Webinar Recording: RPL: What IS the Professional Conversation?

Recorded on 23/10/2019 as part of National VET PD Week, a Professional Conversation, when used appropriately in RPL, has the opportunity to gather ‘direct evidence’. It enables the candidate to identify how they have ‘applied’ their knowledge in a practical situation. So how do we accurately conduct and record the Professional Conversation? Find out in this webinar.

Please note that the revised Standards for Registered Training Organisations were publicly released on 1 October 2024 and will come into full regulatory effect from 1 July 2025.

The Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015 will continue to apply until then.

This webinar recording refers to, and is based on, the requirements for the current regulatory environment.

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Topic overview:

A professional conversation, when used appropriately, has the opportunity to gather ‘direct evidence’ through oral questioning. A professional conversation therefore enables the candidate to provide a clear response to questions on how they have ‘applied’ their knowledge in a practical situation in the workplace.

RPL candidates for any training product are ‘legitimately presenting as competent’ if the RTO has supplied them with clear information for them to complete a self-assessment of their existing skills, knowledge and experience gained through formal, informal or non-formal learning. The development approach used to create the self-assessment criteria is central to the validity of the information received from the candidate as it reflects, in summary form, the requirements of each unit of competency in the qualification.

This concept of candidates ‘legitimately presenting as competent’ is central to a ‘user-friendly approach’ to making an RPL assessment judgement. The approach provides an opportunity for the assessor to engage in a professional conversation with the candidate to gather ‘direct evidence’ about how they have applied their knowledge in the workplace

It can also substantially reduce the amount of paperwork that candidates are often required to gather prior to the commencement of an RPL assessment.

What was covered in the session:

• Creating a self-assessment that supports a professional conversation.
• ‘Mapping’ the self-assessment and the professional conversation questions to the units of competency.
• Writing the professional conversation questions in a manner that provides direct evidence of the candidate’s performance in the workplace and reduces the amount of paperwork traditionally required to be compiled by the candidate.
• Recording the candidate’s responses succinctly whilst still enabling the assessor’s professional judgement to be clearly identified in the record of assessment.
• Determining any need for subsequent assessment of practical skills.
• Identifying gaps and using the skills of an assessor to determine if they are gaps in evidence or gaps in skills and knowledge.

Webinar content targeted towards:

• Trainers and Assessors
• Heads of Faculty/Department/Area Managers
• Private Individuals
• Curriculum Developers/L&D Managers
• RTO Managers
• Compliance Managers

Webinar duration: 60 minutes

Bio of presenter:

John Price has been an educator and trainer for over 40 years and in that time has worked as a Head of Department at TAFE, mentor, facilitator of national workshops covering delivery and assessment, risk management, auditing, leadership and interpersonal skill development.

John has been a keynote speaker at conventions and conferences, and maintained a grass roots level approach to dealing with people at all levels of the organisation.

He has also assisted over 300 organisations in Australia to achieve quality certification to the range of National Training Standards including: Standards for NVR Registered Training Organisations (versions 2012 and 2015); Australian Quality Training Framework standards (AQTF from 2001 – 2010) Australian and International ISO9001 standards (AS/NZS and ISO from 1987 – 2008) and worked with these organisations in establishing continuous improvement systems and strategies.

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