RPL and Credit Transfer Policy

RPL and Credit Transfer Policy

RELEVANT STANDARD(S): Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015, Clauses1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.8, 1.12, and 3.5
PURPOSE
Sydney Rescue Consultants is committed to providing quality training and assessment in accordance with the requirements of the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015. As such, Sydney Rescue Consultants offers Recognition of Prior Learning to all learners, and implements an assessment system that ensures that assessment (including recognition of prior learning) complies with assessment requirements of Training Packages and VET Accredited course, the Principles of Assessment and Rules of Evidence. Likewise, Sydney Rescue Consultants has a process in place and provides a clear instruction and guidance on granting credit transfers to students for previously completed and formally assessed learning.

SCOPE
Sydney Rescue Consultants is committed to providing effective processes for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and Credit transfer to all current and prospective students.

Sydney Rescue Consultants will ensure that:

  1. assessment systems, including recognition of prior learning (RPL) complies with the assessment requirements of relevant training packages and VET accredited courses;
  2. RPL is conducted in accordance with the principles of assessment and rules of evidence;
  3. RPL is offered to all students on enrolment;
  4. adequate information and support are provided to learners in order to understand the RPL process and the requirement to gather reliable evidence to support their recognition claim;
  5. it will recognise AQF certification documentation issued by other RTOs;
  6. students will be made aware of their right to apply for a credit transfer;
  7. it complies with the VET Regulator’s guidelines in processing and granting credit transfer.

POLICY PRINCIPLES
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Policy Principles
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) refers to an assessment process that assesses the competencies an individual may have 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.

  1. Formal learning refers to learning that takes place through a structured program of instruction and is linked to the attainment of an AQF qualification or statement of attainment (for example, a certificate, diploma or university degree).
  2. Non-formal learning refers to learning that takes place through a structured program of instruction, but does not lead to the attainment of an AQF qualification or statement of attainment (for example, in-house professional development programs conducted by a business).
  3. 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).

Sydney Rescue Consultants students may apply for a formal recognition of existing competencies against an AQF qualification or accredited course or unit of competency or module that Sydney Rescue Consultants is registered to deliver prior they commence their course study.

Sydney Rescue Consultants will provide adequate information to students including the RPL Kit that contains the RPL information including:

  1. the specific skills and documentation required for the unit of competency where the student wishes to be assessed;
  2. RPL process and application;
  3. timeframe for RPL assessment;
  4. any support that the Sydney Rescue Consultants assessor can provide;
  5. costs and payment schedule associated with RPL;
  6. making appeals on all/part of the RPL outcome and associated fees (if applicable).

The assessor for the unit of competency being applied for will be the person responsible for providing the RPL Kit and all necessary information to the student in relation to the RPL process.

The burden will be upon the candidate to demonstrate competence to the assessor(s), including the provision of certification documentation. Competency may be derived from many sources, including, but not limited to:

  1. work experiences;
  2. work product;
  3. life experiences;
  4. training programs offered by industry, private or community based providers which may or may not have been formally recognized;
  5. training programs undertaken overseas;
  6. informal learning programs;
  7. certification from another RTO.

The RPL assessment decision will comply with the Principles of Assessment and Rules of Evidence as outlined in the SRTOs 2015 and the requirements of the relevant training package and VET accredited course.

Certification documentation will not be issued unless all relevant fees are paid in full. Certification documentation are issued in accordance with Sydney Rescue Consultants’ Certificate Issuance Policy.

Students are informed in writing of the RPL assessment outcome within the timeframes specified in the RPL Kit. Where RPL is not granted for any unit of competency the written notification will include the reason for the decision.

In cases where a student is not granted RPL and believes the decision it to be reviewed, Sydney Rescue Consultants will follow the procedures outlined in the Appeals Procedure Document.

Mutual Recognition / Credit Transfer
Sydney Rescue Consultants will accept and mutually recognise the decisions and outcomes of any RTO or entity in partnership with an RTO, thereby ensuring mutual acceptance throughout Australia of the certification documentation awarded by other RTO’s or AQF Authorised Issuing Organisations.

