BC Prior Learning Action Network News

CAPLA Information Session: Wednesday March 15th

BCPLAN — Sat, 04 Mar 2023 05:00:00 GMT

We will be holding an open information session on Wednesday 15 March 12.00-13.30 (eastern) to discuss with you how CAPLA can best support you in the important work that you do. We would really appreciate your valuable input on 2 main questions:

1. What training needs, interests or topics would you find the most useful in 2023-2024?

a. For example, assessment, advising, Indigenous RPL, self-assessment, transfer credits, educating employees & employers on RPL…?

2. Would you like to meet online regularly to share RPL/PLAR topics of interest with colleagues during free Zoom sessions?

a. How often, at what time?

b. What format? For example, discussion, presentation, panel discussion, troubleshooting, flexible topics…?

The meeting will be on Zoom on Wednesday 15 March 12.00-13.30 at this link. Come and join us for as long as you can or send us your ideas via email at info@capla.ca if you can’t attend. We are looking forward to your involvement as we plan our professional development activities for the next year.

Best regards,

CAPLA Education & Training (E&T) Committee

Liz Nicholas, Mackenzie Bartlett, Paula Romanow, Gary McNeely, Bonnie Kennedy, Andy Brown

Episode 3 - PLAR at New Brunswick Community College, and more, with Mackenzie Bartlett and Patrick Reinartz

BCPLAN — Wed, 18 May 2022 20:29:15 GMT

In this episode we have been joined by Mackenzie Bartlett, RPL Coordinator, and Patrick Reinartz, RPL Coordinator, of New Brunswick Community College.

The episode has lots of great tools and resources to take PLAR programs to the next level, improve PLAR service delivery levels, and many more!

Listen to the episode on www.bcplan.ca!

PLAR Industry Update - Association of BC Forest Professionals - Spring 2022

BCPLAN — Tue, 03 May 2022 20:17:05 GMT

In this industry update we have been joined by Chi Cejalvo, RD, a Deputy Director, Registration, of the Association of BC Forest Professionals.

Join us as we learn about how the association utilizes PLAR to assess credentials of internationally-trained applicants and graduates of non-accredited programs for forestry professionals in BC.

Listen to the industry update.

PLAR Industry Update - The BC Association for Crane Safety - Winter 2022

BCPLAN — Thu, 03 Mar 2022 21:04:05 GMT

Check out our latest industry update with Fraser Cocks, a former Executive Director of the BC Association for Crane Safety.

Winter 2022 Newsletter - Recent developments in BC PLAR

BCPLAN — Wed, 23 Feb 2022 21:11:05 GMT

Wondering what the BC PLAR industry has been up to for the past quarter? Looking for some professional development events in PLAR? Or simply would like to network with fellow PLAR practitioners?

To find answers to the above questions and more check out our Winter 2022 newsletter!

Report from the Chair - Winter 2022

BCPLAN — Wed, 23 Feb 2022 21:01:01 GMT

Fellow PLAR Practitioners,

Welcome to 2022! We hope you had an opportunity for a holiday filled with rest, relaxation and time with your loved ones.

Since the last newsletter, BCPLAN has continued advocating for PLAR and building new partnerships in BC. We concluded 2021 with a PLAR Mingle which was a great success and a networking opportunity for PLAR practitioners joining us from around the province, Canada, and even international practitioners! We are looking forward to the next PLAR Mingle at the end of 2022, and until then, we have some great updates to share with you.

It is worth noting, we have joined Learning Agents Inc. and DP+A Associates to conduct research on options for PLAR and micro-credentials in BC as part of a research project for BCcampus. The project completion date is scheduled for March 31, 2022. Watch for an update in our next newsletter. In addition, as part of this research we were able to update most of the information in PLAR Options, Processes and Credit Allowances in BC, a research project conducted for BCCAT in 2019.

The PLAR Podcast continues its steady growth! The second episode was just released, featuring an interview with Justine Arsenault, Program Planning Analyst with BCIT’s SITE Centre, on military PLAR. We have also welcomed Natalie Deveaux, Assessment Services Coordinator at North Island College in Courtenay, as a co-host of the podcast. Please listen to the second episode on our website or follow the podcast on Apple or Google podcasts.

We are also happy to share that we have welcomed new members to the Sustainability & Partnerships and Communications & Advocacy committees. In addition, while BCPLAN membership has a strong representation from major BC post-secondary institutions, we saw an opportunity for growth by increasing the representation from industry associations. The Sustainability & Partnerships committee is set to build strategies to develop such partnerships in 2022.

Professional Development wise, we are developing two sessions for February-March, and will be excited share more details once the registration is open! Please stay tuned for membership communications from info@bcplan.ca.

Last but not least, please visit the PLAR Navigator Portfolios page for new career profiles for occupations in BC recently added to the website.

On this note, I would like to conclude this report with a feeling of gratitude and appreciation of all the efforts by our members, BCPLAN Board of Directors and the two committees – Sustainability & Partnerships and Communications & Advocacy, to continuously support and advocate for PLAR in BC.

Best regards,
Susan Forseille

Episode 2 - Military PLAR at British Columbia Institute of Technology with Justine Arsenault

BCPLAN — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 21:06:14 GMT

Episode 2 - Military PLAR at British Columbia Institute of Technology with Justine Arsenault

In this episode we have been joined by Justine Arsenault, a Program Planning Analyst with British Columbia Institute of Technology’s (BCIT) SITE Centre, to talk about Military PLAR at BCIT.

In addition, we have also welcomed Natalie Deveaux, Assessment Services Coordinator at North Island College in Courtney, BC, as a co-host of the podcast!

Listen to the episode on www.bcplan.ca

Season's Greetings

BCPLAN — Wed, 22 Dec 2021 22:08:16 GMT

On behalf of BC Prior Learning Action Network, we are wishing you a very happy holiday season and a prosperous New Year! #PLAR #RPL #Holidays

Report from the Chair - Fall 2021

BCPLAN — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 18:30:00 GMT

Quarterly Report from the Chair

Greetings our dear members,

It is always a great pleasure to provide an update on recent developments at BCPLAN and the advocacy work that the Action Network is conducting to further solidify and promote PLAR in British Columbia.

To begin with, we opened the Fall season with a webinar on tools and strategies in the assessment of prior learning. The webinar had a total of 47 registrants. Moreover, we had an 80% attendance and an 88% participant retention rates throughout the webinar, adding another success to BCPLAN’s track record.

With the rapid re-entry of micro-credentials in the education market in the province, we have also contracted a consultant to develop a white paper to be used for various audiences when applying for funding, focusing on the weaving of micro-credentials and PLAR. More details to come in the near future.

As always, I am excited to share some updates on the exceptional work BCPLAN members have been working on this past quarter:

Sustainability and Partnerships

The committee has been conducting activities to engage new members to sustain growth and support of PLAR as a profession.
We have reached out to diverse stakeholders to present at upcoming webinars and professional development events at BCPLAN. Please visit www.bcplan.ca/events to stay up-to-date with the upcoming events.
Due to recent growth over the past few years, BCPLAN is conducting a Strategic Planning Meeting to assess progress made and set goals for advocacy and growth of PLAR in BC.
One of the center pieces of current projects is the development of Indigenous PLAR initiative with a focus on decolonizing PLAR. Stay tuned for more details.

Communications and Advocacy

Organized a series of webinars in October and November. More events are being finalized and will be published on the website soon.
BCPLAN continues with its advocacy for PLAR and works with adult learners to share their PLAR success stories as a way to demonstrate tangible benefits of this field.
We are excited to officially launch our podcast series – BCPLAN PLAR Podcast – where we will further delve into prior learning assessment and recognition. Please visit www.bcplan.ca/plar-podcast to listen to the first episode.

I would like to conclude this report by thanking BCPLAN Board of Directors, our committees, and especially you, our members, for your continued support of the Action Network. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any suggestions, comments, or questions regarding the work BCPLAN does.

