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Portfolio Procedure

There are several ways to be assessed, one of which is through submitting a portfolio of all kinds of documents that show that you have met the current standards.

ACAS then verifies the portfolio and assesses you. You may combine the portfolio assessment with other kinds of assessment, and it is required when writing skills are part of the outcomes.

A challenge test approach
Another way

Step 1. Reflect on your experience

What have you already learnt through your life and work experience? What have you done?

At a more personal level, some people (especially those who have been out of the workforce for a while) might need to look at their self-esteem, confidence, and fears.

Step 2. Orientation to the requirements

At this stage, you need to look at the relevant standards used in RPL assessments. As there are many options, you might need advice to select the qualification or statement of attainment that is right for you, and any optional and extra units that you think suit what you have learnt

Get the full competency statement.

• Units of endorsed (government owned) courses, are available at www.ntis.gov.au (Put the unit number from the courses page into the search engine to find a unit.)
• Units of ACAS-owned courses are available from the coordinator of the relevant ACAS program.
• Please read the units carefully. If you need help interpreting them, please ask your coordinator.
• Note: Some qualifications, especially those with hundreds of options and/or many different streams, include units that ACAS cannot assess.

A good approach is to form a group to meet with the ACAS to:

• get an explanation of the purpose of RPL
• discuss the requirements and relate them to various situations.
• identify any gaps and decide out if or how you might fill them.

Step 3. Apply to ACAS

Do some paperwork. Fill in the application form. (MS Word file) and pay admission and preliminary assessment fees.

When you have been accepted, your ACAS admissions officer can give you a URL to access the ACAS website for your program.

Step 4. Describe what you have learnt

Describe what you have learnt verbally, and write it in your CV form and/or self-assessment form. You might benefit from discussion with an ACAS assessor. Here's a CV form (MS Word file)

Then revise and polish these documents so they are more useful for the assessment process. For example, you may want to expand on important topics that you thought were important, and give less space to those that cannot be verified.

Step 5. ACAS recommends units

ACAS uses the CV and questionnaire to list:

• units that suit what you have learnt, and,
• units that you might take as your next upward step.

At this stage, you may also need to decide whether to simply run with the assessment or to take assessment of additional units.

Step 6. Gather and assemble your portfolio

Gather your portfolio of documents that show that you have met the competencies.

Then assemble your portfolio.

Step 7. ACAS processes your assessment

ACAS will inform you of any other assessment requirements:

• This will normally include an interview and/or a reference directly from your organization. It will not be an ordinary reference but will refer specifically to each element.
• Assessments of some practical skills might also require an onsite visit to your workplace.

ACAS verifies your portfolio, assesses you, and then issues you an assessment. This is the final assessment unless you have chosen to take extra units by later on. If deficiencies are minor, the assessor may permit adjustments but will not conduct a full second assessment. You can appeal if you think the assessment result is unfair.

Step 8. Graduate

Receive your graduation diploma, transcript, advanced placement, or admission into a higher qualification.