PROFESSIONALQ CASE STUDY I
“I’ve finally got the credit for the effort”

Milcom’s Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) program is already proving to be an invaluable exercise in formally recognising the value of career experience and accumulated knowledge.

Mr Kritakis recently completed the program and it has already proven its worth. As he was about to start his new job he said: “I hadn’t realised how much everything I’d done could be worth to an employer.”

The RPL process entails a comprehensive review of an individual’s career and a thorough examination of skill levels. It objectively matches accumulated technical and management capabilities to industry standards set by the Federal Government’s IT&T Training Package.

“Everyone has a unique set of learnt and acquired knowledge and every component has value [under RPL],” said Mr Kritakis.

Employer specific training made generic by RPL
Mr Kritakis had come through a four year apprenticeship program with a major state owned transport organisation. He held various telecommunications engineering and maintenance roles over the ensuing 15 years and his career took him to many sites in city, country and regional areas.

His training was heavily geared to technical support and OH&S. It included short, practical, vendor and technology specific courses. Many of these were tailored to very precise internal requirements and were not tertiary endorsed.

This employer specific training is made generic by the RPL process as it assesses the content and matches it to competencies listed in the IT&T Training Package.

Having completed Milcom’s RPL process Mr Kritakis has also come to realise that: “You do a basic course and get some sort of assessment or certificate. Then you go back into the workplace and by using that knowledge you develop your own skills to an advanced or more complex level - RPL acknowledges that - it takes your competency level from basic certificate to a recognised advanced level.

“I learnt on early digital equipment and teleprinters - it was state of the art then - and I’m still working on state of the art technologies. There’s no beginning or end to the value of the learning process.”

Mr Kritakis saw he needed training to bring him more up to date on broader issues and technology, and their practical application. He had also received little management or HR training during his career and realised he needed to expand the non-technical side of his capabilities. This lead to a self-funded TAFE course to develop his management of client relationships.

With RPL you get recognition for all the work you’ve done: “After all these years of absorbing information and holding onto it I’ve finally got the credit for the effort,” he said.

Open your eyes to your own capabilities.
“Until you dissect your career to put together the proof for your RPL submission, you take so much for granted. I’d been working with major systems in mission critical areas and because I worked on them every day it was no big deal.

“When I read my RPL assessment I still can’t believe all the competencies I see there.

“I was gaining knowledge all the time, things that you would do as part of a tertiary degree. Now it’s recognised and words can’t describe the self-satisfaction,” he said.

Maximise your career potential.
Investing in RPL is an invaluable personal confidence and career booster: “You have all your skills endorsed by Milcom and you know that you too can go after opportunities that you’ve watched others go for before - you can be successful too.

It also provides a differentiator in the application submission and interview situation. It allows you to set yourself apart in the crowded job market.

“To have a Milcom resume in your presentation really helps. Being able to put the objective skills matrix, combined with individual personality, in front of a potential employer - you present very well. It got me across the line,” he said.

At ProfessionalQ.com.au you can complete an initial self-assessment free of charge. This confidential service allows you to clearly and easily see how your knowledge equates to potential qualifications.

ProfessionalQ Case Study II >>>