Warm regards,

Susan Forseille

BCPLAN Fall 2021 Newsletter

BCPLAN — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 16:17:41 GMT

Looking for the latest updates on PLAR in BC? Check out the Fall 2021 newsletter! The newsletter has a new section with a short update from industry leaders in prior learning assessment and recognition!

BCPLAN Summer 2021 Newsletter

BCPLAN — Thu, 05 Aug 2021 15:02:04 GMT

Check out Summer 2021 newsletter for more information on recent developments in prior learning assessment and recognition.

Please also join us in welcoming the new Chair - Susan Forseille, Director of PLAR at Thompson Rivers University. Susan is a also strong advocate of PLAR in BC and across Canada.

BCPLAN Spring 2021 Newsletter

BCPLAN — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 16:30:00 GMT

Learn more about the latest updates at BCPLAN with Spring 2021 newsletter.

Click this link to read the newsletter.

Committee Report - Spring 2021

BCPLAN — Sun, 21 Mar 2021 17:30:00 GMT

Please find below an overview of the projects completed in the first quarter of 2021.

BCPLAN Partner Recruitment Campaign

We have identified and will be reaching out to over 50 new potential partners to build relationships for further advancement of PLAR and BCPLAN in the province. Included with our introduction will be an infographic on PLAR and an invitation to upcoming events.

Letter to the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training

Earlier in February, BC announced its plan on micro-credentials, launching a training program aimed at upgrading the existing and building new skills for workers in British Columbia. One other option to fast-track career development and re-skilling in BC can be PLAR. BCPLAN has prepared a Letter to the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training including an infographic. The package will be submitted to the Minister to spur further conversation on the benefits PLAR can bring during the economic recovery.

Website

We refreshed our website and gave it a new look! From webinars to a variety resources on PLAR, the new website now showcases a great collection of tools for PLAR practitioners and stakeholders. Please take a moment to explore www.bcplan.ca.

Webinars

We have also launched a two-part webinar series on economic benefits of PLAR as well as its applications in Career Advancement. Please check the upcoming events for more details and to register.

Social Media

There has been nothing but a steady growth in our social media presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. Follow us to stay current with news and recent developments in the world of PLAR.

We thank the BC PLAN Board members for the active support and are looking forward to the upcoming projects, which we will share with you in the next report!

2020 Notice of AGM

BCPLAN — Mon, 14 Sep 2020 17:00:00 GMT

Save the Date!

Register

BCPLAN Summit Keynote Presentation (By Doug Myers)

BCPLAN — Sun, 26 Jul 2020 23:30:00 GMT

Douglas Myers is Senior Associate with the PLA Centre and its former Executive Director (1996-2008). He has held academic and administrative appointments at several universities and was co-director with Mary Morrissey of a two-year CCL-sponsored study that led to the PLAR report Achieving Our Potential (2008).

View Doug’s keynote presentation from the BCPLAN 2010 Summit.

New issue of PLAO Journal Released

BCPLAN — Wed, 08 Jan 2020 19:00:00 GMT

Free to access, highlights of this issue are articles on “An examination of Prior Learning Assessment, Participation and Guidance at Four-Year Universities” (Matt Bergman and Stephen McCaskey) and “Implementing Prior Learning Assessment to Promote Adult College Completion” (Ashley Layne). There is also excellent information on current practices and an interview about “Thinking About Brains and PLA”.

https://www.plaio.org/index.php/home/issue/view/7

Achieving Our Potential: An Action Plan for Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) in Canada

BCPLAN — Thu, 14 Nov 2019 19:30:00 GMT

Excerpt from the report’s core argument:

“At the moment, we face, with few exceptions, a leadership vacuum in the recognition of prior and experiential learning in Canada. While we have a wealth of innovation, exemplary practice and positive outcomes developed over 30 years of demonstrations and evaluations, PLAR still lacks the strategic and sustained public policy commitment and the active sectoral support necessary to meet our current and future demographic realities.”

Full article (english)
Full article (francais)

Notice of AGM

BCPLAN — Wed, 08 May 2019 17:30:00 GMT

The BC Prior Learning Action Network will be holding its Annual General Meeting on Friday, June 14, 2019, following the BCPLAN Symposium at 2:30 pm at Kwantlen Polytechnic University Richmond Campus. At that time, a new membership fee structure will be introduced and ratified allowing organizational memberships.

Individual memberships are $100/year.
Proposed organizational membership fees are $300/year.

Until the new fee structure has been ratified, registration and membership fees for the Symposium are as posted, but after the AGM, members will have the opportunity to convert their membership to an organizational membership. With your direction, refunds and adjustments to membership may be made.

For example:

Janet works at ASPECT and registers for the BCPLAN Symposium and for an individual membership at $175.

Ten of Janet’s colleagues who also work at ASPECT, register for the Symposium one-day rate of $95.

Once the new organizational membership fees are ratified, Janet will be contacted to see if she would like to convert her membership to an organizational membership. Of course, Janet says “yes!” and BCPLAN does the following:

The $100 that Janet paid for an individual membership is applied toward the organizational membership for ASPECT.

The difference between the one-day rate and the member one-day rate is $20. The 10 colleagues from ASPECT will be given the choice for a refund of the difference, or have that amount applied to the organizational membership.

If Janet’s colleagues don’t want the $20 difference applied to the organizational membership, ASPECT would be invoiced for the difference between the individual membership and the organizational membership fee.

Symposium & AGM June 14, 2019

BCPLAN — Tue, 23 Apr 2019 17:30:00 GMT

Join Us for our Annual Symposium & AGM

Friday, June 14, 2019
Kwantlen Polytechnic University Richmond Campus

BC Prior Learning Action Network invites you as a prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR) stakeholder to attend our 2019 symposium and annual general meeting.

PLAR: Rhetoric or Reality is the focus of the symposium. Expert practitioners from various sectors of the economy will explain how they effectively use PLAR to help people select pathways to access further education and to advance in their careers and lives.

Membership + Symposium – $175
Symposium only – $95
Student registration – 50% off

New Quarterly Newsletter

BCPLAN — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 16:30:00 GMT

We are happy to announce that BCPLAN will be producing a quarterly newsletter to update you on our activities as well as resources and events happening in the PLAR world. Sign up now to receive our next edition by sending an email to info@bcplan.ca!

BC Plan RPL Snapshot 2018

BCPLAN — Wed, 19 Sep 2018 17:00:00 GMT

BCPLAN Snapshot Presentation 2018

An update on the state of RPL in British Columbia’s Post Secondary system and Trades/Industry systems, compliments of Lori Woods.

The 2018 Symposium was a success!

BCPLAN — Tue, 14 Aug 2018 14:30:00 GMT

Thank you to all who attended our event on June 22nd. We had over 30 people this year. If you have ideas for next year please send us an email!

Charles Joyner (Chair)

cjoyner@bcplan.ca

Tanis Sawkins (Secretary)

tsawkins@bcplan.ca

YouTube Channel coming soon!

BCPLAN — Thu, 02 Aug 2018 15:30:00 GMT

Check out our YouTube Channel! Coming Soon!

Now recruiting! Prior Learning Action Network Navigator

BCPLAN — Tue, 17 Apr 2018 18:00:00 GMT

Click here for more details.

Candidates should submit their Letter of Interest to cjoyner@bcplan.ca no later than September 5, 2018

PLIRC Document Database

BCPLAN — Wed, 16 Nov 2016 20:00:00 GMT

The PLIRC Document Database is an initiative of the Prior Learning International Research Centre (PLIRC) at Thompson Rivers University. Intended for scholars, practitioners, and policy-makers, the database provides a free, full-text resource of research-related documents in the area of prior learning assessment and recognition.

The database was made possible by the donation of basic software from Observal, a database recently established by EUCEN (European University Continuing Education Network) to the Canadian Institute for Recognizing Learning who in turn contributed the software to PLIRC. On-going support for the database comes from the community of researchers around the world, with financial support from Thompson Rivers University.

Prior Learning Assessment

BCPLAN — Wed, 10 Aug 2016 16:00:00 GMT

PLA resources allows students to earn credit toward a course or program offered by a post-secondary institution if they can demonstrate, through a systematic and valid assessment process, that the learning is equivalent to that which normally would be acquired through conventional study at the post-secondary level.

