What is it?
RPL/RCC recognises what you have already learned from other courses, from life experience, from work experience and from any training provided at work, and measures it against the course you are doing or want to do. If what you have learned at work or elsewhere is relevant to the course, you may not have to do those parts of the course again.

Why apply? - What's in it for me?
It is important to apply for RPL/RCC if you think you have already got some experience that might be relevant to your course.

The advantages of applying for RPL/RCC are:

1. You can work out whether your experience is similar to that required by the course.
2. If you have already achieved some of the goals of the course, you might not have to do those sections of the course again.
   This could mean finishing your course much earlier, or not having such a heavy course load.
3. It means that you only do subjects which are new and challenging. You do not have to do subjects in which you have already gained experience.
4. It recognises that you are entering a course with many skills - that you are not a total beginner.

How it works - What happens?
If you decide to apply for RPL/RCC you will be asked to record, on an application form, details of your experience which might be relevant.

You may then be asked to attend an interview with course and RPL/RCC experts. The interviewers will help you complete the application form. Their job is to make sure you have answered every question as thoroughly as possible so that they can decide whether to grant recognition.

After the interview, you will be notified of the decision. If your application was successful, you will not be required to do certain parts of your course. Sometimes you will be asked to provide extra information, or you may ask to have another interview if you would like to provide additional information.

What do I do now?
If you think you might be eligible for RPL/RCC, you need to ask for a detailed Application form.(PDF)*

It is always a good idea to apply for RPL/RCC even if you are unsure about whether you will be successful. Often people don't apply because they think they won't be successful, but it is also common for applicants to gain more RPL/RCC than they expect.

THE RPL/RCC INTERVIEW

What will happen at the interview?
When you arrive at the interview, you will be welcomed and introduced to the members of the panel. The panel will spend time discussing the interview process and the way they will operate.

There may be at least two people on the panel. There may be more than two, but not more than four.

The panellists have been trained to make sure that they have the skills to properly assess your prior learning, and to conduct a fair and relaxed interview.

It is the role of the panellists to help you as much as possible. Often people don't realise the extent of their prior learning. The panellists are skilled at helping you think about your past experiences in terms of the recognition you are seeking. They are also concerned about making this interview comfortable.

During the interview, you will be discussing your application form. Most applicants will find that during the interview they will think of extra information which should be added to their application form. One of the main purposes of the interview is to allow you to think of that extra information, and to add it to your application.

You will be asked questions about your previous work experience, training, education, hobbies and interests. Most of the questions are related to the application form which you have already completed.

If you do not understand any questions in the interview, please feel free to ask the interview panel to explain the question more clearly.

If you have any other concerns, you are welcome to raise them with the panel.

Preparation for the interview
It is always a good idea to be prepared for interviews.

1. Have another look at your application form and think about the answers you have given so far. (Remember that there will be an opportunity to add to the information in the interview).
2. See if you can find any material to support the details given in the application. For example, you might find some references from previous employers, some samples from previous courses. You should bring all of these to the interview.
3. You may want to talk to someone about the RPL/RCC process before your interview.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and Recognition of Current Competencies (RCC) Application form(PDF)*
*If you cannot open this file or dont have Adobe Acrobat, download it from here: