A NATIONAL project is calling on Limerick lifelong learners to use their life skills to forge a pathway back into education.
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is a national initiative aiming to support people to get back into education using their work experience to forge a more flexible pathway to higher education.
Funded by the Higher Education Authority and Human Capital Initiative, RPL allows learners to gain access to higher education courses based on their prior learning, whether it’s formal, non-formal or experiential.
By the time the project finishes in 2025, it is estimated that up to 15,000 people will have been supported by it, including many from under-represented backgrounds.
Caoimhe Ní Riain, RPL Lead at the University of Limerick (UL), said that the programme increased accessibility to further education for many people.
“At UL, we see RPL being used to access courses such as Music Therapy, Health and Safety, Guidance Counselling, and lots more.
“RPL addresses societal challenges like skills gaps and the need to enhancing social mobility and inclusion,” Ms Ní Riain said.
Anne Griffin, RPL Project Lead at Technological University of the Shannon, said that the initiative is helping to address skills shortages in the workplace.
“RPL is a useful tool to address skills shortages in the workforce. There are examples of how this has been done for cohorts of learners, but the practice is not widespread yet,” she said.
Dr Ciara Staunton, the Director of the National RPL Project, added that the organisation “hopes to raise awareness that work and life experience hold valuable recognition in higher education. We encourage individuals to explore RPL as a meaningful pathway toward achieving their qualifications.”