Recognition of Prior Learning

BCPLAN — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 18:30:00 GMT

Recognition of prior learning is an educational response to the need to widen
participation in education and training for economic advancement and social inclusion. See recent scholarly articles in Google Scholar.

Optimizing Canada’s Learning Recognition System

BCPLAN — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 17:30:00 GMT

Join the Conference Board of Canada on February 19, 2016 at 02:00 PM EST for this 60 minute webinar as they evaluate the state of Canadian learning recognition since the publication of the first Brain Gain study in 2001.

Based on the recently released study: Brain Gain 2015: The State of Canada’s Learning Recognition System, this session will explore how the country has adapted to our increasingly mobile workforce, and the consequences of not getting it right.

Canada has long been a country of mobile people. Among Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, Canada’s total immigration numbers trail only the United States and France; and relative to the size of its population, only Australia and Luxembourg. In 2011, immigrants represented 20.6 per cent of Canada’s population, the highest proportion among the G8 countries. In a typical year, Canada welcomes over 250,000 immigrants as permanent residents. Over a five-year period, almost 1 million Canadians move between provinces, often to pursue employment or education opportunities.

However, even with one of the most mobile workforces in the world in terms of international and interprovincial migration, Canada’s learning recognition system continues to be organized along provincial lines. In 2001, The Conference Board of Canada published Brain Gain: The Economic Benefits of Recognizing Learning and Learning Credentials in Canada. The study was the first to collect original data (via a household survey) from Canadians who had experienced challenges with learning recognition. At the time, we calculated that Canada would stand to gain between $4.1 and $5.9 billion through improved learning recognition.

CAPLA Webinar

BCPLAN — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 17:30:00 GMT

Learn more about CAPLA’S fourth and final webinar in the 2014-2016 series on quality assurance for the recognition of prior learning (RPL) and its implications for practice.

Now that the RPL QA MANUAL is complete, we want to showcase its contents, share ideas and discuss recommendations, to ensure all users have confidence in RPL processes.

This special session will provide:

Observations on the importance of recognizing prior learning in Canada and the urgency to ensure that quality systems are in place to foster the development of the RPL process
Illustrations on how the Manual can serve as a catalyst for organizational effectiveness and public policy direction to meet the needs of Canadians and newcomers
An overview of the Manual with special attention on its effectiveness for auditing, developing or improving existing human resource and RPL systems
Examples of how RPL is being successfully integrated into organizations and institutions to support and promote the development of individuals within the workforce

When: Thursday, January 28, 2016 at 12:00 noon (Eastern Standard Time)

Presenters: Susan Simosko, Susan Simosko Associates; Philip Mondor, President, Tourism HR Canada

Length: 60 minutes

Fee: The webinar is FREE but you are required to register HERE.

For more information contact the Webinar Secretariat at capla@agendamanagers.com or call 1-877-731-1333.

Please download your free copy of the Introduction to the MANUAL by clicking HERE, so you can review some of the MANUAL’s resources. You can also purchase a digital or print copy of the entire publication for as little as $50 by clicking HERE.

This webinar will be conducted in English.

Daryle Nagata talks about ITA’s Multiple Assessment Pathways

BCPLAN — Tue, 23 Sep 2014 22:30:00 GMT

The Pan Pacific’s Executive Chef, Daryle Nagata works as an assessor with the Multiple Assessment Pathways (MAP) project.

“In the restaurant industry, working under the old system of standardized written assessments, we had known for some time that the certification system wasn’t fully meeting the needs of the industry.” It’s true. Prior to the introduction of ITA’s MAP system, chefs were expected to pass traditional, one-dimensional tests in order to attain certification. “But how do you judge taste on a written exam?” Daryle asks. “So when a chef presented their certification with their resume, it was a start, but we still had a lot of work to do to determine if the chef met industry standards.”

“Of course, we still do our homework, you always have to when you hire someone, but knowing that a chef has been certified using Multiple Assessment Pathways, makes it a lot easier. We know that the chef’s skills have been evaluated in person by a trained assessor, and that’s worth a lot more than passing a written exam.

The program does not allow Daryle to assess members of his own team who are looking to further their certification, so he finds himself mentoring any of his team members with aspirations. “We want everyone to succeed and this program allows me to be a part of their success. It inspires people.”

“I’m so impressed by the work that’s been done to implement this system. Since it’s a much more authentic way to assess chefs, and much more useful as a tool for our industry, there has been tremendous buy-in from all of the stakeholders.”

BCPLAN to explore opportunities with Jobs Creation Plan

BCPLAN — Tue, 23 Sep 2014 22:00:00 GMT

Premier Christy Clark laid out her plan for jobs in BC with her 2012 report “Canada Starts Here: The BC Jobs Plan.” In it, the government announces several items of interest to BCPLAN.

First, $15 million will be provided annually from the Labour Market Agreement to create regional workforce tables consisting of employers, labour, industries, communities, local chambers of commerce, and post-secondary institutions.

“Their input will inform how the Province delivers regionally based skills development programs, including $15 million to further support regional post-secondary institutions in addressing local labour needs.”

Second, $6 million will be provided annually to industry sector partnerships.

“[This will] help them identify their skill and workforce needs, with additional funding for upgrading skills so workers can benefit from these opportunities.”

Third, a plan to host a trades training conference this year.

“…bringing all partners together to identify ways to enhance the province’s trades training programs.”

In addition, the government plans further actions in the coming months aimed at “improving access to skills and apprenticeship training,” as well as, “exploring the potential for a single body to oversee formal credential assessments for foreign-trained professionals.”

We are excited about the government’s commitment to adult learners in the province and we are looking forward to exploring ways for BCPLAN to promote recognition or prior learning as a part of the solution.

Click here to read the full BC Jobs Plan.

BCPLAN Considers the Path Ahead

BCPLAN — Tue, 23 Sep 2014 20:30:00 GMT

BCPLAN board members and advisors have been working hard looking at ways to position the organization to make the greatest impact for adult learners in BC.

Five priorities have been identified and are currently being explored by members for consideration in the strategic plan:

To make PLAR practitioner training options available in BC.
To demonstrate that PLAR meets economic needs, saves money and supports the labour market goals of any government.
To make employment service centres hubs for PLAR activities in each region.
To substantially increase representation of BC employers involved in BC PLAN partnerships.
To secure sustained financial support from provincial and federal governments.

We are seeking input from all interested parties. Please use the comments field below to share your thoughts and opinions.

Dr. Alan Davis speaks out about PLAR

BCPLAN — Tue, 23 Sep 2014 14:00:00 GMT

I’m delighted to draw your attention to a recent blog posting by Dr. Alan Davis, President and Vice Chancellor, Kwantlen Polytechnic University and Keynote Speaker, Summit 2013: Surging to the Future: Research-informed policy, practice and innovation in the Recognition of Prior Learning.

In his post, Dr Davis eloquently outlines the increasing necessity for community-minded post secondary institutions, including KPU, to recognize and respect the skills and knowledge adult students have acquired through the workplace and community life and to incorporate this learning into a broader vision of post secondary education.

Here is a brief excerpt:

“…But if I called the blog “PLAR”, some would gloss over it, some would be put off by the jargon, and we too often pigeon-hole parts of our operation for administrative convenience so we don’t have to worry about everything all the time. It’s all about learning in the end.

PLAR has a bad rap. Some see it as flaky, some as a threat to faculty work and academic control, some institutions do not do much of it, and KPU is behind many. So, here is my pitch, having seen again what people are doing across North America, and how powerful this can be.

Learning starts the moment you are born (some say before that), and continues until the final revelation at the moment of death (there is a revelation, isn’t there?). Then there is the learning acquired in school and beyond, which, in many parts of the developed world, lasts anywhere from a few years to (in my case) 27 years before I got a full time job. This is our formal learning, which is always documented, and is easily transportable and recognized; although those with foreign credentials coming to Canada might disagree.

Pretty well the rest of our learning throughout our lives is informal, almost always not documented and rarely recognized, but where would you be without it?

