Policy
Some people have skills and knowledge that enable them to gain a qualification without completing a standard training program or course. GTI can formally recognise a student’s existing level of skill and knowledge in two ways:
-
recognition of prior learning (RPL)
-
credit transfer.
GoTrain Industry recognises the experiences, knowledge, skills, abilities and previous qualifications which students bring with them when they enrol in our courses. Students may apply to have previous courses, formal qualifications, knowledge, work experience and/or life experiences recognised for credit or exemption towards their GoTrain Industry courses.
Go Train charges the following fees to students wishing to undertake a Recognition of Prior Learning assessment:
Following successful application for Skills Recognition, GoTrain Industry will issue a relevant Statement of Attainment.
Download the RPL Application Form here. - GTI RPL Application Form
What is Recognition of Prior Learning
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is an assessment process that recognises competencies a student currently has, regardless of how, when or where the learning occurred. This includes competencies attained through any combination of formal or informal training and education, work experience or general life experience.
In order to apply for Recognition of Prior Learning for any units a student must provide evidence that addresses and meets the competency requirements for that unit.
Evidence may take a variety of forms and could include:
- Certificates and/or qualifications achieved
- References from past employers
- Testimonials from clients and previous work samples
- Substantiated Curriculum Vitae
To be able to grant RPL the assessor must be confident that the applicant is currently competent against all elements of competency within this unit and must ensure that submitted evidence is authentic, valid, reliable, current and sufficient.
Who Can Apply
You can apply for RPL in your enrolled or chosen unit if you have:
- been in the unitys industryor other related industries for some time, and/or
- already completed training in this area, and/or
- acquired skills through life or community activities.
If you have already learnt a skill and have the required knowledge, you don't have to learn it again. You will need to successfully demonstrate your skills and knowledge to your trainer who will assess you as competent. This is called RPL which stands for Recognition of Prior Learning.
You should look at the Elements and Performance criteria table from the Student Course Outline for the unit and see if you feel confident about doing and knowing some or all of these things already. If you feel that you have some or all of the skills
and knowledge, talk to your trainer about having them formally recognised. Your trainer or assessor will then assess you against the unit of competence.
If you have a relevant qualification, Statement of Attainment or any documentation from
previous related training, then you can show this to your trainer as proof of your competence.
You may also have documentation of your past work experience. All of these documents can
be presented as evidence for your RPL assessmentRPL is for full units only. If partial RPL is awarded for elements within a unit of competency, then the applicant must complete the other remaining elements to achieve the full unit.
How does the RPL process work?
Evidence that is presented by the applicant is matched to the performance criteria contained within the elements for the unit(s) applied for. The evidence is assessed using the following criteria:
- Is the prior learning relevant to the course and address the performance criteria specifically?
- Is the knowledge and skill current?
- Is it authentic and can be verified?
- Is the knowledge and skill appropriate to the level of the unit?
How long will it take to be informed?
Applicants will be notified of the outcome within four weeks of the RPL application.
Procedure
- Applicants for RPL will be required to complete the RPL Application Form contained at the end of this document.
- Credit Transfer is available if the applicant has a previous qualification/competency which maps directly to the applied for qualification/competency and was acquired within the previous 5 years.
- Students are advised that approval of a RPL application may impact on the length of their course.
- A qualified Assessor will evaluate the application and evidence and will sign off the confirmation for Skills Recognition and submit for verification to their Supervior.
- Where an application for RPL is made on the basis of non-formal education, self-directed learning or previous work or life experiences, appropriate evidence will need to be provided for this.
- Assessment for RPL may also require an interview or question and answer session with an Assessor in order to fully ascertain eligibility for granting the RPL.
- RPL may be granted in full for a Unit of Competence or may be granted for some Elements of the Unit and the student may be required to undertake additional work to complete the unit.
Mutual Recognition
- Where a person is in possession of a previously awarded Unit of Competence, but is required to demonstrate current competence, appropriate evidence will be needed to demonstrate currency is being maintained. Industry guidelines and/or licensing requirements may need to be referenced for currency specifications.
- MR is generally granted for a full Unit of Competence.
- MR will not normally be granted for studies completed more than five years prior to application, unless there is evidence of substantial relevant experience in recent years.
- MR is evidence based so that students applying for credit transfer will need to provide a certified copy of their qualification and complete academic transcript and may also be required to provide details of previous course outlines, and/or samples of material submitted for assessment.
- Credit may be granted in full, or in special circumstances advanced standing may be granted in the unit and the student be required to undertake additional work to complete the unit.
Online RPL Application
Some Courses and Units are delivered online by Go Train Industry using its Learning Management System .
Where RPL may be applicable these units have a Tickbox link that allows the student to apply for RPL as described above.
The student will be asked to submit electronically (email, fax) evidence of prior learning to the nominated unit assessor who will then review the information supplied in consultation with the student. If approved RPL will be recorded against the unit in the GTO Learning Management System and the Units or Elements for which RPL has been granted will be removed from the students Study list.
Implementation
- Students are informed via the enrolment process and website information that GoTrain Industry offers RPL, and they are invited to apply either using this form, or online, in relation to the course for which they are enrolling or as a separate application.
- The fee above will apply for the process of assessing an RPL application unless already covered by the course fee or government funded program.
- Students are advised that they can seek assistance with their application for RPL.
- Students complete the RPL application form and provide all of the necessary supporting documentation and evidence of relevant knowledge, skills, training and competencies in support of their application.
- Applications are provided with documentation detailing the result of the RPL assessment process and the reasons for granting/not granting credit transfer, RPL or MR
- The results of the assessment are also communicated personally to the student. This enables discussion of the assessment result and explanation of the assessment rationale. This process also enables the student to discuss any grounds for an appeal which the applicant may wish to present.
- If students change courses, the RPL assessments will need to be reconsidered in relation to the new course.
- Written records of the application and assessment outcomes and any relevant supporting documentation are retained in the student file.
- A separate transcript may be issued to a student to depict the outcomes of a RPL Application.
Download the RPL Application Form here. - GTI RPL Application Form