Sydney Rescue Consultants will apply credit to all relevant units of competency/modules after conducting a review and verification of validity of AQF certification documentation from other RTOs, and authenticated VET transcripts issued by the Registrar.

Mutual Recognition applies when the certification documentation provided by the learner contains the same national competency code as those that form part of the training and assessment program offered by Sydney Rescue Consultants.

Certification documentation must be presented as either originals or certified copies of an original. Certified copies must be signed by an authorised signatory in order to verify authenticity. Original certification documentation will be returned to the applicant.

Sydney Rescue Consultants is not obligated to issue an AQF qualification or statement of attainment that is achieved wholly through recognition of units and /or modules completed at another RTO (i.e. learner cannot complete all of their training and assessment with another RTO, and requests that Sydney Rescue Consultants issue the qualification under Recognition.)

The amount of recognition contributing to the issuance of a certification (i.e. using units/modules completed at other RTOs) will depend on the discretion of Sydney Rescue Consultants.

In the event a learner wishes to undertake refresher training in a unit/module for which they have been previously awarded recognition, then learner will be advised that the completion of the assessment is not necessary, however, may be offered as an option.

Where the recognised AQF qualification and attributed units/modules forms part of another AQF qualification, the learner will only be enrolled in the additional units required to complete the new qualification. In such cases, fees will reflect reduced learning load.

Determining Equivalence
In the event the learner wishes to credit units of competency that are not offered by Sydney Rescue Consultants but fulfil the packaging rules for a qualification that Sydney Rescue Consultants offers, Sydney Rescue Consultants will refer to the National Register to determine if the unit of competency that the learner wishes to credit is equivalent to any of the units that is within Sydney Rescue Consultants scope.

In the event the learner wishes to credit units from a superseded course, provisions from Sydney Rescue Consultants’ Transition of Superseded Courses Policy may apply on top of the provisions in this Policy.

Verification of Certification Documentation
Before providing credit on the basis of a qualification, statement of attainment, or record of results, the assessor/s for the unit/s of competency being assessed must authenticate the information in the document. This may be done through methods including, but not limited to: gathering feedback from the organisation that issued the document and confirming the content is valid.

MONITORING AND IMPROVEMENT
Sydney Rescue Consultants’ TRAINING MANAGER is responsible for the RPL and credit transfer process, and ensuring that all trainers and assessors make consistent judgements when conducting RPL assessments and that admin staff consistently verify certification documentation prior to credit transfer grants.

All RPL and credit transfer activities are monitored by the TRAINING MANAGER of Sydney Rescue Consultants. The TRAINING MANAGER will ensure that areas for improvement identified are reviewed and acted upon following Sydney Rescue Consultants’ Continuous Improvement Policy principles.

ANNEX A
Principles of Assessment
Fairness The individual learner’s needs are considered in the assessment process.
Where appropriate, reasonable adjustments are applied by the RTO to take into account the individual learner’s needs.
The RTO informs the learner about the assessment process and provides the learner with the opportunity to challenge the result of the assessment and be reassessed if necessary.
Flexibility Assessment is flexible to the individual learner by:
• reflecting the learner’s needs;
• assessing competencies held by the learner no matter how or where they have been acquired; and
• drawing from a range of assessment methods and using those that are appropriate to the context, the unit of competency and associated assessment requirements, and the individual.
Validity Any assessment decision of the RTO is justified, based on the evidence of performance of the individual learner.
Validity requires:
• assessment against the unit/s of competency and the associated assessment requirements covers the broad range of skills and knowledge that are essential to competent performance;
• assessment of knowledge and skills is integrated with their practical application;
• assessment to be based on evidence that demonstrates that a learner could demonstrate these skills and knowledge in other similar situations; and
• judgement of competence is based on evidence of learner performance that is aligned to the unit/s of competency and associated assessment requirements.
Reliability Evidence presented for assessment is consistently interpreted and assessment results are comparable irrespective of the assessor conducting the assessment.