You wouldn’t have a job, for one thing. Almost all hiring involves assessing who you are in terms of both your formal and informal learning. Think about it. We sort resumes into those who have the stated formal credential and those who don’t. For those who do, we started looking at experiences, knowledge, skills and attributes that are developed informally. i.e., we do a lot of subjective assessment of informal learning as we make very large dollar decisions.”

Click here to read the full blog post.

Wendy Watson
President, BCPLAN

Gladys Oritz and the Tri-Cities Intercultural Workplace Project

BCPLAN — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:00:00 GMT

Gladys Ortiz immigrated to Canada from Columbia in 2002. While living in Columbia, she received a Masters degree in Community Development and worked for her municipal government as a Social Dietician and Community Nutritionist for ten years. She also instructed part time at a local university.

When she moved to Canada she had intermediate English skills. She started looking for work but found it very difficult because she had no Canadian work experience and potential employers often thought she was over-qualified. “It was nearly impossible, I started to leave my education off of my resume.” Frustrated that she was only able to find work in shipping and receiving, Gladys continued to look for jobs more related to her skills.

Early in 2010, Gladys heard about a program for foreign-trained professionals at Douglas College called the Tri-Cities Intercultural Workplace Project. After contacting Douglas College for more information about the program, Gladys was sure she had found a resource that could help her overcome the barriers that had prevented her from finding satisfying work in her field.

She began the course in February 2010 and, since it was government funded, there was no cost to her. In addition, she received $400 a month to cover the cost of books, gas, transit etc.

Three aspects of the program were most helpful to Gladys:

English for foreign-trained professional: In this course students improve their verbal and written English. They also update their resumes, learn interview skills, and discuss job application strategies. They learn about the services and institutions available to support them in the Tri-Cities area.
Introduction to community: In this course students learn about Canadian culture. Gladys said this was especially valuable because it has given her confidence to approach and communicate with business professionals because she understands Canadian culture better. Some of the topics covered in this course were economics, diversity, justice, how to approach difficult social issues (first nations, homelessness etc.), and exploring opportunities in a new culture.
100-hour practicum in the local community: Students were placed in a job in their desired field and assigned a mentor. Gladys said this was a fabulous experience because it allowed her to start building a network with professionals working in her area of interest.

Gladys completed the program in August 2010. Although she hasn’t found a job yet, her updated resume is getting her more interviews and her level of confidence in interviews has increased. The staff at Tri-Cities Intercultural Workplace Project continue to be available to support Gladys.

Gladys said that she feels confident, hopeful, and excited about her future. Her job search experience since completing the Intercultural Workplace program is like “being in a completely different universe!”

Dr. Alan Davis speaks out about PLAR

BCPLAN — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 22:00:00 GMT

I’m delighted to draw your attention to a recent blog posting by Dr. Alan Davis, President and Vice Chancellor, Kwantlen Polytechnic University and Keynote Speaker, Summit 2013: Surging to the Future: Research-informed policy, practice and innovation in the Recognition of Prior Learning.

In his post, Dr. Davis eloquently outlines the increasing necessity for community-minded post secondary institutions, including KPU, to recognize and respect the skills and knowledge adult students have acquired through the workplace and community life and to incorporate this learning into a broader vision of post secondary education.

Here is a brief excerpt:

“…But if I called the blog “PLAR”, some would gloss over it, some would be put off by the jargon, and we too often pigeon-hole parts of our operation for administrative convenience so we don’t have to worry about everything all the time. It’s all about learning in the end.

PLAR has a bad rap. Some see it as flaky, some as a threat to faculty work and academic control, some institutions do not do much of it, and KPU is behind many. So, here is my pitch, having seen again what people are doing across North America, and how powerful this can be.

Learning starts the moment you are born (some say before that), and continues until the final revelation at the moment of death (there is a revelation, isn’t there?). Then there is the learning acquired in school and beyond, which, in many parts of the developed world, lasts anywhere from a few years to (in my case) 27 years before I got a full time job. This is our formal learning, which is always documented, and is easily transportable and recognized; although those with foreign credentials coming to Canada might disagree.

Pretty well the rest of our learning throughout our lives is informal, almost always not documented and rarely recognized, but where would you be without it?

You wouldn’t have a job, for one thing. Almost all hiring involves assessing who you are in terms of both your formal and informal learning. Think about it. We sort resumes into those who have the stated formal credential and those who don’t. For those who do, we started looking at experiences, knowledge, skills and attributes that are developed informally. i.e., we do a lot of subjective assessment of informal learning as we make very large dollar decisions.”

Click here to read the full blog post

Wendy Watson

President, BCPLAN

BCPLAN Considers the Path Ahead

BCPLAN — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:30:00 GMT

BCPLAN board members and advisors have been working hard looking at ways to position the organization to make the greatest impact for adult learners in BC.

Five priorities have been identified and are currently being explored by members for consideration in the strategic plan:

To make PLAR practitioner training options available in BC.
To demonstrate that PLAR meets economic needs, saves money and supports the labour market goals of any government.
To make employment service centres hubs for PLAR activities in each region.
To substantially increase representation of BC employers involved in BC PLAN partnerships.
To secure sustained financial support from provincial and federal governments.

We are seeking input from all interested parties. Please use the comments field below to share your thoughts and opinions.

BCPLAN to explore opportunities with Jobs Creation Plan

BCPLAN — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 21:00:00 GMT

Premier Christy Clark laid out her plan for jobs in BC with her 2012 report “Canada Starts Here: The BC Jobs Plan.” In it, the government announces several items of interest to BCPLAN:

“Their input will inform how the Province delivers regionally based skills development programs, including $15 million to further support regional post-secondary institutions in addressing local labour needs.”

Second, $6 million will be provided annually to industry sector partnerships.

“[This will] help them identify their skill and workforce needs, with additional funding for upgrading skills so workers can benefit from these opportunities.”

Third, a plan to host a trades training conference this year.

“…bringing all partners together to identify ways to enhance the province’s trades training programs.”

In addition, the government plans further actions in the coming months aimed at “improving access to skills and apprenticeship training,” as well as, “exploring the potential for a single body to oversee formal credential assessments for foreign-trained professionals.”

Click here to read the full jobs plan.

“This is not your grandmother’s PLAR”: BC boldly creates a new learning culture

BCPLAN — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 22:00:00 GMT

A broad range of British Columbia’s educators and administrators convened recently to re-discover PLAR with a new energy, a new focus, and a new urgency. “This is not your grandmother’s PLAR” became the battle cry of the British Columbia Prior Learning Action Network (BCPLAN) Summit gathering at which the BCPLAN was declared as a not-for-profit society. This paper describes and situates BCPLAN as an emergent PLAR entity and considers its potential success against a historical background and a range of current issues.

Read the full paper published in the Canadian Journal of University Continuing Education (fall 2010).

Jillian Smith and her experience with the Vancouver Career College Hospitality Management Degree Advanced Placement Cohort Program

BCPLAN — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 19:00:00 GMT

With more than five years of managerial experience in the hospitality industry, Jillian Smith saw the Vancouver Career College Hospitality Management Degree Advanced Placement Cohort Program as an opportunity to open doors for her career. The program sees participants from diverse groups of differing experiences learn from industry colleagues by engaging with program partners.

In addition to earning a credential, Jillian points out many other practical benefits. She built immensely valuable relationships with industry contacts throughout the duration of the program, and gained a much broader perspective in the field. “This program puts you in a stronger position within the industry.”

All cohort students are required to do an independent study project in their second summer as part of “giving back” to their employer (many of whom cover up to half of the program costs). Jillian’s report surveyed corporate social responsibility and her conclusions/recommendations were given to her employer the Vancouver Convention Centre.

Jillian Smith has been the International Sales Manager of the Vancouver Convention Centre since 2006.

“This is not your grandmother’s PLAR”: BC boldly creates a new learning culture

BCPLAN — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 18:00:00 GMT

Read the full paper published in the Canadian Journal of University Continuing Education (fall 2010).

