At IADT, we accept applicants to our courses who may not hold the required qualification, but who may have proven relevant experience and whose academic background may be non-traditional. We also recognise invisible learning that may be made ‘visible’ through the Recognition of Prior Learning. This is relevant to both individual learners and/or enterprise cohorts.
Learner's Journey - Brendan Courtney
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Applying Students
The process of Recognition of Prior Learning includes five stages:
- Information: During this stage, the learner obtains user-friendly information about what is possible and how the Recognition of Prior Learning process works.
- Identification: During this stage, the learner explores their prior learning (in relation to a programmes entry requirements or the learning outcomes of a module or a programme) with a view to making a claim for formal recognition.
- Documentation: This stage makes visible the individual’s learning in the context of their claim. This involves a reflective process and identifying relevant materials to substantiate their claim.
- Assessment: This stage must be appropriate to the application and fit for purpose. If the claim is successful, the learner proceeds to the next stage.
- Formal recognition or Certification, which will lead to one or more of the following:
• Entry to a programme
• Credit towards an award or exemption from some programme modules
• Advanced entry to a programme
• Full award.
Students wishing to apply for admission to courses on the basis of accreditation of their prior learning must follow IADT’s Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) procedure:
- Completion of application form
- Identified academic work
- Preparation of a portfolio of evidence
- Internal assessment (for some courses applicant is interviewed).
If the applicant is offered a place, standard registration procedures then apply. If the applicant is refused a place, then they may appeal the decision of the assessors. The applicant should write to the Registrar (Andrew.power@iadt.ie) and outline the reasons for the appeal. The Registrar will review the case. The decision of the Registrar regarding admission is final.
Applicants wishing to apply for admission to courses on the basis of RPL should contact our Admissions Office on admissions@iadt.ie or +353 1 239 4612.
Benefits of RPL
- RPL improves confidence and self esteem by identifying the knowledge and experience that you have and using it to gain formal qualification.
- RPL gives you further options for work within your career and better job security.
- As a pathway to higher education, RPL broadens your horizons and presents further opportunities for work and study.
[RPL] gave me reassurance and confidence that I am capable of working beyond what I am doing currently. – IADT RPL Graduate
What is RPL?
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About RPL Nationally
IADT is one of 19 Higher Education Institutions across Ireland (including IUA Universities, Institutes of Technology and Technological Universities) engaged in the Irish Government’s Human Capital Initiative (HCI) Pillar 3 (Innovation and agility) RPL project. This project aims to create a significant shift in RPL and has transformative potential to propel Ireland into international leadership in the field.
The National RPL project also works with a diverse range of key national stakeholders, including national education agencies, QQI, the HEA and SOLAS; the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (NFETL) and the RPL Practitioners Network; as well as employer and enterprise representative bodies, including IBEC and ISME who are also enterprise partners of the project.
Learner's Journey - Audrey Rigley Smyth
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IADT is looking to link with enterprise via RPL - contact the team for more information
In the ‘war for talent’, RPL is a tool which can help employers to retain employees through contributing to career progression, whilst also boosting employee motivation and ‘future skilling’ in a changing environment. By recognising the skills, knowledge and expertise that an employee has learned in the workplace, RPL can help to meet existing and emerging skills needs at a faster pace by avoiding duplication of learning.
RPL can help employers and higher education institutions to tailor education and training more effectively for employees, e.g. by ensuring that it is at the most appropriate level of the NFQ and that it takes account of the significant (and sometimes invisible) learning accumulated in the workplace. RPL is a useful resource for employers seeking to retain and nurture talent and for higher education institutions looking to create career-long relationships with enterprise partners and diversify the student population.
For enterprise opportunities, please contact Dr Selina Guinness Selina.Guinness@iadt.ie or Louisa Keogh – Louisa.Keogh@iadt.ie
Further information about the National project can be found on www.priorlearning.ie.
Rebecca is the THEA lead on this project in IADT, as part of the National RPL project, HCI Pillar III, Innovation and Agility.
