Practice Guide - Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer

• You can demonstrate how your recognition of prior learning (RPL) policies, processes and tools are designed and applied with the same rigour as your assessment system, including that they:
  • are consistent with, and maintain the integrity of, the training product requirements
  • ensure currency of evidence provided by the VET student
  • meet the requirements of the principles of assessment and rules of evidence (Standard 1.4)
  • result in transparent, defensible and documented decisions.
• You can demonstrate how you make students aware of:
  • their right to have their prior learning recognised (where it is not prevented by any industry regulator or licensing requirements), and
  • your organisation’s RPL policy and process.
• You can demonstrate how your RPL approach accommodates the variety of experiences and learning pathways that students present.
• You can demonstrate how students are made aware of the role any third party will play in their RPL assessment.
• You can demonstrate how you ensure that the assessor responsible for assessing the RPL evidence, including those engaged through third parties, meet the requirements of Standards 3.2 and 3.3.
• You ensure that your staff understand that granting RPL where the student does not meet the requirements of the training product may have serious consequences for the VET student, and for public safety, industry confidence and the reputation of the VET sector and can demonstrate to ASQA how your policies, systems and processes provide this assurance.
• You can demonstrate how you validate and assure your RPL practices and processes to be confident that decisions are being made in accordance with the Standards, and where third parties conduct RPL on your RTO’s behalf, you can demonstrate how you monitor and validate the quality of their RPL practices with the same level of rigour.
• Where assessment of a VET student’s RPL evidence identifies gaps, you can demonstrate how you work with them in relation to the amount of gap training required, how that training will be delivered and any costs associated with it. 

• Using inadequate assessment practices or business models that cut corners in issuing RPL which can lead to persons without the expected competencies entering critical roles, including in industries with mandatory qualifications such as aged care, disability services and early childhood education and care.
• Promoting RPL as an easy, quick or guaranteed path to qualifications.
• Using RPL systems that do not apply the same rigour as the organisation’s assessment system, including not upholding assessment record retention requirements.
• Making inadequate inquiries with students seeking RPL, or agents seeking RPL on their behalf – for example, not being wary of non-genuine students that may be seeking RPL as a vehicle to facilitate other objectives.
• Failing to verify that RPL evidence submitted by students is authentic.
• Outsourcing RPL assessments to unregulated third parties that do not understand or apply the Standards to their practices – for example, using third parties that do not engage properly qualified or trained assessors.
• Failing to ensure RPL assessment practices are robust enough to meet the applicable threshold for high-risk work licencing, where applicable.
• Failing to ensure that RPL evidence of overseas qualifications or competencies has been mapped to Australian legislative and regulatory requirements – for example Australian Work Health and Safety legislation or other industry-specific laws.
• Failing to robustly assess or test RPL evidence for currency against training package requirements, or against the rules of evidence.
• Automatically granting RPL for students that hold a higher AQF level qualification in the same industry.
• Having insufficient systems for identifying and addressing a student’s RPL gaps.

• Your policies and processes clearly outline that you provide students with a copy of your organisation’s policy for seeking credit transfer, including when and how credit transfer will be administered.
• You can demonstrate that you authenticate AQF certification documentation provided by students (including authenticated VET transcripts) in support of credit transfer requests by directly accessing the USI transcript service or by contacting the issuing organisation to verify authenticity.
• You can demonstrate that when considering requests for credit transfer, equivalence¹ is clearly evidenced before granting credit.
• You can demonstrate that where you do not grant credit transfer because the unit of competency is not deemed equivalent, you provide students with an appropriate alternative pathway, such as RPL.

 ¹ Equivalence may be determined by the following:

• a unit of competency with the current unit code and title

• a superseded unit of competency that the training package developer has determined to be equivalent (as published on the National Register)

  • Note: although not required, you may conduct a mapping analysis for units that have been ‘superseded equivalent’ twice or more to assure yourself that the assessment of competence is still relevant. If you find there is a gap in either the training or the assessment, you may refuse the credit transfer.

• Failing to make your credit transfer policy and process available to students prior to enrolment.
• Failing to explain to students your rationale if you decide not to grant credit transfer and the available options to the student such as RPL or gap training.
• Failing to check the authenticity of the student’s original AQF certification before granting credit transfer.
• Issuing a VET qualification or VET statement of attainment via credit transfer based on training wholly completed through RPL or credit transfer at a different RTO.
• Failing to consider the contextual elements (e.g. relevant licensed or regulated outcomes) when assessing a student’s evidence for credit transfer.