Athabasca University PLAR resources

BCPLAN — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 17:00:00 GMT

Athabasca University hosts a rich resource of PLAR resources including:

A virtual portfolio
PLAR document templates
How-to guides including a PLAR Handbook

Click here to visit the site

Essential Skills Product Suite

BCPLAN — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 21:30:00 GMT

The Essential Skills Product Suite is a suite of tools to be used for assessing specific essential skills required for success in each of 50 trades. The tools for 50 unique trades identify essential skills gaps, and link to training resources and activities to achieve the required skills. This initiative will initially serve a number of targeted stakeholder communities including recent immigrants/internationally-trained workers, Aboriginal people, women, and other adults who have been out of the workforce for some time. This is a Labour Market Agreement-funded initiative, sponsored by the government of Canada.

Watch Jessi Zielke (ITA) present at BCPLAN SUMMIT 2010.

UFV Continuing Studies with BC Coastal Hospitals

BCPLAN — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 18:00:00 GMT

This initiative was designed to assist individuals working without certification as unit clerks in BC hospitals, providing them with the opportunity to gain certification through a portfolio development process documenting their skills and knowledge in the field. This initiative won a UFV Outstanding Initiative award in 2002. Currently, UFV Continuing Studies is now working in collaboration with hospital partners in the Okanagan to implement a similar recognition of learning program for hospital employees.

Watch Cheryl Isaac (UFV) present at BCPLAN SUMMIT 2010.

TRU Partnership with Safeway

BCPLAN — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:30:00 GMT

A workplace learning recognition project. Students receive credit towards TRU-OL Business programs for Safeway leadership training program. The presentation will highlight the TRU—OL process for reaching these agreements and provide information for self-assessment for organizations wishing to have in-house training recognized for academic credit.

Watch Christine Wihak (TRU) and Arlette La Freniere (Safeway) present at BCPLAN SUMMIT 2010.

BC Nurses Union: Internationally Educated Nurses Project

BCPLAN — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 15:30:00 GMT

Internationally educated nurses (IENs) may be required to undergo a competency assessment process for nursing licensure eligibility in BC. The competency assessment known as the Substantially Equivalent Competency (SEC) assessment is available in the four western provinces in Canada in a bid to aid settlement of IENs in Canada. To assess professional knowledge, skills and abilities, candidates may be required to undertake examinations and practical application in the following areas: general nursing, maternal newborn health nursing, child health nursing, and mental health nursing.

Watch Lori Shortridge (Kwantlen) and Lynn Cairns (College of Registered Nurses of BC) present at BCPLAN SUMMIT 2010.

SFU Liberal & Business Studies

BCPLAN — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 15:00:00 GMT

Simon Fraser University’s Liberal and Business Studies (LBS) Program is a three-year degree completion program designed for working adults. By recognizing — and indirectly crediting — workplace learning along with other formal or informal post-secondary education, the LBS program can help you achieve your professional and personal goals of a university degree while maintaining full-time life responsibilities.

Watch Ruth Price (SFU) present at BCPLAN SUMMIT 2010.

VCC Hospitality Management

BCPLAN — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 15:00:00 GMT

Hospitality employees enter third year of baccalaureate program designed for leaders in the hospitality industry. Partnership has repositioned the role of education and training and fundamentally transformed the role of education and training in the hospitality industry.

Watch Ken Cretney, General Manager of the Vancouver Convention Centre with Sally Gibson of Vancouver Community College present at BCPLAN SUMMIT 2010.

ITA MAP Project

BCPLAN — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 21:00:00 GMT

The Multiple Assessment Pathways (MAP) project is a three-phase research and development initiative of the Industry Training Authority to identify best practices in assessment and supporting standards frameworks to inform the design and piloting of alternative methodologies for assessing challengers seeking certification in a trade.

Assessment approaches are linked to occupational performance standards. Authentic assessments using a variety of methodologies appropriate to the occupation and the circumstances of the individual being assessed. Partners in this initiative include Propel, TransCDA, and the Canadian Council of directors of Apprenticeship (CCDA).

View the full report from ITA’s website here: http://www.itabc.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=250

Watch Sandy Steward (Industry Training Authority) present the MAP project at BCPLAN SUMMIT 2010.

Transferable Trades Skills

BCPLAN — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 18:00:00 GMT

The Transferable Trades Skills website is a rich resource which includes:

Build a trades portfolio of prior learning
Identify skill gaps required to achieve trades certification
Investigate trades and sector standards
Full colour skill charts created from National and Provincial apprenticeship standards
75 trades occupational profiles, 15 industry sectors and over 7000 individual skills cataloged
All information is securely and conveniently stored on our web based server, accessible to you from any location
Tested and approved by trades experts as an effective employment assistance tool
Essential skills component being tested in Nova Scotia, Ontario, British Columbia and Prince Edward Island (To be released spring 2006)

Click here to visit the site

CAPLA's Recognition for Learning site

BCPLAN — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 16:00:00 GMT

CAPLA’s online community of practice is dedicated to prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR). If you want to find out about PLAR and PLAR services or if you are preparing to have your learning assessed, this community can help you. If you are interested in the practice of PLAR or research into PLAR, the site provides opportunities to share information with colleagues, extend PLAR knowledge, network and develop expertise.

Click here to visit CAPLA’s Recognition for Learning site

ITA and CCDA Strengthen the Red Seal

BCPLAN — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 15:00:00 GMT

The Industry Training Authority (ITA) is involved with the Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship (CCDA) in an exciting project called “Strengthening the Red Seal.”

This is a Pan Canadian effort to develop a method for documenting occupational performance standards for skilled trades, which will result in enhanced ability to use multiple forms of assessment to determine the level of skill and knowledge a candidate brings to the table when seeking training or certification.

Watch the video on the Strengthening the Red Seal website

SUMMARY “Best Practices” Principles  (BC)PLAN SUMMIT 2010

BCPLAN — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 16:30:00 GMT

During the (BC)PLAN Summit 2010, nine presenters showcased successful Prior Learning Assessment & Recognition (PLAR) partnerships currently taking place in BC. (BC)PLAN participants were asked to identify the “Best Practices” principles at work in these thriving partnerships. The following list summarizes their observations.

Click here to view the full Best Practice Principles Summary

Meeting of the Steering Committee–May 11, 2010

BCPLAN — Wed, 26 May 2010 19:00:00 GMT

On Monday, May 11, 2010, Susan Brown, Jan Carrie, Devron Gaber, Judy Harris (Co-Chair), Linda Long, Norma Strachan, Brian Train, Wendy Watson (Co-Chair), and Christine Wihak met to discuss the following items:

A communications strategy for BCPLAN
Incorporation into a society
Membership
Funding Application – LMP

1. Communication Strategy: The group discussed the BCPLAN communication strategy proposal, written by Chris Brown, BCPLAN Web Developer, which highlighted how the website can support engagement and help to build a community.

2. Incorporation: The group agreed to move ahead with revising and finalizing bylaws in order to apply for not-for-profit status this summer.

3. Membership: The group discussed possible categories of membership and resolved to seek consultation on this from the broader group. The importance to be clear with members what they will receive in return for their membership fees was also brought forward. The fee structure is TBD and will be discussed at future meetings.

4. Funding Application – LMP: The group decided to move forward with an application to the Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development’s (ALMD) Labour Market Partnership (LMP) fund. Once BCPLAN is incorporated it will be eligible to apply for this funding. Once a draft application is completed it will be sent to board members for wider consultation before it is submitted to ALMD.

CAEL Study Highlights Practice to Help Adults Earn College Degrees

BCPLAN — Thu, 20 May 2010 21:00:00 GMT

A new study finds evaluating learning from life experience and work for academic credit significantly contributes to students’ progress toward a degree.

Click here to view the full release

BCPLAN SUMMIT 2010: SUCCESS!

BCPLAN — Wed, 19 May 2010 18:30:00 GMT

We would like to thank everyone who participated at the inaugural (BC)PLAN Summit for making it a huge success!

We wish to acknowledge the following people who have pledged to assist the interim board as steps are taken to certify BCPLAN as a non-profit society!

