We recently spoke to Nora Trench Bowles, Head of Lifelong Learning, Skills and Quality for the Irish Universities Association to explore the role of RPL in higher education, and the many benefits its can deliver to learners, higher education institutes and to industry.

If you enjoy reading this newsletter, please remember to like our page here on LinkedIn and @tag or share our content!

According to the OECD Skills Strategy Ireland, ‘32% of adults in Ireland still do not want to participate in adult education and training, and individuals who do want to participate face several challenges, primarily family responsibility and schedule barriers.’ How important is RPL in helping to alleviate some of these barriers to education?

"One of the many benefits of RPL can be shortened study time to qualification, on the basis of what someone has already learned. This can help to address some of what’s at the heart of these barriers – time.

There’s a great example from University College Cork, where a cohort of farmers were able to achieve their qualification 66% quicker than typical students on the same NFQ level 7 Diploma in Environmental Science and Social Policy. This was as a result of exemptions granted through the RPL process, on the basis of recognition of training they had done through the Carbery Group.

This approach saved the farmers and Carbery Group time and money in recognising their years of practical training and experience. RPL also opened up entry to the university programme, which for many of the farmers may have seemed out of reach, as some of them had not completed their Leaving Certificate.

Crucially in this case, the Diploma was delivered on a flexible basis, to meet the needs of the busy farmers. There are national and European targets to increase lifelong learning rates. In Ireland, participation in lifelong learning is just above the EU average, but it’s not where we want it to be, and it’s far behind countries like Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands. If we want to improve, we need more opportunities for lifelong learners to study part-time/ flexibly, making it as feasible as possible for those with family, work and other commitments.

Higher education is changing and a lot is being done to make university lifelong learning more flexible. This includes the range of micro-credentials that are currently available across the universities, allowing lifelong learners to engage with short, bite-sized, accredited university courses. Not to mention the huge range of flexible professional and executive education, CPD, and adult continuing education programmes.

However, the State needs to make sure that it’s supporting these flexible options so that they can be made more widely available. Unfortunately, as it stands, the Irish higher education system doesn’t properly resource or incentivise flexible lifelong learning with sustainable funding.

While the OECD Skills Strategy Ireland reported that a lack of motivation is one of the main reasons for not participating in learning activities, the willingness to learn is comparatively high in Ireland. In fact, the 32% of people who did not want to participate is among the lowest in the EU. This is something that we can build on, and not a moment too soon considering that the urgency of lifelong learning, upskilling and reskilling has never been greater."

What value does RPL bring to lifelong learning and career development among adults in Ireland? Why is this so important in the context of skills shortages and skills mismatch?

"I believe that everyone is a lifelong learner. We’re all continually learning and not always in the same way. Learning happens every day in formal educational settings and also elsewhere, whether it be in the workplace, volunteering in a community group, parenting in the home.

RPL is a reflective process. It can help us to understand, articulate and evidence what we’ve learned. In that way, RPL is a way of valuing the rich experiential learning that happens throughout our lives. Maybe that reflection can also help our understanding of ourselves as lifelong learners.

In career development, it can be a very beneficial exercise to reflect on what we have learned along the way. This can help us to understand how to build on our existing knowledge and skills – which could be more transferable than we might think!

RPL can be used for entry to a university programme, when someone may not meet the minimum entry requirements when it comes to formal education but has relevant prior informal or non-formal learning. RPL can also be used for credit towards a qualification, for exemptions from programme modules, or for advanced entry to a programme. This can expedite a learner’s progress through a programme, and possibly build their confidence and motivation from the beginning.

This makes RPL an integral element of lifelong learning, both for the learner and for the university. RLP is a tool to help access the untapped demand from learners who want to upskill or reskill but who, understandably, don’t want to relearn things they already know. RPL is also a resource for universities’ relationships with enterprise and industry partners, as it can be used as a tool to better understand employees existing skills, and to identify or develop courses to address skills shortages or mismatch. This is important not only to ensure the right fields of learning, but also the right level of learning (university teaching is at the higher levels of the National Framework of Qualifications).

RPL can be used in these ways on an ongoing basis, as a tool to support a cycle of entry and re-entry to university education, as our lives and careers develop."

We often hear that people who have used RPL make great students, why do you think this is? In what ways does RPL promote inclusivity and diversity within higher education in Ireland?

"RPL welcomes students with varied life and career experiences. These experiences can be brought to bear on their studies and interactions with their classmates and lecturers, bringing even more different perspectives in the university campus. This can be particularly beneficial when working on group projects or when discussing topics in tutorials, online or in-person. I believe that increasing diversity in the classroom enriches the learning experience for all.

Going through the structured RPL process gives a taster of the rigour, style and expectations of the learning experience ahead. In that way, students who have come through that route are often well prepared for their studies after successful application. Arguably better prepared than other students might be!

Coming back to motivation, students who have come through the RPL route generally have it in spades! The National RPL in Higher Education project is supporting great work across the sector to make the RPL application process more widely and consistently available, and to make it easier to access and use. Even so, RPL applicants often have strong drive to access university education. This enthusiasm can be really helpful in class. RPL offers a pathway not only for people to access but also to thrive in university education.

RPL opens up more routes into higher education, beyond the ‘traditional’ CAO entry system and minimum entry requirements related to formal education. This helps to promote inclusivity in Irish higher education, welcoming and valuing students regardless of age or personal and professional background.

As such, RPL is an important tool in higher education to increase access and widen participation, building on the good work that has been done on this across the sector through other tools, initiatives and supports.

Considering its importance to lifelong learning, skills and widening participation, it’s crucial that RPL is included as part of sustainable funding for the Irish higher education sector, and that continuing support is given to ensure that it becomes mainstream."

What advice would you give to individuals considering RPL as a route to achieving their educational or professional goals?

"Give it a go! Look at the RPL application as a helpful reflection and learning exercise in and of itself. A (possibly rare!) opportunity to think back at what you’ve learned and achieved, which might help you better understand where you’d like to go from here.

Do your research! See what particular course interests you and get in touch with the university. University staff can offer guidance, helping you to understand what’s available in their institution and stepping you through the RPL process.

Talk to your employer. If you’re in a workplace, make the case to your manager or HR team on the need for upskilling and how RPL could be used as a beneficial route to access. This could be for you as an individual, or maybe for a cohort of you and your team, or you and colleagues across your workplace in similar or related roles. Many organisations have learning and development budgets, and all work places, no matter the size, have upskilling needs."

Interested in learning more about RPL? Check out our website www.priorlearning.ie to find out where to study and get access to helpful information and resources for learners.