Recognition of prior learning: benefits for employers
Benefits for your business
What is involved?
Costs
Recognition of prior learning is the formal recognition of current skills and knowledge, regardless of how, when or where the learning occurred. A person's experience may have been gained through:
- formal or informal training and education
- work experience (including volunteer experience)
- general life experience
- any combination of the above.
The process of recognising skills or knowledge involves an assessment by a registered training organisation to determine whether a person's skills meet current industry standards.
The Queensland Government's approach to recognition of prior learning is called Skills First. Skills First encourages the recognition of a person's knowledge and skills before their training commences. This avoids training people in areas where they are already skilled, making training faster and more rewarding.
Benefits for your business
By having your employees' existing skills formally recognised through Skills First, your business may be able to:
- identify current skills and skills gaps to target training investment
- increase productivity and improve business reputation
- engage in a greater variety of work and expand to new markets
- meet your business objectives faster
- increase employee motivation and retention.
What is involved?
If you want to help your employees gain formal qualifications and enhance your business, you will need to work with a registered training organisation. A registered training organisation can assess whether your employees' skills meet current industry standards by reviewing evidence such as work samples, practical demonstrations or assessment interviews.
To find a registered training organisation, contact a TAFE institute or find a private registered training organisation through the National Training Information Service (using the 'Search' tab). Or get in touch with Skilling Solutions Queensland, a face-to-face training and career information service that also offers employers help in meeting their needs for trained and qualified staff.
Your employees will need to be able to demonstrate the knowledge and skills they possess. You can help your employees to do this by:
- allowing an assessor to observe your employees at work
- providing information about your employees' work and skills
- allowing an assessor accesss to relevant documentation.
Once you know what skills and experience your employees have you can negotiate a training plan with the registered training organisation to address any skills gaps.
Costs
There will be a cost involved for the skills assessment that the registered training organisation undertakes. This may vary for each individual case. Talk to your chosen registered training organisation about the costs involved.
Other languages