Clifford Bell,
Director of Employment Services
Immigrant Services Society of BC (ISSBC)

Satbir Cheema
Director, Employment Programs
Progressive Intercultural Services Society (PICS) UFCW Local 247
Training & Education Society

Diana Christie
Associate Registrar
Justice Institute

John Dawson
Director, Employment & Community Development,
Mennonite Central Committee BC

Mary Kenny
CEO, Residential Construction Industry Training Organization

Lil McPhail
PLAR Coordinator,
College of the Rockies

AnnMarie Merkel
Instructor,
Northwest Community College

Dave O’Leary
Chief Information Officer and Board Member
Northwest Community College and Information Communications Technology Council (Sector Council)

Stu Seifert
Provincial Executive
Education, Scientific, Technical and Administrative Component (7)

Thomas Tam
Chief Operating Officer,
S.U.C.C.E.S.S BC

Thompson Rivers University Announces Prior Learning International Research Centre (PLIRC)

BCPLAN — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:30:00 GMT

Thompson Rivers University (TRU) through its Open Learning (OL) Division, has launched an initiative to develop a new Prior Learning International Research Centre (PLIRC). The vision for the Centre, which is helmed by Dr. Christine Wihak, Director of Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) at TRU-OL, is to stimulate innovative and provocative research concerning prior learning and the theory, policy and practice of its assessment and/or recognition and/or validation. “PLAR lies at the intersection of research on workplace, learning and society,” Dr. Wihak said, in recognition of the importance of the new centre.

visit PLIRC website

Douglas College: PLAR for ECE Licence

BCPLAN — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 21:30:00 GMT

The ECE Assessment Service was developed to assist Candidates in their claim for professional competency as Early Childhood Educators and to acquire a license to practice in BC. Mentor/Assessors asses learning that has been acquired in non-traditional and traditional, non-formal and formal settings.

Candidates work at their own pace to create a portfolio to identify learning that meets contemporary professional standards and levels of competency for their field of practice.

Watch Kathy Price (Douglas College) and Cathy Sales (St. Barnabas Day Care) present at BCPLAN SUMMIT 2010.

View the program details on the Douglas website

UFV partnership with RCMP

BCPLAN — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:00:00 GMT

An educational partnership will enable RCMP and other police officers to better meet the needs of their communities. An agreement signed at the Pacific Region Training Centre in Chilliwack will make it possible for police officers to combine their previous post-secondary education, in-service training, and new university studies at UCFV to complete a Bachelor of General Studies in Policing.

view the program

The Developing Workforce Problem: Confronting Canadian Labour Shortages in the Coming Decades

BCPLAN — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:00:00 GMT

Atlantic Institute for Market Studies
January 2009

read full article here

Executive Summary: Sometime toward the middle of the next decade, and for the first time in at least a century, the number of people willing and available to work in Canada will be smaller than the number of jobs
potentially available for them. After that point in time, a general labour shortage — not just in specific geographic areas or for particular skilled trades, but throughout the economy and in all
provinces — will become a normal fact of Canadian economic life that will continue for as far ahead as demographers are able to forecast. There will still be unemployed people, but their numbers
will be more than offset by unfilled job vacancies. Simply put, the number of young people entering the labour force is insufficient to sustain economic growth in the years ahead at levels that
prevail today.
The problem Canada faces is one of demographics. In the 1970s and 1980s, the Canadian economy was restructured to meet the challenge of the entry of the huge baby boomer generation into the
employed labour force. With the demographic changes that have taken place since then — a declining fertility rate and declining numbers of future labour force entrants — this design is no
longer working. Indeed, continuing to adhere to it threatens Canadians’ standard of living, and could lead to unrest, outmigration, and slow-to-nonexistent economic growth coupled with high
inflation. Modelling the effects of these demographic shifts on the Nova Scotia economy and society out to 2026 shows that they are likely to be significant, featuring an aging, declining population,
dwindling numbers in the traditional labour force ages (15–65), and lower labour force participation rates.
If Canada were facing this demographic challenge in isolation, it might be easier to adapt to the situation. But most of the developed world faces similar challenges. The coming decades will
witness a global competition among the developed countries for labour of all kinds, and the problem will only get worse as workforces in rapidly developing countries such as China begin to age.
There are only three generic ways to close the gap between the demand for and supply of labour in Nova Scotia in the years ahead:
• Find more people — that is, increase the population, by raising the birth rate or by increasing migration from other provinces and immigration from abroad. But the birth rate is unlikely to
change, other parts of Canada would be facing the same challenge, and immigration from abroad would have to occur at far beyond traditional levels.

• Increase labour productivity at a faster rate than the historical average, by encouraging the growth of higher-paying industries at the expense of low-productivity (largely low-wage)
industries, improving business practices and processes, and increasing the skills and education levels of the workforce. But this would only delay the inevitable.
• Increase the labour force participation rate, by encouraging those who have given up working or who have never worked to become employed or by discouraging early retirement and
encouraging older workers to remain in the labour force longer — no easy task.

A mixture of these approaches might be more practical, but it would involve a rethinking of government policies related not only to work and the workforce, but also to education, certification,
pensions, pay practices, benefits, and capital investment, among others. It would also imply changes in business attitudes toward older workers, the disabled, visible-minority hiring, productivity
improvements, work practices, and the deliberate offshoring of low-productivity and lowpaying operations, among other things.
What is clear, however, is that Canada, and Nova Scotia, cannot afford to do nothing. If nothing changes, in 2026 one job in every eight in Nova Scotia and in the rest of Canada will go begging.
In that case, the market, as it is presently conditioned by business and government, will definitely “solve” the problem for us, but not, perhaps, in a way we might like.

read full article here

Tri Cities Welcoming and Inclusive Community and Workplace Demonstration Project

BCPLAN — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:30:00 GMT

One major project which has just been funded by the Immigrant Integration Branch, Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development, is the Tri Cities Welcoming and Inclusive Community and Workplace Demonstration Project (WICWP). The project will place 15 to 18 foreign trained human services professionals in community agencies for a work experience and perhaps future employment. This initiative was developed by the Tri Cities Planning Group, which is a committee that collaborates to meet the needs of children, youth and families in the Tri Cities. They have been working together for the past four years and membership consists of Executive Director’s of community agencies, a MCFD manager along with Jan Carrie and Gary Tennant as Dean’s of Child, Family and Community Studies.

The lead agency on the WICWP is SUCCESS, a large multicultural agency. Douglas will house the project at David Lam and provide research and evaluation through the Centre for Health and Community Partnerships. CFCS and EASL will team up to deliver the classroom components. CFCS will also introduce participants to the service learning component and liaison with community agencies who will mentor participants.

There are three primary activities within this project:
1. Organization Dialogue on Integration;
2. Training and Placement; and
3. Evaluation and Monitoring, and Development of a Model for Welcoming and Inclusive Community
and Workplace.

This project demonstrates an excellent model of a community collaboration which will support the integration of new immigrants into the community, recognize their experience outside of Canada and address work force shortages in the social service sector.

Watch Sharon Goldberg (SUCCESS BC), Geri Patterson (Douglas College), and Kathy Bell (Douglas College) present the initiative at BCPLAN SUMMIT 2010.

A 21st Century Solution to a 21st Century Problem: Why Canada needs to invest in New Human Resource Development Strategies as part of the Economic Stimulus Package

BCPLAN — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:00:00 GMT

by Mary Morrissey

Canada has done well in holding off recessionary pressures, particularly compared to our neighbour to the south.

However in November 2008 the crisis hit us hard. Nearly 71,000 jobs were lost in that one month. There is serious concern about further losses of high-paid manufacturing jobs in the auto sector and elsewhere. The service sector has also taken a big hit – some 38,000 jobs.

Over 90% of the job losses were in Ontario, but other regions were impacted as well. There were significant losses in forestry on both coasts and even the booming oil sands sector showed signs of retrenchment. In December, the job losses topped 4,000 people in Nova Scotia alone.

