In 2008 we conducted a Flexible Learning project supported by the Western Australian Framework titled “Organisational Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) for indigenous Australians”. The aim of the project was to improve access for Aboriginal care workers and management at Guwardi Ngadu Frail Aged Hostel in Fitzroy Crossing and a partner organisation, Nindilingarri Cultural Health Service (NCHS) Home and Community Care (HACC). The Distance Learning Australia (DLA) project focussed on developing a framework which would allow RPL for 13 units of competency from the Certificate III Aged Care and Community Care courses to be offered online.
- Find out more about RPL here.
Guwardi Ngadu Frail Aged Hostel has approximately 26 staff members. The mission of Guwardi Ngadu is to provide a high quality, culturally appropriate Aged Care Facility for the residents of the Fitzroy Valley. The specific target group for this project was care workers and management.
Before the project began, several barriers to RPL were identified with our clients at a meeting involving the CEO of Distance Learning Australia, the IT Manager at DLA and Guwardi Ngadu management and staff. For those staff with existing skills and knowledge appropriate to all or part of the standards RPL is often overlooked due to:
- remoteness and lack of strategy making it difficult for management and staff to access expertise and help
- the lack of research into RPL at organisational level
- barriers to the use of existing RPL documentation due to language and cultural issues
- lack of systems or structures to enable efficient reporting and collection of data