How Recognition of Prior Learning will make your 'informal' skills and competencies more visible

John Paul*, an orphan who lived with his ailing grandmother, went to a local school for his education. It was a struggle to stay in school because most of the time he did not have the basic requirements like books and pens. There was not enough food either. 

However, John Paul was determined to make it in life. Unfortunately, his grandmother could only support him up to Class Eight, as she became bedridden. It was now John Paul’s responsibility to take care of her.

John Paul thought of what he could do to make some money and possibly change the course of his life.

One day while at the marketplace, he heard about opportunities for manual work in construction, in the neighbouring town. He got as much information as he could and decided to go try his luck. He shared his plans with his grandmother, who blessed him and allowed him to travel. John Paul made arrangement with his neighbour to take care of his grandmother while he was away.

He got to the neighbouring town and started looking for the manual work he had heard about. It was not easy at first, since he did not know anything in the construction industry. 

To fit in quickly, John Paul took up extra duties. He worked late and asked his colleagues and supervisors to guide him where he did not understand. Within a short time, he had acquired much knowledge and skills. 

Later as a result of his hard work, many foremen in the town would seek his services.  This gave him an opportunity to improve on the skills he had acquired.  He learnt how to mix the cement ratios, how to lay blocks, how to plaster, and even how to lay tiles. 

He realised he liked the plastering and laying of tiles, as they gave him an opportunity to showcase his artistic side.

JP, as his peers would address him, kept perfecting his skills. Within two years, he had become an expert in plastering and laying of tiles. He had graduated to bidding for contracts on his own and his name preceded him.  

One day, he heard about opportunities in construction in a neighbouring country. Given it was within East Africa, he did not need a passport but a simple pass to cross the border. However, he learnt that the country needed proof of his work before he could access the opportunities. He was in a dilemma. As much as he was an expert in plastering and tile laying, he had no certificate to support this. 

What could JP and a number of his friends who had found themselves in similar predicaments do?  They would often discuss their options but they couldn't figure out concrete solutions. 

Then one day as they were listening to the radio, a talk show started and by coincidence, it was a discussion about Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). What luck! They had just ‘bumped’ into a solution to their dilemma.

JP’s story is just one of similar situations that affect about 83.7 percent of workers in the informal sector. Among them are experienced plumbers, motor vehicle mechanics, woodworkers, tailors, welders, and many others who have only acquired their skills on the job.

Now with the introduction of RPL in Kenya, their knowledge can get formalised and recognised even beyond the country. But what is RPL? 

As the name suggests, this is a process that allows an individual to have the skills, knowledge, experience and expertise they have gained over the years outside the formal learning system, to be evaluated and recognised. 

JP and his friends had acquired many skills while doing manual work over the years, and all they needed to do was to get someone to evaluate their expertise and give them the certificate they could present for available job opportunities.

They found out that the Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA) could share more information on how to go about this. 

Kenya has a system where different skills and competencies have been clustered into levels. This provides a ready framework where anyone can have their skills and competencies evaluated and ranked based on their proven expertise. This gives them an opportunity to get a certificate that is recognised not only in Kenya, but across Africa and other parts of the world.  This is because the skills and competencies framework has been compared to the African and global frameworks.

The framework will only work for you if you take the step of getting your skills and competencies evaluated/assessed to enable you to know where you belong in that framework. 

Given that JP and his friends had acquired their skills and competencies in an informal set-up, they needed evidence of what they could do. They went back to their clients and sought for recommendation letters for the work they had done, sought permission to take pictures of the work and used these as evidence of their skills and competencies. They shared the information with KNQA.

JP and his friends were then guided on how to go about getting their competencies recognised.

1. They needed to apply for the skills and competencies they felt they could be evaluated on and could practically showcase their ability.
2. Once they had applied, they would be linked with someone who would guide them through the process and advise on how many skills and competencies they could be evaluated on. They would also be advised if the skills and competencies they possessed would lead to a full or part qualification. A full qualification meant they had showcased everything needed in that field, while part qualification meant they still needed to obtain more knowledge. 
3. Upon successful guidance, they were asked to confirm if they were willing to go ahead and get evaluated in the skill-sets they had settled for? They agreed and were advised on how to prepare for the assessment/evaluation, which was a practical way of looking at how they could demonstrate their abilities. They were told that if one, for instance, claimed they could plaster, they would be assigned a plastering test and an expert in the plastering field would observe them to assess their skill. 
4. On the D-day, they came for the evaluation and found each skill area had three assessors. They were briefed on why the process required three examiners. One represented the industry to ensure they would perform the work if employed. A second assessor would evaluate their technical knowledge in the skill – their understanding of why they did what they did. For instance, one would need to explain why the ratio of the plastering mixture was different from the one of laying blocks; why the sand used was also different. The third assessor was an RPL practitioner to observe and ensure that the assessment was fair.
5. Once they were done with the assessment, which took two days, they were given their results. JP and some of his friends had scored above average, but there were a few who had not scored well. Those in this group were advised on where the gaps were and how they could remedy the shortcomings and come back for re-assessment.

JP and his friends who managed to pass were awarded certificates indicating their qualifications. Subsequently, they were able to pursue the opportunities they had sought in the neighbouring country. They further expanded their services to other African countries because their certificates were recognised across the continent.

In addition to enhancing employability, RPL can also help you achieve the following:

• Re-enter the job market: Assuming you lost your job at one point and had to take up other tasks to put food on the table. If you feel what you have been doing is good enough to get evaluated on, please do so and be advised.
• Employability:  RPL improves your chances of getting employed, be it in Kenya or elsewhere in the continent and abroad. This is because the certificates are recognised through the skills and competencies framework that is accepted globally.
• Mobility:  Just like JP and his friends, one can cross borders and offer their services where the opportunities are available.
• Career progression: Getting certified on the skills and experience you have gained outside your academic certificate enhances your chances of moving up the chosen career ladder.
• Transfer of skills back home: Have you worked outside the country, such as taking up a caregiver job elsewhere? Upon return, you can get your new skills and competencies assessed and awarded a certificate to show that you can deliver on that job.
• Social inclusion and equity:  You may be in self-employment and have gained expertise over time. You may not wish to seek employment, but the RPL process provides you an opportunity to get your expertise recognised in society.

As you read this, you might think that RPL is only for persons who have acquired skills and competencies in manual work. Well, RPL provides an opportunity to anyone who has acquired any work knowledge that can be assessed and qualification awarded via a certificate. The following can apply for certification/qualification award via the RPL process.

Probably you are also wondering that other than KNQA, where else could you get information about RPL? There are a number of Qualifications Awarding Institutions (QAIs) that have been given the mandate to assess you and give you a certificate. The QAIs that currently provide qualifications under the RPL process are:

• The National Industrial Training Authority (NITA), which works closely with the industry; employers; Kenya National Federation of Jua Kali Associations (KNFJKA); and Vocational Training Institutes. 
• TVET-CDACC through Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions.

The industry works closely with the QAIs to ensure the assessment looks at what the employers need in the workplace to enable smooth transition when one gets employed. They provide the quality assurance mechanism to ensure the process is always consistent and fair.

Professional bodies also ensure that persons assessed are evaluated based on the current trends in any specific profession, hence enhancing their chances of employability.

You can reach out to any of the QAIs to get more information on how you may have your skills and competencies recognised.  

RPL makes your skills and competencies visible.

*John Paul is not a real name.

Should you need further clarification, please write to KNQA via [email protected] or [email protected]. You can also follow KNQA on its Facebook page @KenyaRPL.