help you, contact us now.

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.

Whether it’s a yearly performance check-up or touching base after a big job, reviewing your employee’s work is crucial to maintaining a high standard and helping them grow in the role.

And while the pressure is on your employee to demonstrate their competency, it’s also your responsibility to come prepared with important questions which will gauge their progress.

Before giving feedback, according to Small Fish’ Jon Dale, it’s important to get an understanding of how your employee feels in the job.

“Prepare questions in advance, send them to your employee and ask them to provide their answers in time for the review meeting,” says Dale.

“You [should] also spend some time answering the same question - how do you think they’re performing? In the review, you can both review their view and your view of how they’re doing.”

Dale suggests a list of questions for your review, that can help identify the employee’s needs, their own self-evaluation of their performance, as well as where they see themselves in the short and long term.

Dale suggests the following as a starting point for your discussion points: 

 “How do you think you’re going, generally, in your job?”
 “What things do you think you do well?”
 “What things don’t you think you do well or what could you get better at?” 
 “What do you need to work on to get better at them?” 
 “How could we help you get better at those things?” 
 “What training or support do you think you need to help you do your job better?”
 “What are your hopes or ambitions for your job or career here?” 
 “What do you need to work on to help you realise those ambitions or progress your career?” 
 “How can we help you with that?” 
 “What feedback could you give me about my role here? What could I do better/how could we make it easier for you to do your job well?”

When you compare your employee’s self-reflection and your own views, “you get to see if you agree - if their self-assessment is honest or insightful or they don’t know what they’re doing well and not,” Dale continues.

“If they get it, you’ll agree, if not, you’ll have to correct their view, won’t you? Or agree to differ to come to some compromise or change your view.”

In your meeting, you can also note all the work they’ve done well, while putting in a plan to see them progress. Typically, your first conduct review will be a check-in, while your proceeding catch ups should be an opportunity to compare their work year on year.

Another important consideration is coming to an agreement on what needs to be done better and how your employee can improve the outlook of their career trajectory. Writing this down on paper gives you a reference point for your next catch up to see whether any challenges are being taken in their stride.

While feedback is important, Dale suggests steering away from a scoring system. “It’s likely to cause ill-feeling and negative comparison. We don’t give a score in our business,” he says. “If you feel the need, consider a - good, okay, need improvement scoring system.”

Finally, Dale reminds us that this isn’t an opportunity to point out flaws in your employee’s work. 

“It should be a pleasant experience.” However, “If it’s not, if the employee is a poor performer and not trying to improve, you have to consider performance management, which is something else.”

Looking to start your own business? Head to Qualify Me! to see how a tradesman coach like Dale can give you the keys to success.

The following information is general in nature. Please consult with a financial professional before making any important investment decisions. 

While securing your finances remains an important consideration, there’s a different element of your future that’s come into the fray: ethical interests. No longer are we only interested in strong returns and attractive bank balances, we also want to do our part to protect the world and meet our social obligations. 

In the current climate, our social and environmental needs are just as important as the financial reward when it comes to choosing our super fund. In recent years, more and more superannuation funds have popped up promising to deliver strong results while also ensuring that their money is funding ethical projects and steering away from potentially environmentally damaging outcomes. 

What are the main ethical superannuation funds?

If you’re looking for a fund that focuses on not just your own future but the future of others and generations to come, it’s easy to find one that’s as kind with your wallet as they are on the planet. According to Money Magazine and a study conducted by the Responsible Investment Association of Australia (RIAA), these are the top 14 responsible investment superannuations:

  1. Australian Ethical
  2. AustralianSuper
  3. Crescent Wealth
  4. CareSuper
  5. Cbus
  6. Christian Super
  7. First State Super
  8. Future Fund
  9. Future Super
  10. HESTA
  11. Local Government Super
  12. NZ Super Fund
  13. Unisuper
  14. VicSuper
  15. Vision Super

Considerations included environment, governance and ethical factors. But most interestingly, responsible investments outperformed the average return of the total pool of superannuations used in the study. 

RIAA’s number one choice, Australian Ethical has three main pillars:

  1. Planet: “Every decision is made with empathy and compassion for the planet and all those that inhabit it.”
  2. People: “Environmental and social concerns need to be given equal weight to financial outcomes.”
  3. Animals: “We do not invest in anything that is unnecessarily harmful to animals.”

Australian Ethical’s key objectives are typical of responsible superannuation funds, focusing on the planet and the people. 

Pros of ethical investing

Whether you’re choosing a super fund that invests in ethical projects or your own investment choices are made with social issues in mind, you can rest easy knowing your money is going to a greener and sustainable future. 
 
While it’s a great feeling knowing your investments aren’t doing more harm than good, your money is also going towards driving social change. For example, your funds might go towards an up and coming company that is working on sustainable energy. Not only can you profit from this company, you can also contribute to fighting climate change. 

Cons of ethical investing

Although your money is working more responsibly and you have the future in mind, your returns might not be as attractive as picking other funds or investments. By sticking to ethical and responsible companies, you limit yourself to the projects available. 
 
Some top-tier companies on the ASX might also not have the best track record when it comes to sustainability and social issues, so you’ll miss out on any large returns that they may achieve. 
 
Finally, if you choose to invest directly in ASX companies rather than through a managed fund, you’ll also find yourself spending a little more time researching the company’s strategy and whether they meet the criteria for your ethical standards. 
 