The rapid onset of the recession seems to have taken everyone by surprise. Prior to the recent setbacks, the major concern of labour market economists and policy makers was with labour and skills shortages driven by a falling birthrate and an aging labour force.

It is easy to be confused by this seeming reversal of circumstances, but two fundamental realities should be borne in mind:

In the short-term (i.e., the next 12 to 18 months), Canada will undoubtedly see an increase in unemployment as workers are displaced from the sectors most vulnerable to recessionary impacts, most notably manufacturing (particularly companies that export to the US), construction, and private sector services. Unemployed workers will seek to make transitions to different regions and industry sectors where jobs are available.

In the longer-term (during and after recovery from the recession) the underlying problems of labour/skills shortages, and the need for workers to upgrade skills and to alter career paths, will reassert themselves.

Over the next few years, hundreds of thousands of Canadians will go through the personal trauma of job losses and the upheaval involved in transitioning to new employment opportunities.

Adults who face these situations must overcome a number of challenges in order to build the confidence and strength necessary to undertake major changes for themselves and their families, and to develop personal and work transition plans that will allow them to survive in an increasingly difficult economy.

What is currently being proposed?

An economic stimulus package of several billion dollars is proposed for the January 2009 Federal budget. This package will likely provide stabilizing and restructuring assistance to some financial institutions and to manufacturing, forestry, mining and energy sectors as well as investment capacity for other levels of government for infrastructure and training.

As much as this emergency response is needed, there is a risk in rushing to respond to the immediate crisis as the single most important issue in the future of the economy. In many ways the current economic and fiscal problem masks the longer term structural concern of demographics on labour force adjustment.

In addition, the traditional response of ‘more training’ tends to focus on creating and filling more seats in post-secondary institutions. Pursuing these strategies alone without a more nuanced and comprehensive approach to adult learning is essentially offering a 20th century solution to a 21st century problem.

While it is crucially important to make further education and training accessible and available to adults in transition, we need to recognize that adults already possess considerable knowledge and skills. By recognizing and building on existing assets, we can facilitate more effective transitions and more efficient solutions.

Many studies have pointed out that a significant amount of learning goes unrecognized in Canada. Eliminating the learning recognition gap would give Canadians an additional 4.1 to $5.9 billion in income annually (Conference Board of Canada 2001). In addition, despite the fact that over four times as many young people go to university as in their parents’ generation, over 25% are working for minimum wage. The longer term issues then include not only underemployment but the wasteful underutilization of skills and knowledge, as well as the ‘mismatch’ of people to jobs.

Many workers who will lose their jobs during the current recession will not return to the same workplaces to do the same work. As the economy rebounds they will have to adjust to new work settings, many of which will demand higher skills levels to support productivity gains in a more competitive global marketplace. Many people will change occupations. All will need to bring knowledge and skills from previous jobs to their new environments. For some, formal training will provide a bridge to new employment opportunities. To make this cost-efficient and effective for individuals as well as in the long-term best interests of the economy, it will be necessary to develop thoughtful strategies that focus on the inclusion of greater numbers of adults not already in the workforce, and build on their strengths and assets.

Most industrialized countries have human resource development strategies in the form of national lifelong learning strategies and policies—including mechanisms for recognizing informal and experiential learning as well as formal learning for workplace / career advancement and institutional credit. Although some provinces (most notably Manitoba and Quebec) show signs of developing positive models, Canada has no adult learning or lifelong learning strategy, and there is no pan-Canadian strategy for recognizing prior learning.

It has also become clear that old solutions such as relying solely on improved technology and increased immigration will be insufficient to meet the long term needs of the economy.

What is needed?

As pointed out in a recent study – Achieving Our Potential: An Action Plan for Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) in Canada (2008) – which was undertaken by the PLA Centre for the Canadian Council on Learning, foundational investment in PLAR and essential skills and literacy training is needed across the country, in order to assist the vast number of Canadians who are experiencing exclusion, dislocation, and under-utilization –or simply life transitions – to be able to make the necessary changes for themselves, their families, and their communities and to contribute to Canada’s immediate and long-term economic and social development.

Effective PLAR program mobilize and motivate adult learners, and they lead to greater efficiency in education and training through the rigourous identification of what the learners already know and can do.

PLAR programs are designed and carried out explicitly to help adult learners meet these challenges. The two most basic objectives of PLAR programs are:

To build the confidence and motivation of adults as learners by identifying and valuing the significant learning they have typically accomplished outside of formal education and training settings, and;
To bridge between the actual knowledge and skills of adults, much of it acquired through informal learning processes, and the requirements of formal educational and labour market systems and occupational and professional certification processes.

As the economy regains its momentum, employers will once again face the reality of labour shortages and the accelerating retirement of their most skilled and experienced workers. As they were doing before the recession hit, they will look to a number of groups of under-employed people within the general population, and will also focus on immigration. But again, all of these groups will need to make significant transitions before they are ready to function as highly skilled workers in demanding employment settings. PLAR will be an important component of these transitions.

In addition to displaced workers, whose numbers are growing daily, the following information describes the numbers of people who could become more fully available to the labour market if funding for the right policies and programs were in place.[1]

Target Population	Estimated Size
Learners facing literacy/ essential skills challenges	9 million people (42% of the adult population) –– below level 3 literacy skills 2.7 million adults aged 25 to 64 with no high school and no further education/training
Aboriginal adult learners	154,000 (33%) of Aboriginal identity Canadians aged 25 to 54 have not completed high school or other education/training 115,000 (24%) of Aboriginal identity Canadians aged 25 to 54 are not in the labour force One in three Aboriginal persons aged 25 to 64 has not completed high school
Immigrants – skilled and semi-skilled	4.1 million persons between age of 25 and 64 born outside of Canada – 24% of total population Of 700,000 “recent immigrants” (i.e., arrived between 2001 and 2006) 101,000 (15%) had high school as highest level of education, and 64,000 (9%) had less than high school Immigrants account for about 21% of Canada’s labour force The employment rate for 25 to 64 year old recent immigrants 67% compared to 82% for Canadian born peers. 210,000 core working age recent immigrants were unemployed in 2006
Persons with disabilities	71,000 persons with disabilities, aged 25 to 54, were unemployed and 495,000 were not in labour force in 2001 Of 1.2 million persons with disabilities aged 25 to 54, 356,000 (30%) have less than high school, and 392,000 (25%) have high school only
Women facing barriers re-entering the workforce	1.3 million women between ages of 25 and 54 are not in the labour force 700,000 women aged 25 to 54, are not in the labour force, and have no post-secondary qualifications 1.8 million women aged 25 to 54 are in the labour force but have no post-secondary qualifications
Apprentices and workers involved in professional certification	Approximately 60% of people who begin apprenticeship programs do not complete them to become full journeypersons
Youth at risk	There are 888,000 people aged 15 to 24 in the labour force, without high school complete or any other formal education training

The importance of literacy must also not be overlooked in the rush to training.

The push to improve literacy levels in the workplace and to expand government investment in literacy programs is rooted in the growing realization that literacy is essential to a healthy economy. When markets for capital, technology and knowledge are global, the literacy skills possessed by the average worker may determine which countries achieve the highest rates of economic growth.[2]

The evidence suggests that Canada’s continued economic success depends on our capacity to raise the average worker’s level of literacy and to reduce the proportion of adults with relatively low skills. It also suggests that literacy and post-secondary education are complementary and that both yield the return on investment that drives much of government, business and individual decision-making.

The evidence also suggests that differences in average literacy levels between countries actually explain the majority (over 55%) of differences in long-term growth rates of GDP and labour productivity among our most serious economic competitors.[3]

Summary

Canada needs a human resource strategy to ensure that all Canadians are work-ready. This requires extensive new investments in PLAR and essential skills and literacy development as a first-order solution to optimize training and skill development, and to facilitate labour mobility across industrial sectors and geographical regions.

The good news is that there is no need to build a new system for the delivery of such programs, since a third-sector community-based learning system already exists through the various agencies and networks serving the target groups who most need learning and in-transition support.

