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National Recognition and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Information Guide - for Applicants

St John Ambulance Western Australia of 26

This document is protected by copyright and may not be reproduced or copied either in part or

in whole; nor used for financial gain without the express approval in writing by the owner, St

John Ambulance Western Australia Ltd.

St John Ambulance Western Australia Ltd

209 Great Eastern Highway

BELMONT WA 6104

Telephone: (08) 9334 1222

Web: www.stjohnambulance.com.au

St John operates as a Registered Training Organisation under the name of

The College of Pre-Hospital Care

No. 0392

Web: http://training.gov.au

Modification History

Superseded Version New Version New Version Date Changes

N/A Version 1 July 2015 -

File Path G:\6 National Recognition and RPL\National Recognition and RPL

Info Guide For Applicants Version 1.doc

http://www.stjohnambulance.com.au/

http://training.gov.au/




WELCOME ............................................................................................................................... 4

1. ABOUT ST JOHN REGISTERED TRAINING ORGANISATION .............................................. 5

2. NATIONAL (MUTUAL) RECOGNITION ................................................................................... 6

2.1 Credit Transfer ................................................................................................................. 7

2.2 Credit .............................................................................................................................. 8

2.3 How to Apply for Credit Transfer and Credit? ................................................................... 9

3. RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING (RPL) ....................................................................... 10

3.1 RPL – Preparation and Application ................................................................................. 11

3.2 RPL – Assessment ........................................................................................................ 15

3.3 Navigate www.training.gov.au ........................................................................................ 17

3.4 RPL Evidence and Mapping ........................................................................................... 19

3.5 Mapping of Your RPL Evidence ..................................................................................... 21

4. AFTER RPL ASSESSMENT ................................................................................................. 24

4.1 Appeal of the RPL Decision ........................................................................................... 24




Thank you for taking the first step towards formal recognition of your existing skills and

knowledge.

This Information Guide has been developed to assist you in seeking recognition of your prior

learning, skills, experience and knowledge.

It will guide you through the process of: applying, collecting evidence and undertaking challenge

testing as part of a Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) assessment process in order to minimise

time, effort and expense when undertaking a course with St John.

We are confident that St John will provide an exciting learning experience for you and look

forward to assisting you in learning and developing new skills and knowledge to achieve your

training outcomes.




St John Ambulance Western Australia Ltd (St John) operates as a Registered Training

Organisation (RTO) under the name of the College of Pre-Hospital Care (CPHC) No.0392.

St John RTO is registered with the West Australian Vocational Education and Training regulator

– Training Accreditation Council (TAC) to operate in Western Australia.

St John RTO adheres to:

1. Standards for Registered Training Organisation (RTOs) 2015

Link: http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/F2014L01377

2. Vocational Education And Training Act 1996

Link:http://www.slp.wa.gov.au/pco/prod/FileStore.nsf/Documents/MRDocument:20660

P/$FILE/Vocational%20Education%20And%20Training%20Act%201996%20-%20[02-

g0-02].pdf?OpenElement

3. Vocational Education and Training (General) Regulations 2009

Link: http://www5.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/wa/consol_reg/veatr2009470/

4. Department of Education and Training Guidelines and Requirements

Link: https://www.education.gov.au/

5. Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF)

Link: http://www.aqf.edu.au/

6. Training Package Requirements

Link: http://training.gov.au/Home/Tga

7. Training Accreditation Council (TAC) Guidelines and Regulatory Requirements

Link: http://www.tac.wa.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx

Full details of St John RTO’s Scope of Registration can be accessed on:

http://training.gov.au/Organisation/Details/0392.

http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/F2014L01377

http://www.slp.wa.gov.au/pco/prod/FileStore.nsf/Documents/MRDocument:20660P/$FILE/Vocational%20Education%20And%20Training%20Act%201996%20-%20%5b02-g0-02%5d.pdf?OpenElement



http://www5.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/wa/consol_reg/veatr2009470/

https://www.education.gov.au/

http://www.aqf.edu.au/

http://training.gov.au/Home/Tga

http://www.tac.wa.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx

http://training.gov.au/Organisation/Details/0392




National (mutual) recognition refers to the ability of all Australian Registered

Training Organisations (RTOs) to recognise and accept each other’s

Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) certifications. This means that

any nationally recognised training you have done will be recognised by all

RTOs in Australia.

National recognition comes in two forms:

1. Credit Transfer; and

2. Credit.

This means that you can produce a statement of attainment or a qualification with the same

national competency codes and titles as those that form part of the course or a qualification

within which you have enrolled or you are intending to enrol with St John.

