4.1 Better recognise the existing skills of workers

To meet high workforce demands in sectors like construction and care, Victorians must be able to up-skill and re-skill without unnecessary barriers.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) assesses competency acquired through informal learning (such as work experience, life experience, and self-directed study)³² to determine if requirements for a unit of study are met.

A well-functioning RPL process benefits workers and employers.

• Skilled workers avoid unnecessary training and focus on bridging their training gap to obtain formal qualifications.³³
• Employers access a greater pool of skilled workers who have the formal recognition that they require.³⁴

Victoria has successfully used RPL to help workers transition into priority industries such as clean energy

Mine workers affected by the closure of the Hazelwood power plant in the Latrobe Valley were able to have their work experience recognised through RPL to gain a Certificate III in Civil Construction, or a pathway to tertiary studies via the Certificate IV in Engineering – the latter allows workers to shift towards renewable energy (offshore wind).³⁵ RPL can be used alongside other government supports for workers in transitioning industries.

The Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions (DJSIR) funded Chisholm Institute of TAFE to develop an RPL toolkit and gap training course for the Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care. This will support early childhood educators to use their work experience and previous qualifications to obtain the new Certificate III qualification, which is now a pre-requisite for the Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care under new national regulations.³⁶

The toolkit will be shared across the Victorian TAFE Network to support the workforce needs of the Victorian Government’s Best Start, Best Life reforms.³⁷ RPL toolkits could support other occupations in the care economy, as done previously in aged and disability care.

Strengthening RPL

RPL can be strengthened to help Victoria meet its significant workforce demands and to remedy the high costs RPL currently imposes on all parties involved.

Experienced workers find it easier to study than obtain recognition for their work experience. This is due to the higher cost and time constraints of compiling the evidence required for RPL to meet units of competency, compared to completing a new course of study.

Employers may have negative perceptions of RPL due to concerns about the relevance of candidates’ qualifications and experience. Consequently, they may prefer training over existing skills recognition.³⁸

Training providers find it time consuming and expensive to assess RPL. This is driven by the lack of guidance and clear criteria for assessing work experience for RPL processes.

RPL can also be difficult as learners need to demonstrate competency through requirements in VET qualifications that, in some cases, can be prescriptive. The proposed re-design of VET qualifications will help address this barrier. Exploring approaches to skills recognition as the basis for RPL could better support workers transitioning between industries.

While a strengthened RPL process will be easier to use, safeguards are needed to strike the right balance between ease of use and granting RPL to workers who genuinely hold the skills to meet the standard of completing the related subject or qualification.

Improved RPL can support the construction industry

Currently, 373,000 people are employed in the Victorian construction industry.³⁹ While many construction workers are VET qualified, more than 116,000 do not hold any post-secondary school qualifications.⁴⁰

Supporting these workers to obtain qualifications through RPL could help them up-skill through gap training and assist in addressing skills shortages in construction, which will facilitate the delivery of the government’s infrastructure priorities such as the Big Build and Housing Statement.