As recommended by the Achieving Our Potential report, Canada would be wise to recognize voluntary sector organizations as “learning organizations” which should be appropriately funded as primary delivery agents of literacy, essential skills and PLAR foundational programs. The report also suggests that strategies for youth-at-risk, Aboriginal Canadians, older workers, and new Canadians should be developed and implemented. The report further suggests utilizing tax credits, the Employment Insurance system, and other funding mechanisms to reduce costs barriers for adult learners and to provide strong incentives for organizations and employers to invest in education and training.

The current financial crisis is alarming. However there are strong indications that the governments in Canada will attempt to shorten the recession and to soften its impact through a major program of stimulus spending. It is essential that the stimulus program include targeted human resources development initiatives such as PLAR and essential skills and literacy training if we are to meet the challenges of long term labour force adjustment as well as immediate institutional and market concerns.

[Mary Morrissey was Principal Author of the Achieving Our Potential Report, which draws heavily upon the research and writing of the core project team which included Douglas Myers, Joy Van Kleef and Rick Williams] William Williams writing on the work on the core

[1] This information is drawn from the 2006 Canada Census and from other surveys of adult learners, Sources are cited in the socio-economic analysis chapter of the PLA Centre’s PLAR Framework Report.

[2] Coulombe, Serge and Jean-Fransois Tremblay. “Public Investment in Skills: Are Canadian Governments Doing Enough,” The Education Papers (Toronto: C.D. Howe Institute, October 2005).

[3] Coulombe, S., J.F. Trenblay, and S. Marchand. Literacy Scores, Human Capital and Growth across Fourteen OECD Countries (Ottawa: Statistics Canada and HRSDC, 2004).

Economic Stimulus – the Human Resources Priority

BCPLAN — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:00:00 GMT

Rick Williams makes the economic case for PLAR in this unpublished article written for the Globe and Mail in January 2009.

With rapidly spreading plant closures, lay-offs and rising unemployment rates, there is one issue that may get overlooked as economists and politicians put together economic stimulus packages. Just a few months ago, before the global financial crisis had fully kicked in, business leaders and policy makers alike were preoccupied with the potentially devastating impacts of current demographic trends on Canada’s economic competitiveness. With a falling birth rate and the accelerating retirement of older skilled workers, employers in many sectors were deeply concerned about the need to expand the labour supply and to increase productivity through knowledge and skills upgrading.

Most informed observers would agree that labour and skills shortages, while off the radar right now, will re-emerge as serious constraints once a recovery is underway. In a recent article in the Globe’s Report On Business (“Spending Our Way to Recovery” 12/5/08), leading economists advised the federal government to spend more on (among other things) worker training and other programs to expand labour market participation by low skilled and underemployed populations.

Numerous research studies confirm that Canada lags behind competitor nations, including the U.S., in workplace training levels and in participation rates for lifelong learning and skills renewal. These countries invest more public and private sector resources in education and training both for adults in the labour force and for those who are excluded by social and economic disadvantage.

While Canada has one of the most highly developed post-secondary education (PSE) systems in the world, its impacts on adults once they leave formal schooling are limited. Half of all adult Canadians (25 years and over) do not participate in organized educational programs of any kind, and of those who do a relatively small percentage access services from PSE institutions (colleges and universities). Less than 10% of the 7 million Canadian adults with literacy skills below the levels demanded by a knowledge-driven economy currently participate in upgrading programs. Workplace training and formal and “non-formal” PSE programs are accessed overwhelmingly by people with higher incomes and more advanced academic and professional qualifications to start with.

In short, there is an expanding disconnect between our PSE system and the demands of the labour market. For the last decade colleges and universities focused their resources heavily on young full-time students to accommodate the large “echo generation” cohort. But now the demographic trend is shifting. The lower birth rate is already cutting into PSE enrollment levels while – just before the recession kicked in – employers were beginning to panic about skills shortages. Our overall approach to education and training needs now to be substantially reoriented to serve different populations with different learning needs. This challenge should now be central to government efforts to build a comprehensive policy package to stimulate short-term economic recovery while laying the groundwork for longer-term renewal and restructuring.

The extensive research on why adults do not participate more actively in education and work related training identifies three critical factors: affordability, accessibility and psychosocial challenges. The first two are closely linked because the real costs of education and training for adults include having to leave jobs and families to access programs.

The psychosocial factor has to do with the personal barriers many adults face in finding the motivation and confidence to “go back to school”. These are most daunting for groups who have had the least success in their past schooling or who have been out of school for some time; e.g., older workers, high school drop-outs, persons with disabilities, workers displaced from low-skill occupations, and the working poor generally. The compelling reality is that in the current economic crisis even people with solid qualifications are facing personal upheaval and a need to make great transitions in where they live and work. They often face the same collapse of confidence, the same sense of powerlessness and fear of the future, as groups that have long felt vulnerable and excluded.

As the Globe & Mail’s economics advisors indicate, solutions are readily at hand. One of them, Dr. Elizabeth Beale (President of the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council), presents this advice on training:

Enhance the investment in human capital by increasing funding for training under the EI program. Make changes to allow longer-term training (i.e., more than a year in length); fund part-time and on-the-job training; provide access for people who are underemployed; place a greater emphasis on prior-learning assessment and customized training for older workers.

Through its stimulus package the federal government should use the Employment Insurance system to expand education and training for low-skilled workers and marginalized populations and to provide paid educational leave for employed workers. New tax incentives are needed to encourage employers, particularly in small businesses, to invest more in training their workers. On the accessibility side, PSE institutions should receive enhanced resources to re-gear their programs to accommodate non-traditional learners and to expand their capacities to offer distance education and to reach out more effectively to the community and the workplace. Expanded resources should also be directed towards industry sector councils, unions, non-governmental organizations and community-based agencies that are also significant facilitators and deliverers of adult education and employment-related training.

But these investments will not in themselves generate adequate returns if new ways are not found to overcome the psychosocial barriers that inhibit participation in education and training for so many adults. Elizabeth Beale identifies prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR) as a means to help people who need to upgrade their skills to make transitions in the labour market. Over the past three decades PLAR has been developed and successfully applied in Canada across a broad range of transition circumstances and with a wide diversity of individuals and groups. The two basic objectives of PLAR programs are:

To bridge between the actual knowledge and skills of adults, much of it acquired through informal learning processes, and the requirements of formal educational and labour market systems and occupational and professional certification processes, and;
To build the confidence and motivation of adults as learners by identifying and valuing the significant learning they have typically accomplished outside of formal education and training settings.

PLAR services and programs share three common principles:

That adult learners should not have to learn over again what they already know and can do,
The actual knowledge and skills that adults possess matter more than where or how they learned them, and
In both labour market and educational settings, the knowledge and skills adults have acquired through life and work experience, as well as their formal education and training, should be appropriately evaluated and recognized.

The efficacy of PLAR has been proven in many localized institutional and community settings. The current economic crisis and the dislocation and adjustment requirements it has created have only heightened the need for PLAR services and programs. It is time now to develop a coherent policy and program approach as a central element of a comprehensive pan-Canadian human resources development strategy. At present Quebec and Manitoba have effective PLAR policies and programs in place. Alberta recently announced a “PLAR Action Plan” and a number of other provinces are moving in that direction. Internationally, many countries are way ahead of us in the field. The European Union is now setting out common principles and guidelines to make PLAR services available throughout 27 sovereign countries. Our jurisdictional challenges in Canada should not prevent us from following such a path.

The federal government’s economic stimulus package should encompass measures to rapidly expand adult education and workplace training in Canada. This is not a bricks and mortar issue. The physical infrastructure and capacities are largely in place, but we need to reorient and energize these systems to make them more affordable, more accessible and more welcoming for new populations of adult learners. More resources should go as well to alternative delivery systems in industry and the voluntary sector. The development of effective PLAR services and programs is integral to the achievement of all these objectives.

1328 words

About the author:

Dr Rick Williams, President of PRAXIS Research & Consulting Inc, a contributor to Achieving Our Potential: An Action Plan for Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) in Canada (2008) produced by the PLA Centre in Halifax for the Canadian Council on Learning, and available at www.placentre.ns.ca.

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