Overview
The term ‘Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)’ is used in South Africa to refer to the assessment of the skills, knowledge and capability currently held by a person, regardless of how, when and where the learning occurred. The assessment is done outside of a formal learning programme, and may draw on experiential and other forms of evidence.
RPL has many roots and broad goals. It is a way of valuing an individual’s actual and potential capabilities, recognising that people learn in many ways outside of formal education, and that people may have knowledge and abilities which are not reflected by any formal qualifications. RPL is also a way of supporting skills development, in that it can fast-track training for competent individuals, thus saving time and resources.
•The RPL assessment process can have various outcomes, including:
•Certification in the form of the award of credits and qualifications.
• Access into an institution or programme, or placement at a level of the programme.
•Access into employment or a particular occupational level.
•Exemption from parts of a learning programme.
•Identification of training needs.
SAQA has defined RPL as follows: "Recognition of prior learning means the comparison of the previous learning and experience of a learner howsoever obtained against the learning outcomes required for a specified qualification, and the acceptance for purposes of qualification of that which meets the requirements." (National Standards Bodies Regulations (no. 18787 of 28 March 1998).
RPL can for the most part be regarded as a process rather than an event, as it involves preparing for RPL, engaging with RPL candidates, gathering evidence, judging evidence, giving feedback and reporting results
Regards
Mike Shraga
Increasing Customer Service With Systems Technology
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