Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL): Glass half full or
half empty
RPL by
definition and common understanding across the globe is the process
of formally recognising a candidate’s previous achievements from a range of
activities, towards part of a qualification and not just a skill certiļ¬cation component
to enable Indian youth to take on industry relevant skill certification which
will help them to secure a better livelihood as described in the skill
development’s flagship scheme PMKVY. The Government has laid great emphasis on
RPL that is why 72.5% target allocation of PMKVY 3.0 is in favour of RPL,
however, corresponding efforts to strengthen the system to deliver this
component requires attention.
There are
guidelines on different types of RPL, to be precise 5, and may be these are
more extensive than the ones available in any other country, however,
implementation gaps exist which restrict the RPL process to reach its full
potential. The most important activity in RPL process is counselling and evidence collection
to establish the base knowledge and skills of the applicant, which in most of
the 5 types of RPL has been left to the weakest link in the Indian Skills value
chain, ie the Trainer. Maybe in current circumstances, there is limited
alternative, however no visible effort is being made to substitute the trainer
with a trained and certified skills counsellor.
The evidence to
support the knowledge and skills of the applicant must confirm that the person
has shown competence over a period of time and can work under different
conditions. It is this segment of the process which make RPL assessment more
deliberate and time consuming when compared to summative assessment after a
regular training cycle. The trainer even after undergoing the Training of
Trainers (TOT) capsule does not experience this aspect. It is not advisable to
have a fixed list of evidence that must be produced by the potential candidate,
since majority of candidates will be from the unorganised sector, however, it
is important to possess an indicative list of evidences that describe /
showcase / demonstrate the current level of the candidate. The trainer /
assessor / counsellor must be competent enough to extract the current level and
document it as a base evidence in case the candidate is unable to produce valid
documents.
Ideally, RPL
should be focussed on the “individual” candidate and the entire process must
assist the individual to bridge the skill gap, if any. Practically, this
individual must become a part of the group / batch where different candidates may
require different competency enhancements to achieve the desired level of the qualification,
hence, enough flexibility must be available with the training provider to
customise the bridge course content for every batch, if required. The course
content and all changes must be supported by RPL evidence gathered for the
batch. It is this key aspect that the
RPL monitoring team must focus on, in addition to other administrative aspects.
The PMKVY 3.0
data on the portal shows 89.9% certified against the total numbers assessed.
This indicates that either our candidate selection process for RPL is very evolved
or the assessment process is lenient. Correspondingly, different impact studies
for RPL under PMKVY 2.0 indicate a positive outcome with about 35% to 47% surveyed
candidates acknowledging an increase in earnings.
RPL can be a
game changer, however, to harness its full potential, the process requires
strengthening. Currently, it is a case of a glass half full or half empty. The
fact is that it is still half and requires conscious and consistent effort to
make it full.
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