Rules of Evidence
Validity The assessor is assured that the learner has the skills, knowledge and attributes as described in the module or unit of competency and associated assessment requirements.
Sufficiency The assessor is assured that the quality, quantity and relevance of the assessment evidence enables a judgement to be made of a learner’s competency.
Authenticity The assessor is assured that the evidence presented for assessment is the learner’s own work.
Currency The assessor is assured that the assessment evidence demonstrates current competency. This requires the assessment evidence to be from the present or the very recent past.

VERSION v. 1.0

RPL and Credit Transfer Policy – Amendment

 

RELEVANT STANDARD(S): Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015, Clauses1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.8, 1.12, and 3.5

RELEVANT LEGISLATION: Work Health and Safety Act 2011, Occupational Work Health and Safety Act 2004 (Victoria), Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017 (NSW), Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 (Victoria), Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (ACT), Work Health and Safety (National Uniform Legislation) Regulation 2011 (NT), Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld), Work Health and Safety Regulations 2012 (SA), Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Tas), Work Health and Safety (General) Regulations 2022 (WA).

PURPOSE

The purpose of this amendment is to take the confusion out of the VET sector when it comes to high-risk units of competency.

 

Sydney Rescue Consultants is committed to providing quality training and assessment in accordance with the requirements of the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015. As such, Sydney Rescue Consultants will not be offering Recognition of Prior Learning to all learners. As the units of competency currently on SRCs scope are considered high-risk and through industry consultation and work health and safety legislation is not in the best interests of students to offer RPL.

 

 

Note: For this amendment credit transfer is not affected as SRC does not offer full qualifications.

 

SCOPE

Sydney Rescue Consultants is committed to providing effective training and assessment to all students. 

 

Sydney Rescue Consultants will ensure that while RPL is not offered it will take into consideration the below to determine length of training required to achieve a competent (c) result:

  1. Previous nationally recognised training from another RTO.
  2. Previous nationally recognised training when upgrading from a superseded unit of competency.
  3. Experience of student through challenge/assessment only.

 

Note: The skills involved in the units of competency are perishable skills and if not practiced regularly, those skills will diminish, and legislation and industry standards require students to remain current and using the latest safety technology and techniques.

 

 

POLICY PRINCIPLES

History

Historically, RPL is misunderstood in current industry and most students and organisations believe RPL is simply getting a new date on their certificate or statement of attainment (SOA).

The requirement of industry and legislation is to remain current which is achieved by refresher training and professional development. The timeframe varies from sector to sector, but typically 1-3 years for high-risk work. For example, the Australian Resuscitation Council (ARC) recommends Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation is refreshed every 12 months and first aid every 3 years.

Sydney Rescue Consultants is committed to providing quality training and assessment to ensure that once a competent result has been achieved the student and employer can be assured that student is current.

Mutual Recognition

In the event a learner wishes to undertake refresher training in a unit/module for which they have been previously awarded recognition, then learner will be advised due to the high-risk nature of the unit/module they will have to undertake full training and assessment or complete a ‘challenge test’ assessment, in order to receive a new statement of attainment by Sydney Rescue Consultants. This is not say that SRC do not recognise results given other RTOs, it is to state that we are not going to issue new SOAs unless the student can prove current competency is all requirements of the unit as is required by legislation and industry standards.

 

MONITORING AND IMPROVEMENT

Sydney Rescue Consultants’ TRAINING MANAGER is responsible for the RPL and credit transfer process, and ensuring that all trainers and assessors make consistent judgements when conducting RPL assessments and that admin staff consistently verify certification documentation prior to credit transfer grants.

 

All RPL and credit transfer activities are monitored by the TRAINING MANAGER of Sydney Rescue Consultants. The TRAINING MANAGER will ensure that areas for improvement identified are reviewed and acted upon following Sydney Rescue Consultants’ Continuous Improvement Policy principles.

Version 1.1

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