The process of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) in higher education is an initiative that enhances the ability of businesses to improve their skills, thereby augmenting aspects such as competitiveness, productivity, and innovation. This learning strategy enables workers to re-enter education by acknowledging their existent knowledge from their professional experience, life knowledge, or earlier training and granting them credits for it.
The RPL approach now gives individuals, who might not match the standard entry requirements, the chance to participate in a variety of academic programs. It could offer students an exclusion from particular modules of a program or permit them entry at a higher level.
Currently, the Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin) is spearheading efforts to promote collaboration between universities and industries, such as widening access routes. The Enterprise Academy, a multidisciplinary commercial unit focused on pioneering innovative talent enhancement strategies for workplace learners, is leading the RPL initiative.
The Enterprise Academy devises adaptable, expandable and accredited solutions that respond to the unique skill requirements of businesses of all sizes and industries. Among the key elements they address are drivers of change like innovation, leadership, digital transformation, and initiatives towards sustainability.
Claire Mc Bride, the head of TU Dublin’s Enterprise Academy, highlights their active involvement with the industry to ascertain and rank the important skills needed at any given moment. The Academy receives support from the Higher Education Authority’s Human Capital Initiative, aiming to enhance the ability of higher education to accommodate the future skills requirements.
In their effort to encourage lifelong learning in the workforce, the Academy is currently devising various accredited educational solutions including RPL. To achieve this objective, they are directly interacting with large-scale employers, Skillnet sectoral business networks, and trade and industry representative organisations.
Their mission is to promote several routes into higher education for experienced learners from a variety of sectors, including but not limited to pharmaceuticals, the creative and cultural sectors, and aviation finance.
One effective method to create these pathways is to utilise competency frameworks to evaluate a person’s workplace learning and map it against academic qualifications. An example of this practice is that the Enterprise Academy is working with Ireland’s Screen Industry, who released a competency framework in 2022.
“From 2019 onwards, film productions in Ireland that take advantage of Revenue section 481 tax incentives have been required to offer real skills development opportunities via structured on-set learning. In collaboration with Screen Ireland, TU Dublin is assisting by spotting potential situations in which to validate learning on the job.
In order to open avenues for crew members to pursue further education, the Enterprise Academy is in the process of developing a BA degree in Screen Industry Practice, in conjunction with the School of Media. This programme is open to applications from experienced industry professionals, who upon successful assessment of their skills, can gain accelerated entry.
This represents significant progress for those employed in the screen industry, as it enables them to substantiate their professional expertise with an official qualification.
In a fully employed Ireland, the attraction, recruitment, and preservation of talent proves challenging for businesses. Enhancing employees’ skills can be beneficial in these regards.
Mc Bride states, “How to lure and keep competent personnel is certainly a task for businesses. The crucial question is how academic institutions can facilitate businesses in attracting, retaining, developing and nurturing their workforce. RPL, in this regard, is a vital resource in the toolkit”.
By cultivating ties with higher education establishments, companies can secure accreditation for their employees’ previous learnings as an integral part of their academic credentials. For the individuals involved, such qualifications can not only substantiate their years of proficiency academically, but also progress their career, facilitate access to additional high-level qualifications, or even shift into new ones.
It also enables individuals to feel confident about their competence. RPL steers learners towards their suitable place in the National Framework of Qualifications, whether at the simplest Level 1 certificate or a more advanced level.
Under the title of Head of Discipline at TU Dublin’s School of Media, Dr. Mary Ann Bolger is fully engaged in establishing the new screen industry practice degree.
A similar RPL degree in Journalism was previously offered by the school, which allowed several seasoned journalists to upgrade their journalism diploma to a degree, due to the credits awarded for learned skills combined with in-depth research and reflexive observation. The new BA aims to appeal to a wider demographic, inviting applications from those without any official qualifications to those on a diploma level.
More than 50 journalists have undertaken this, some progressing to commit to a master’s programme in various fields such as the Irish language, business, creative digital media and creative writing.”
Certain journalism degree holders from RPL have transitioned into academia or public relations roles, with some even stepping up to leadership positions within their respective organisations. RPL’s approach centres around acknowledging prior hands-on learning as a way to bridge the gap between academia and the industry by harnessing their individual strengths, explains Bolger.
She acknowledges that many currently working in screen industries excel in their craft despite lacking formal qualifications for various reasons. TU Dublin’s School of Media has established a strong relationship with Screen Ireland, Ireland’s national development agency supervising the film, television and animation industries – and from 2023, gaming. This relationship ensures that their training courses adhere to the skills required by the industry and guarantees their accreditation.
Screen Ireland has worked collaboratively with the Guilds and other key players to create comprehensive competency frameworks. This gives TU Dublin a firm basis on which to evaluate on-the-job learning within this sector. Bolger affirms that such initiatives, aimed at providing RPL benefits to skilled workers, are beneficial across any industry. TU Dublin is committed to establishing itself at the crossroads of academia and industry, using the Enterprise Academy as a platform for this endeavour.
Regarding the upskilling of screen industries, Colman Farrell, head of skills and professional development at Screen Ireland, asserts that industries in Ireland must enhance their skills to stay in the game. As new technologies, platforms and means of content engagement emerge, the industry must adapt and evolve, he explains.
However, the shift in the production environment extends beyond this aspect. Farrell emphasises that the inflow of streamers demanding more value for money post-pandemic is altering the industry landscape further. He notes that for them, skills enhancement is not merely about survival but about progress at both individual and organisational levels to maintain competitiveness. Farrell concludes by indicating that this industry demands an amalgamation of creative, financial, business and technological competencies, making it multifaceted and dynamic.
Broadly speaking, we as a community are shifting from an educational structure where we terminate learning after school or university, towards embracing continual education throughout our lives. For industries that necessitate skill-based amelioration, such as the screen industries, on-site learning is a familiar concept. However, recognition of prior learning (RPL) plays a significant role in this transition. It aids individuals at every stage of their existence and professional progression to continually enhance their expertise. This approach is directed towards the fusion of education and commerce working collectively as allies.