Provide your certification… …when enrolling into a

St John Course

…to reduce the study time of

your new course!

St John recognises your previous achievements such as qualifications and statements of

attainment which have been awarded to you by other Registered Training Organisations (RTOs).

Please note - St John can only accept certification for the units of competency or qualification

that form St John’s scope of registration.




Credit Transfer is a simple transfer of units of competency listed on your certification which are

equal by code, title and education outcomes to the units of competency that form a part of the

St John qualification that you have just enrolled into.

Let’s say you have decided to enrol into a St John qualification course and some of the units of

competency listed on the St John website are identical units that you have already obtained

certification for while studying with either St John previously (a different course) or with another

RTO.

EASY as…. For example

You have successfully obtained

certificate with

another RTO last year.

Now you would like to enrol into

with St John.

You have just realised that some of the units that form part of

HLT41012 Certificate IV in Health Care (Ambulance), have already

been obtained when you completed your HLT21112 Certificate II

in Emergency Medical Service First Response:

With Credit Transfer you will not need to

undergo training and assessment for this unit of competency. St

John will simply transfer this unit of competency toward your

HLT41012 Certificate IV in Health Care (Ambulance) saving you

time towards completion of your new qualification.




Credit is similar to Credit Transfer but it relates to the units of competency listed on your

certification which are not identical in code and title but in education outcomes to the units of

competency that form a part of the St John qualification that you have just enrolled into.

Let’s say you have decided to enrol into a St John qualification course and some of the units of

competency listed on St John website are very similar to the units you have already obtained

certification for while studying with either St John previously (a different course) or with another

RTO.

EASY as…. For example

You have successfully obtained

with another RTO

a couple of years ago.

Now you would like to enrol into

with St John.

You have realised that some of the units that form part of

HLT41012 Certificate IV in Health Care (Ambulance) with St John

has already been obtained when you studied HLT21112

Certificate II in Emergency Medical Service First Response. They

have the same title but slightly different unit codes.

While St John has: HLTHIR301 Communicate and work

effectively in health as part of its HLT41012 Certificate IV in Health

Care (Ambulance).

On comparison – these units have equal educational outcomes

as per: http://training.gov.au/Training/Details/HLTHIR301C

With Credit you will not need to undergo

training and assessment for this unit of competency. St John will

simply give you credit of this unit of competency toward your

HLT41012 Certificate IV in Health Care (Ambulance) saving you

time to complete your new qualification.

http://training.gov.au/Training/Details/HLTHIR301C




Both Credit Transfer and Credit are not assessments but are very simple processes of

transferring your academic records toward your new qualification.

While it is a very simple process, you are required to:

1. Apply by contacting our office for an application form (contact details are on our website);

and

2. Provide supporting evidence.

You must present your evidence relating to certificates and/or statements of attainment as either

original documents or certified copies. The original documents need to be sighted prior to

attending the course. Original certificates can be sighted and copied at Belmont head office or

St John Regional Offices during our business hours of 8.30 -16.30. Original documents will be

returned to the applicant.

Certified copies need to be appropriately signed by either a Justice of the Peace, or

Commissioner of Declarations; however St John will still need to sight the original

documentation.




Unlike Credit Transfer and Credit, Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is an assessment

process. It is a method of recognising that you have gained the skills, experience, and

knowledge through your work, education, or social interactions which are relevant to your

chosen course or qualification.

Vocational Education and Training (VET) competency based training is based on the concept

that people can learn transferable skills and most training is transferable. This means that you

may be able to demonstrate your competency without undertaking training. For you to be

assessed as competent, you need to demonstrate the ability to perform tasks and duties to the

standard expected in the workplace. RPL allows you to forego training and move directly to

having your competencies assessed, thus avoiding the need for unnecessary training and the

costs associated with it.

“Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is an assessment process that assesses the

competency/s of an individual that may have been acquired through formal, non-formal and

informal learning to determine the extent to which that individual meets the requirements

specified in the training package or VET accredited courses.

a) formal learning refers to learning that takes place through a structured program of

instruction and is linked to the attainment of an Australian Qualification Framework (AQF)

qualification or statement of attainment (for example, a certificate, diploma or university

degree);

b) non-formal learning refers to learning that takes place through a structured program of

instruction, but does not lead to the attainment of an Australian Qualification Framework

AQF qualification or statement of attainment (for example, in-house professional

development programs conducted by a business); and

c) informal learning refers to learning that results through experience of work-related, social,

family, hobby or leisure activities (for example the acquisition of interpersonal skills

developed through several years as a sales representative)”.

Definition by the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015




Firstly you will need to read through this document and

familiarise yourself with the RPL process. The better you

understand the RPL process the easier the whole experience

becomes.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Our contact details are on our website.

The sooner you start your application, collection and sorting of

your RPL evidence the sooner you will finish it. Upon contact

with St John Office (contact details are on our website) you will

need to request:

RPL application form;

RPL Kit for the units of competency you wish to apply

for; and

Enquire about the RPL fee you will need to pay.

St John will email you the required documentation so you can

start your application straight away.

Now that you have some idea of what is required of you, you

will need to do a bit of a research.

Start by accessing the following website: www.training.gov.au.

This is the place where all accredited unit(s) of competency are

held, including those that you will be applying for.

Please refer to chapters 3.3 and 3.4 of this Guide for more

useful information on how to navigate the www.training.gov.au

website.

The units of competency will come in two different formats:

1. One document (older units of competency);

2. Two documents (new units of competency) which

include:

Performance Criteria; and

Assessment Requirements.

http://www.training.gov.au/





Read the units of competency document(s). They may appear

very complex documents at first glance, but once you start

reading you will realise that the content may be very familiar.

For each performance and knowledge statement ask yourself

the following questions:

Do I know what this is?

Can I do it?

What is the evidence of my knowledge?

What is the evidence that I can do it (my skills)?

Be careful, some requirements may appear very simple to you,

and you may even do it with your eyes closed, however if you

do not have evidence to “prove it” you will need to demonstrate

it in challenge testing to your Assessor.

Please note, to be deemed competent in a unit of competency

an applicant must meet the requirements outlined in the entire

unit of competency documents.

So, start researching your units of competency now.

It’s now time to collect your supporting evidence to

demonstrate that you have the required knowledge and skills

as outlined in the unit of competency that you are seeking

recognition for.

The term “evidence” applies to anything you produce to verify

your skills, knowledge and experience.

Evidence can take many forms including:

Resume, job description and performance appraisals

documentation;

Membership of relevant professional associations;

Samples, photographs or videos of your performance or

work tasks;

Certified certificates and qualifications from previous

study that may be relevant;

Letters of validation from employer;

A portfolio of workplace documents; and

Video of your demonstration e.g. in the workplace.




Your St John RTO Assessor will be looking at the quality of

evidence submitted.

Remember the Assessor must be confident you have the

required skills and knowledge based on the evidence in front of

them.

Please refer to the 3.4 chapter of this Guide – RPL Evidence

and Mapping for more information about this topic.

Sorting your evidence is the most important part of your RPL

application. As you are likely to produce more than one piece

of evidence to support your RPL claim (remember you are

claiming that you have the skills and knowledge and providing

evidence to support this claim) you will need to present your

RPL portfolio of evidence.

Be methodical: use a folder to store paper-based evidence

under the unit of competency heading.

Assemble RPL evidence to support your application as your

evidence must be very detailed as well as: relevant, authentic,

current and sufficient.

Matching your evidence to the unit of competency is a very

detailed and hands on process. You will need to match each

piece of your evidence against each point outlined in the unit of

competency. Please note - one piece of evidence may be

referenced against multiple requirements. This can be achieved

by utilising RPL Kit.

If at the end of this exercise you have some components of the

units of competency without matched evidence, you will be

required to look for additional evidence or discuss it with your

Assessor when you meet with them.

Keep an index of your evidence. Remember – it is you who are

initiating this process so make sure that your evidence speaks

“volumes”.




At this point, you have a very good idea of whether or not to go

ahead with your RPL application. If you do, you will need to

contact our office and arrange submission of your:

RPL application form;

RPL Kit for the units of competency you wish to apply

and supporting evidence; and

Pay the fee.

Challenge testing is a form of assessment activity which is used

to confirm your competency and evidence towards RPL.

St John Assessors must ensure that you have the required

skills and knowledge to meet the industry standards as

specified in the relevant unit of competency for which you have

requested RPL.

A little bit of advice before you commence challenge testing:

Relax before the assessment; and

If you have any questions please contact St John.

Challenge testing is explained in more detail in step 3.2 step 5.




St John will arrange a suitable time with you for an interview

and challenge testing.

USI

You will need to bring photographic id with you (e.g. Drivers

Licence).

If you have any additional evidence of your competency,

please bring it with you to discuss with your Assessor.

