Advice offered to skilled workers to gain recognition for prior learning and experience
Thursday, 09 February 2012
Energy Skilling Solutions, ESQ’s free career, training and skills evaluation service is reminding all job search and employment agencies in South East Queensland to refer valued clients to take advantage of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) services.
Given the critical shortage of tradespeople in Queensland it is important that job service agencies and their clients are fully aware of the available opportunities to upskill.
According to ESQ’s Skills Recognition Consultant, Patrick Wilson it is important to encourage and foster career development in the trades.
“Recognition of prior learning can provide an avenue for advance entry into related qualifications, achieving a trade outcome more rapidly than would otherwise be the case”.
The Energy Skills Solutions service is a State government funded program which provides a subsidy to those with experience in a particular area to be assessed by a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) against the competencies in a national qualification.
In most cases, the RTO completing the RPL assessment will be the supervising RTO that delivers any remaining training required to complete the qualification and thereby issue the qualification, thus ensuring integrity in the RPL outcome.
RPL can also assist job seekers in obtaining an apprenticeship in that it can clearly demonstrate to potential employers of apprentice’s evidence of their previous skills and knowledge and the ‘degree of fit’ against the competencies in the relevant qualification.
Depending on how much RPL the person achieves, then they may pre-qualify for the National Apprenticeship Program which requires applicants to obtain a minimum of 40% RPL into the relevant qualification.
ESS can also assist electrical contractors who have electrical trades assistants to utilise the RPL process to become trade qualified electricians.
“We’ve had a number of situations where an employer of electrical workers has put forward their electrical trade’s assistants for RPL into the Certificate III in Electrotechnology Electrician qualification,” Mr Wilson said.
“The person is obviously a valuable employee whom the employer has identified has the capacity to make a good tradesperson, so it makes sense to train them as an electrician.
“The RPL process provides the means to advance this process significantly.”
Energy Skills Solutions is a FREE information service provided by Energy Skills Queensland on behalf of Skilling Solutions Queensland and the Queensland Government.
For more information phone Patrick Wilson, Skills Recognition Consultant on 3277 1333 or visit:
www.energyskillsqld.com.au
