RPL in theory
South Africa, like most countries, has accepted the philosophical justification for RPL. The two main issues in the past have been how to implement the RPL programme successfully, and what the exact costs will be. The education sector was initially concerned that RPL could be a possible competitor, and existing employees were unsure about the possible dilution of their earning potential as more people came into the workplace. Neither of these concerns has proven to be accurate. South Africa's real bottleneck has been its inability to produce artisans, engineers and trained professionals for many of the economic sectors including the financial services sector. Finding a workable solution to this problem is a priority for both Government and the SETAs.
Building an RPL infrastructure
The BANKSETA has been tasked with building an infrastructure for the RPL system. An Implementation Task Team will be established and, by April 2012, the BANKSETA will have an RPL manager in place.
The Netherlands government has committed R10m towards an RPL Knowledge Centre, the first in South Africa, which will be an information repository on how RPL works, the steps involved in carrying out the programmes, case studies, success stories, and other practical information. The centre will be created from scratch, building up a body of advisors and assessors who will assist in implementing RPL across all sectors.
The BANKSETA will drive the process and all resources will be available to people seeking RPL in other sectors.
The strong support from all economic sectors, the politics behind this project and the initial funding from The Netherlands has given the RPL initiative the boost it requires to make the 'corporate university' a reality in this country.
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) pilot case study 2011
Cathy Kiley is a 48 year old woman who found herself in the unexpected position of having to be the main bread-winner of her family after many years. She contacted Karen Hobbs at BANKSETA's Quality Assurance (QA) department to find out what was required for her to go back to work at the Queensburgh branch of First National Bank where she had worked previously for 25 years.
The knowledge Cathy had acquired over her initial career at FNB was not a formal qualification and would not be sufficient for her, under the FAIS Compliance Act, to get her job back.
Cathy was given a six month internship at the FNB Queensburgh branch. RPL advisors in Durban guided Cathy through the RPL process using Prior Learning Centre's methodology, with the aim of receiving a Financial Services Board recognized qualification for FAIS compliance.
Annette Bredenkamp explains: "In spite of some initial challenges at the branch, and a number of hurdles for Cathy, the RPL project was very successful and she was able to convert her workplace knowledge into an accredited qualification in the required time-frame." What was proved by this project is that gaining a full, Financial Services Board recognized qualification for FAIS compliance is possible through an RPL assessment, and that further formal classroom training is not always necessary. It takes time and effort by the RPL applicant as well as ongoing support from their RPL advisor to achieve the result. Bankseta newsletter October/November 2011
1. Prior Learning Centre has been awarded BankSETA “Provider of the Year” award for 2010 – see the BankSETA website for more information :
http://www.bankseta.org.za/communication/default.asp?thepage=skills@work_awards.asp
2. Prior Learning Centre has been appointed to manage the BankSETA NVC project – see the BankSETA newsletter for more information: http://www.bankseta.org.za/downloads/communication/BANKSETA_Account_2011_Q1_Web.pdf
3. Dr Karen Deller, Academic Director of Prior Learning Centre is part of a four year research project into RPL in different contexts. The title of the research project is “Specialised pedagogy: A comparative study of RPL practices within the changing landscape of the NQF in South Africa”. The project’s overall aims are to develop a common theoretical framework for understanding the specialised nature of RPL practice, and its development in relation to changing contexts and to explore the nature of practices across different sites. More information will be available in due course.