You will need to register for the Unique Student Identifier

(USI). For more information about the USI system please

access either the St John or the USI websites:

http://www.usi.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx

Be on time. Allocate a couple hours for your meeting and

challenge testing. If more time is required, you will be

informed in advance.

By now, your Assessor will have reviewed the evidence you

have submitted, measured it against the unit(s) of

competency and validated it against the rules of the

assessment evidence (validity, sufficiency, authenticity and

currency).

Your Assessor will inform you about the process of

recognition, context, principles of assessment and rules of

assessment evidence.

Before you undergo any challenge testing, your Assessor

will explain what will be expected of you and what you will

be required to do.

Once you both agree on the course of RPL action, you will

be signing an Assessment plan confirming your agreeance.

http://www.usi.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx




Challenge testing will be in form of:

Verbal questioning; and

Demonstration of your skills.

During the meeting, the Assessor will ask verbal questions

to further explore the extent of your knowledge, seek

clarification about your evidence items and to ensure that

the dimensions of competency are demonstrated, valid,

sufficient, current and authentic.

You may be required to demonstrate a range of skills to

demonstrate your currency. Your demonstration will be in a

workplace context as outlined in the unit of competency.

Once all evidence is collected in the RPL kit and measured,

the Assessor will make a decision about your competence

and this will be communicated to you at the end of the

challenge testing.

If you meet all the requirements, your Assessor will arrange

certification for you and inform you of the next step of your

reduced participation in the course or any other option

suited to your individual needs.

If you are unsuccessful, the Assessor will explain the next

step for you. It may include “gap” training and other training

options available to you.

The assessor will give you feedback on your performance,

knowledge, and evidence portfolios.

This is an excellent opportunity for you to give feedback to

your Assessor.




Log on to www.training.gov.au

Select National Register of VET section of

the website by click on “continue to

training.gov.au writing” on the bottom of

the picture.

Select “Quick search” option.

In Quick search – Nationaly recognised

training type in:

Unit code; or

Unit title; or

Unit code and title.

And press “Search” button






A unit of competency will come up.

Scroll down to access the unit of

competency documents:

PDF or word.

NOTE: new units of competency formats

have two documents:

Performance criteria; and

Assessment requirements

Open (download) either PDF or word

document.

EXAMPLE ONLY




The term RPL “evidence” applies to anything you produce to verify your skills,

knowledge and experience.

Evidence can take many forms, examples of which are shown below:

Resume`, employer

statements and letters of

validation, job

descriptions.

Evidence of work

documentation,

completed tasks.

Samples, photographs or

videos of your

performance, equipment

you use or work tasks.

Video recording of your

perfomance.




Your RPL evidence MUST be:

1. – How old is your evidence? Is it recent or very old? You need to be current in

your skills and knowledge.

2. – Does the evidence relate to the Unit of Competency you are applying

RPL for?

3. – Can you prove that you actually have these skills and knowledge? Can you

obtain verification of these skills?

4. – Do you have enough evidence to demonstrate your competence?




RPL KIT.

Unit of Competency.

Evidence:

Samples, photographs or

videos of your

performance, equipment

you use or work tasks.




Self-assessment.

List (number) your

evidence.

Complete the

though out the document

(shaded areas).

Referencing your

evidence.




Continue completing the

RPL Kit until fully

completed.

Sign and date document.

1. Clearly number your evidence, placing a number in the top right corner of the RPL Self-

Assessment document (starting with evidence document no. 1).

2. Record the document number in the boxes of document (where

you think your evidence fits).

3. Attach the evidence behind this checklist maintaining the order (starting with evidence

document no. 1).




Following the RPL assessment, the Assessor will advise you if you were successful in gaining full

RPL.

Your skills and knowledge will be marked as either Requirement Met or Requirement Not Met.

Overall you will be deemed as or upon your RPL

assessment.

Your assessor will advise you of the RPL assessment result:

1. If you were deemed COMPETENT you would gain full credit which would then be

transferred to your new course/qualification.

2. If you were deemed NOT YET COMPETENT your assessor will identify the gaps you will

need to overcome by participating in training. You may also receive partial credit for the

performance criteria/elements you were deemed Requirement Not Met. You do not

need to undergo training for the parts of the unit/s you received credit for.

If you have any questions before, during or after RPL process, please contact your assessor.

Please access our Appeals Policy on the St John RTO website for current information:

http://www.stjohnambulance.com.au

http://www.stjohnambulance.com.au/




St John Ambulance Western Australia Ltd.

PO Box 183 Belmont Western Australia 6984

Tel 08 9334 1222

[email protected]

stjohnambulance.com.au