Information for RTO's and Assessors

What is Skills Recognition?

Skills Recognition is the term used to describe a number of assessment processes resulting in the formal recognition of competencies that a person has acquired through formal or informal training, work experience and/or life experience.

A key principle of Skills Recognition is acceptance that an individual may gain competencies from many sources, including:

• Courses/training programs undertaken in Australia
• Courses/training programs undertaken overseas
• Paid or unpaid work experience
• Community or voluntary work
• Life experience (eg. travel, hobbies, home duties and caring duties)

Assumptions

• Significant learning occurs outside of the classroom
• Adults acquire knowledge, skills and abilities through many means of formal and informal study, life and work experiences
• Practices which force adults to repeat learning which they have already mastered are inefficient, costly and unnecessary