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Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition PLAR in Canada: The Context

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition PLAR in Canada: The Context. Presentation for the OECD Dissemination Conference ( Thematic Workshop) Dublin, Ireland by Kerry Lynn Lake Department of Human Resources and Skills Development, Government of Canada October 20, 2005.

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Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition PLAR in Canada: The Context

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  1. Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition PLAR in Canada: The Context Presentation for the OECD Dissemination Conference (Thematic Workshop) Dublin, Ireland by Kerry Lynn Lake Department of Human Resources and Skills Development, Government of Canada October 20, 2005

  2. Outline of Presentation • What is PLAR? • Recognizing learning: issues & stakeholders • Addressing key barriers • PLAR Linkages • The status of PLAR in Canada • National PLAR leadership • HRSDC actions • Current PLAR Initiatives • Next steps “…learning and personal change generated by [the prior learning assessment process] pay direct dividends in terms of improved employment, incomes and career prospects.”Halifax PLA Centre, Impact Evaluation Study 2002

  3. Formal learning** refers to a learning activity that takes place in an organized way, that by its very nature leads to certification, by either the Ministry of Education, a professional branch or another ministry. Informal learning** consists of learning activities that occur by chance or through everyday activities. e.g. reading, self-directed research, community and volunteer activities). Non-formal learning** refers to organized activities that take place within or outside the workplace which are not explicitly identified as learning activities, and do not lead to qualifications or certification, but have a major learning component. (e.g. workplace training). What is PLAR? • Prior learning assessment (PLA) is a process that involves the identification, documentation, assessment of learning acquired through formal, non-formal and informal study. This may include work and life experience, training, independent study, volunteering, travel, hobbies, and family experiences. Recognition is the award of academic credits, trade/occupational and/or professional certification, or promotion within the workplace. PLAR can be used to demonstrate competencies in all three learning venues: formal, non-formal & informal. ** Definitions used by OECD: Thematic Review of Adult Learning, 2002

  4. Recognized learning is like the tip of an iceberg Recognized Most learning exists below the surface where it is unrecognized and under-utilized. Unrecognized Formal 413,000 Canadians (foreign & Canadian credentials) Non-formal Informal 130,000-250,000 Canadians* *Brain Gain: The Economic Benefits of Recognizing Learning and Learning Credentials in Canada, Conference Board of Canada, 2001.

  5. Why PLAR is key to adult learning • Adult learners are the primary beneficiaries of PLAR • Adults have accumulated considerable knowledge and skills – “learning outcomes” that can be measured and valued • Adult learners need alternative approaches to traditional, classroom-based learning • PLAR offers the possibility of alternative paths to career mobility • PLAR opens up : • Accessibility – by helping to overcome financial and non-financial barriers • Mobility and portability – by recognizing knowledge and skills acquired in other settings

  6. PLAR is deeply embedded in the recognition of learning universe Mobility of labour market credentials FORMAL LEARNING - PROFESSIONS AND TRADES Recognition by Learning & Workplace venues Transferability of academic credits between institutions & across P/T boundaries PRIMARILY FORMAL LEARNING Recognition by Learning Institutions • Learning recognition leads to access & opportunity. • PLAR is a tool that can be applied in recognition processes. • Today’s reality heavily oriented to formal learning. • Workplace & life learning feed other elements. RECOGNITION OF LEARNING Recognition of workplace/life learning INFORMAL & NON-FORMAL LEARNING Recognition by Learning & Workplace venues Foreign Credential Recognition (FCR) FORMAL & NON-FORMAL LEARNING Recognition by Learning & Workplace venues

  7. Agencies Credential evaluation and assessment service providers Quality assurance agencies Non-governmental organizations (i.e. Canadian Association for Prior Learning Assessment, Halifax PLA Centre) PSE Associations & Institutions Association of Universities and Colleges Canada (AUCC) Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) Recognition Workplace Sector Councils Apprenticeship networks Regulatory bodies Employers Government Council of Ministers of Education Canada (CMEC) Forum of Labour Market Ministers (FLMM) HRSDC (leading on PLAR), CIC, Industry Canada Many stakeholders are engaged

  8. Recognition by learning institutions PLAR LinkagesTransferability of academic credit Challenges • Transferability of partial degrees, diplomas is limited between Canadian PSE institutions – portability of PLAR credits even more restricted • Lack of a national framework for coordination and national body or council for learning recognition • Inter-provincial/territorial student mobility approximately 8%.

  9. Recognition by workplace & learning venues PLAR LinkagesMobility of labour market credentials Challenges • Credentials recognized in one jurisdiction are not always recognized in others, limiting mobility of workers in Canada. • Workers in over three-quarters of 51 regulated occupations in Canada have qualifications recognized across Canada. • More than 80% of workers in Canada are in non-regulated occupations; only the most innovative employers use PLAR.