Making responsible investments is the easy part – choosing between attractive returns and doing your bit for the planet is the hard part. 

Looking to learn more about key business decisions? Head to Qualify Me! to see how you can progress your career and grow your company.

Tradies : When you think of tradies, well-tailored formalwear rarely comes to mind. Instead, picture high-vis and tired hands. 

But while weathered clothes and battle scars are synonymous with ‘working on the site’, it turns out presentation still plays a huge part in how your customers will perceive you.

Whether you’re starting a new business or you’re a seasoned veteran looking to grow your trade, here’s how you can go from part-time handyman to professional tradie. 

Firstly, you need to give your business a polished look to show customers that you don’t skip any steps. Consider how your brand looks – is the branding clear? Is your website easy to follow and user friendly? It’s important to make sure that the imaging is neat and clean. Your contact details should also be easily accessible and it’s worthwhile doing a social media audit to make sure customers don’t see your eventful Saturday nights. 

“If they look good online, we have higher expectations of the professionalism of their work and probably, their price,” says Smallfish tradesman business coach, Jon Dale

Improve how to present yourself and business as a tradie by Jon Dale from Small Fish Business Coaching

“As people, we correlate the effort someone (or a business) puts into their appearance with the effort we expect them to put into their work.”

Next, how do you conduct yourself? Just because you’re not in an office, it doesn’t mean you should be too casual over the phone. When you’re answering calls or emails, remember that you’re offering a service and that you need to convince customers you’re the right person for the job.

When customers think about how likely they are to recommend you to a friend, it’s not just whether you got the job done or not. Every facet of your business is likely to affect their perception of you. 


Consider more mundane processes like how payment was conducted, your staff culture and the equipment you use. If a pair of tradies turn up and start bickering, there’s a good chance the customer is going to call someone else next time. 

Little details go a long way, like sending a thank you email to a happy customer or offering discounted services for loyal clients. 

At the end of the day, while you might not work in a corporate office, that’s no reason to ditch the professional standards. Remember, clients are observing every part of your business from quality of work to how pleasant the exchange was. 

Looking to upskill? Get started with Qualify Me!. 

Electrical Licence : It can be quite a daunting task to get your electrical licence in Australia. Even some apprentices struggle to work out all the steps involved. This article will cover the major steps you need to undertake to be qualified and licensed as an electrician.

There's a few major milestones that you need to fulfill in order to become licensed in NSW. According to the Department of Fair Trading website (current as of 13/9/2014), the most straightforward pathway is to:

To get to the stage Fair Trading is requiring of you, here is what you may need to do:

  1. Attain a Craft Certificate. This is acquired from VTT (call 13 28 11). This is awarded when you complete your practical training/apprenticeship. Alternatively, if you can demonstrate that you have sufficient practical experience whether locally or overseas, you may apply for a craft certificate. In your application, you will need to provide a portfolio of evidence demonstrating your experience. Where your evidence is not sufficient for the tribunal to make a call, you will most probably be called in for a theory and/or a practical trade test.
  2. Complete your Certificate III in Electrotechnology Electrician. Check out our electrical skills recognition programs. Qualify Me! has a couple of RPL programs that cater to students that have not completed their electrical course for whatever reason and still have some units/subjects outstanding as well as UK electrical recognition.
  3. Attain a Certificate of Proficiency. You will have to go back to VTT who will award you a Certificate of Proficiency. This certificate basically means you have successfully completed your practical training and you have received been awarded an appropriate qualification by a registered training organisation.
  4. Apply for your licence at your local Department of Fair Trading office. Generally, it will take up to 6 weeks to hear back about your initial application.
  5. Call us up, tell us your success story. We get really excited every time 😉

To hear this from the experts, give us a buzz on 1800 765 295 or leave us a message.

licensed Painter : I am a painter with many years experience. I have always worked in the industry with my family pretty much all my life.

When I was still at TAFE I got consumed by work then had a family and time flew by and I never got around to finishing my TAFE course. That's when I called Qualify Me!. They assessed my skills and helped me compile a portfolio of evidence. It was a very easy and fast process simply because I had the experience & skills!

 I went to Fair Trading the same day Qualify Me! gave me my certificate, and they actually gave me my licence number on the spot! It was a dream come true. I've been so frustrated that I had the skills, but couldn't get licensed. Thanks to Qualify Me! I'm a fully licensed painter now.

Trades Recognition Australia : Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) is a skills assessment service provider specialising in assessments for people with trade skills gained overseas or in Australia, for the purpose of migration and skills recognition. Electricians that are not Australian citizens will need to attain a Trade Recognition Certificate from TRA in order to be eligible to join one of our courses and finalise their qualification requirements for a licence.

To be granted an Australian Recognised Trade Certificate (ARTC), you must be able to demonstrate that you:

Once you have your TRC visit a your local Qualify Me! office and they will put you in the right direction to get qualified fast!

RPL : What is RPL?

RPL or Recognition of Prior Learning as the name suggests is the process of recognising the skills and experience you already have, and turning them into a nationally recognised qualification. If you were to look at the documents you work on at work. Most of those, are essentially real workplace based versions of the assignments you would have had to complete at college. If you look at the meetings you hold, most of those are real workplace based versions of the role play meetings you held at college or school. You get the drift? Basically what you do in your workplace covers a large proportion of the practical and theoretical elements and performance criteria required to complete subjects that make up a nationally recognised qualification.

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