Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Information (READ THIS FIRST)

WHY RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING?
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) has been put in place by the Department of Education and the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) to help redress past inequities, poor national standards of education and to provide opportunity for people with knowledge and skills to be recognised and certified.

WHAT IS RPL?
RPL is an accredited system of recognising and certifying candidates. It recognises that learning takes place in formal and informal ways, in and outside the classroom. For example, you may have been employed by a company a number of years ago and you were not initially skilled in the job that you are doing. You could have learned about the job and aquired the nescessary skills and knowledge make you competent but you do not have the national qualification. You can therefore apply for RPL assessment.

WHAT IS EXPECTED OF ME FOR RPL?
In applying for RPL, you are saying that you have the knowledge and skills to be certified but you do not have the qualification. You are also saying that you can produce the evidence of your competence and that your evidence can be assessed against the national standards.

RPL MYTHS - RPL IS NOT………….
RPL is not a quick fix solution. It is a process of investigation, gaining understanding about outcomes based assessment, gathering evidence and building your portfolio of relevant and sufficient evidence to show that you are competent and then ensuring that you have assembled the evidence in such a way that it can be evaluated to see if it meets the assessment criteria for the national qualification.

EXAMPLES of RPL MISUNDERSTANDING
We’ve experienced the following examples from candidates:

Candidate sends an email with a list of what he does and expects this to be taken as his “evidence” and he asks to be assessed on the basis of the list. An email is not a Portfolio of Evidence.
Candidate drops off three tog bags full of papers, certificates, course material that he has accumulated over the years and submits that as a Portfolio of Evidence.
Neither of these two examples are a portfolio of evidence that has been collated to ensure it meets the criteria for assessment.

EXAMPLES OF RELEVANT RPL CANDIDATES:
Look at the examples below. If you are doing these things in your job, you would have evidence which can be assembled in a portfolio and submitted for assessment.

Example 1: Personal Trainer who does not have a qualification
If you are a Personal Trainer but you do not have the national Certificate in Fitness (or any other certificate) then you should be doing the following in your day to day work:

Screening your clients, assessing and testing your clients, writing exercise programmes for them, monitoring and modifying those programmes, advising clients on their wellness, their eating and their lifestyle. You would have records of your clients and you would have recorded how you re-assessed them and how you modified their programmes as they adapted to your training programmes. You would be following health and safety practices in your workplace, you should have a CPR and first aid certificate and you are abiding by an HIV policy that you follow.

Example 2: Sports Coach has a federation’s sport specific certificate e.g. Rugby level 1 but does not have National Qualification in Coaching Science
If you are a Rugby coach then you should be doing the following in your day to day work:

Keeping a logbook of your athletes or teams with records of their programmes and their progress, writing conditioning and skills programmes for them, monitoring and modifying those programmes, helping athletes on their goals, their motivation and their personal management. You would have considered the growth and development of children or youth if you are working with youngsters and you would have records of your athlete. You would have recorded how you re-evaluated them and how you modified their programmes as they adapted to your coaching programmes. You would be following health and safety practices in your workplace, you should have a CPR and first aid certificate and you are abiding by an HIV policy that you follow.

LEARNING MORE ABOUT RPL
If you want to know more about RPL and how to build your Portfolio of Evidence then do the following:-

Register for an RPL workshop and pay the registration fee. You will receive the RPL Guidelines and a comprehensive list of evidence that you need to bring.
Go through the checklist and bring your evidence with you when you attend the RPL workshop. We will help you to put the Portfolio of Evidence together and then give you time to fill in possible gaps.
You pay the RPL assessment fee and you will have 6-weeks to complete and submit your Portfolio of Evidence for assessment. You will receive feedback within 3 weeks.

RPL COSTS:
RPL workshop Fee R500
RPL Assessment fee R5000
RPL Re-assessment R500