  10. Recognition by workplace & learning venues PLAR LinkagesRecognition of foreign credentials Challenges • Individuals with foreign credentials face challenges in having their prior learning assessed and recognized for further employment and education opportunities. • In some occupations, FCR requires demonstration of relevant work experience to gain labour market access.

  11. Recognition by workplace & learning venues PLAR LinkagesRecognition of workplace & life learning Challenges • Informal & non-formal learning not assessed or recognized. • Barriers to learning: lack of employer support, conflicts with work schedules.

  12. Status of PLAR in Canada • PLAR has gained momentum in the last decade • PLAR was initially practiced in the college sector – now expanding to universities and into the workplace • But there is no sustaining national framework for PLAR • Governments agree in principle that PLAR is useful, but in practice PLAR is uneven and fragmented across the country

  13. National PLAR leadership: Key elements Policy • Use of national occupational standards • Development of national policy and standards for PLAR (i.e. rigorous outcomes-based assessments within a flexible approach) • Consensus on national adult learning principles (i.e. focus on learning outcomes) Application • Support and funding • Trained and certified PLAR practitioners • Workplace orientation • Institutional & employer support and promotion

  14. Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC): Actions Three-pronged strategy: • Build recognition into Government of Canada practices and programs • Build tools, knowledge & awareness • Build recognition of workplace learning

  15. Building Tools, Knowledge and Awareness Build Recognition of Workplace Learning Aboriginal Programming CBoC: National Credit Review Service Pilot CMEC PLAR Project Recognizing Learning Conference, Winnipeg Mount Royal College- PLAR for Nurses PLA in EAS Across Canada Adult Learners’ Week Portfolio development for HRSD & CCRA employees PLAR for Foreign-Educated Midwives Athabasca University -PLAR for Human Services Study: Adult Learning Principles & HRSD CAPLA - National Standards Upper Canada District School Board – PLAR Current HRSDC PLAR Initiatives Build Recognition into Government of Canada Practices and Programs FNTI - Adult Learning Principles Pilot-PLA in EAS in N.S. Region Youth at Risk Leadership in PLA Persons with Disabilities Completed In progress Centre for Education & Work – PLAR for labour market transitions Under development Longer-term • Some past projects: • Feedback from Learners: A Cross-Canada Study of PLAR • Association of Registrars of the Universities and Colleges of Canada • PLA Centre Impact Evaluation Study

  16. Select PLAR Initiatives - Highlights • Prior Learning Assessment Centre, Halifax: Developing and testing portfolio development processes at Employment Assistance Services agencies in Nova Scotia. Outcome: Help the unemployed re-integrate into the labour market. • Mount Royal College, Calgary: Testing new PLAR tools and approaches to ladder licensed practical nurses and foreign trained nurses into registered nursing practice in Canada. Outcome:Accelerate graduation and integration of nurses into the labour force. • Conference Board of Canada: Researching and demonstrating assessment and recognition of workplace learning through credit review service. Campus Canada a partner. Outcome: Opportunities for a critical mass of workers to obtain PSE qualifications while training on the job.

  17. Select PLAR Initiatives – Highlights (continued) • Canadian Association for Prior Learning Assessment (CAPLA) • National voice for prior learning assessment and recognition; (operating since 1994; incorporated in 1997 as a non-profit organization) • Members are comprised of adult learners, PLA practitioners, unions, businesses, academic institutions, equity groups, occupational bodies, sectors and non-governmental organizations. • Recognition For Learning (RFL) projecthttp://recognitionforlearning.ca/index.php • Online community of practice dedicated to PLAR (developmental funding from federal government) • Goals are to: • advance the assessment and recognition of learning; and • promote the improvement of PLAR practice in Canada.

  18. Next Steps • Build national PLAR standards, applicable to both workplace and learning • Develop national coordination and information hub: PLAR forum, virtual clearinghouse of information • Develop national PLAR tools and processes: more needed for workplace entities • Learn from other countries’ experiences

  19. Contact Information:Kerry Lynn LakePolicy Analyst & Labour Mobility Coordinator LabourMobility Section, Foreign Credential Recognition DivisionHuman Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRDSC)5e étage, Phase IV, 140 Promenade du Portage Gatineau (Secteur Hull), Québec K1A 0J9Tel. (819) 934-5608 Fax: (819) 953-7180 Email: kerrylynn.lake@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca**************************Analyste en politique et Coordinatrice de la mobilité de la main d'oeuvreMobilité de la main d'oeuvre, Reconnaissance des titres de compétences étrangersRessources humaines et Développement des compétences Canada5e étage, Phase IV, 140 Promenade du Portage Gatineau (Secteur Hull), Québec K1A 0J9Tel. (819) 934-5608 Fax: (819) 953-7180 Email: kerrylynn.lake@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca

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