Introduction
Higher education is now a necessity rather than a luxury. It is like a fine British suit. Maybe your role doesn't ask for one, but it is always great to have. Due to the introduction of online learning, the number of people enrolling in higher education is increasing. Higher education qualifications like MBAs, Masters degrees, PG diplomas, and PhDs are more popular than ever for the multitude of benefits they bring to the individual. As a result, individuals are flocking to these programs. In the corporate world, employees with higher education are given better opportunities and enjoy favouritism in interviews, pay rises, and promotions. As a result, professionals who left college decades ago are also opting for online learning. This, however, poses a problem for senior professionals who lack a bachelor's degree. These professionals need to earn a three-year bachelor's degree to apply for Masters degree programs. Due to the longer duration required to gain a Masters degree, they are unlikely to even start!
For those who hate to waste a few years in college learning all the things they already know, RPL or Recognition of Prior Learning is a blessing from heaven. Time is the most precious resource for all of us. If you need a Masters degree or PhD and have all the knowledge, skills, and understanding of the industry but lack an academic qualification that is a prerequisite for a Masters, you are at a disadvantage. You cannot apply for higher education unless you earn a bachelor's degree first. However, thanks to the RPL, this problem can be solved. Academic progression is linear and incremental. Every year, you learn skills, gain knowledge, and prepare yourself for the next year or semester. If you are working, your work teaches you the same skills and knowledge you learn in a bachelor's degree program. This is how your work experience is considered education and can gain you admission to a prestigious Masters degree.
What is RPL or Recognition of Prior Learning?
RPL is a means used by educational institutions to decide if a prospective learner has the knowledge and understanding to tackle the challenges of the course they are applying for. In RPL, typically the learners will have academic gaps or lacks that might hinder them from applying to the program. RPL in the SNATIKA context is to decide if the learners have acquired the much-needed skills and knowledge by working in a managerial role. Indeed, the experience as a manager is what gives SNATIKA learners the ability to comprehend the advanced, fast-paced syllabus and complete the course in as little as 9 to 12 months. Managing a team gives SNATIKA learners deep insights into the management process and gets them prepared for the rigorous academic process they will have to follow during the course.
Types of RPL
1. Credit transfer
Credit transfer is where you have already been enrolled in a recognised university and gained credits that are enough to continue into the next year. Credits are a system developed by universities to make learning easier and more measurable. One credit is generally equal to certain learning hours, which vary from country to country. The learning can be guided or unguided by the university. If your previous learning has earned you certain credits, you can easily transfer them to your current course and continue learning instead of starting from scratch.
2. Prior certified learning
Certified learning is when you have earned a certificate from a recognised institution or organisation that is related to the degree you are applying for. It gives you the opportunity to leverage the acquired knowledge to make it applicable for university-recognized credit.
3. Prior experiential learning
RPEL is a system that recognises your work experience in your industry as hands-on learning and gives you access to a higher academic qualification by skipping a year or its predecessor in its entirety. Here, your skills and expertise from your industry experience are equated with formal education, which helps you gain higher educational qualifications without an undergraduate degree.
Who can avail RPL with SNATIKA?
If you have left your college for whatever reasons, you can avail yourself of RPL to go further than what is possible according to the standards and university guidelines. If you have left undergraduate college and worked as a manager for a few years, you can apply for both credit transfer and RPEL. In credit transfer, you can transfer your incomplete course's credits to the new program you are applying for.
In the case of SNATIKA, RPL is accessible to all our learners who meet the following requirements:
The candidate must have prior managerial experience in the industry.
The number of years of managerial experience is over five.
The candidate must have managerial experience in the same industry he is applying for.
Advantages of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
There are several advantages to SNATIKA's RPL programme for senior professionals who need a prestigious UK Masters degree, diploma, PhD, or MBA. Here are eight of them.
1. A chance to pursue higher education
Whatever their work roles, individuals can pursue prestigious and high-quality international education through the RPL program. It moves their career forward with the help of these qualifications. This gives them high-paying roles as well as better career opportunities, academic prestige, and a sense of fulfilment in their lives. Individual adult learners who need academic qualifications are often at a loss for the minimum requirement of education. For example, those who want to pursue a Masters degree need to produce an undergraduate degree certificate to apply for a programme at a reputed university. This is where the educational system fails these students. Only through the RPL system can an adult learner with no undergraduate degree apply for a programme that needs it.
Those who lack formal education can get an instant boost to pursue their higher education roles through the RPL system. As a result, adults with no formal education or a minimum requirement of educational qualifications are not left out of the group.
2. The RPL system acknowledges the value of learning outside of the formal educational system.
One of the major benefits of RPL is that it recognises knowledge regardless of your learning medium. This is not often the case with formal universities, where only formal education is recognised and considered for your admission and progression. However, RPL recognises the knowledge you acquire through your profession, which is outside of your formal education system. It recognises the values, understanding, knowledge, and skills you develop outside a formal educational setting. RPL recognises the value of your work and the knowledge you gather through it.
In the case of SNATIKA, if you are a management professional in the logistics industry, then your experience as a logistics manager can have an impact on your knowledge base, skill set, and understanding of your industry. This can be beneficial and advantageous to your logistics Masters degree. Through your expertise in the logistics industry as a manager, your knowledge threshold will be sufficient for pursuing a Masters programme in Logistics and Supply Chain Management.
As the logistics manager, you will have the necessary knowledge of warehousing, supply chain, and critical logistics measures. You will be familiar with the technology used, the software, and the skill set you require to complete your task. However, you cannot demonstrate these skills, knowledge, or understanding to formal educational institutions without a Masters degree or a bachelor's degree. This is where the RPL programme will help you get recognition for your understanding and expertise in the industry.
3. RPL helps learners progress to other education or training programs.
A student can advance to different educational or training programmes when they have the RPL. It is a direct route to a university degree or a higher PG diploma. This can make the process of going back to school much simpler if you've been considering it.
Simply search for an RPL institution, or registered training organisation, in your area. You can obtain your RPL through one of these organisations, regardless of your area of expertise, which may be in management, sales, marketing, painting, building, power services, or another industry.
You can then finish all the skills required to obtain your RPL. Since you already possess the majority of these talents, obtaining your qualification won't require a lot of time or work.
4. RPL eliminates unnecessary repetition and duplication of the syllabus.
If you have been working for a while, you are probably familiar with most of the tools, strategies, and patterns of your industry. In some key areas of your domain, you might even have achieved mastery. As a result, repeating what you already know in a course is only a waste of time for both yourself and your educator. RPL easily avoids this trap by recognising what you already know and skipping to the advanced parts of your industry. This eliminates unnecessary repetition of content and saves time. As a result, your course completion time gets reduced.
5. RPL Shortens The programme duration
The RPL shortened the time required to earn a qualification like a Masters degree. If you haven't been to college and lack a bachelor's degree, it is impossible to get into a Masters degree program. The bachelor's degree is a prerequisite, and you cannot move further without having a bachelor's degree first. This can lengthen your education by years. The same can be true for other programmes as well. The additional years can seem daunting for senior professionals. The RPL is the perfect solution for this problem. It negates the time required to earn a Masters degree. Your industry experience works in your favour by leveraging your skill set and the industry knowledge required for a Masters degree. Additionally, it can also reduce your costs, level of effort, and stress.
6. RPL enhances students’ self-esteem for their learning through work.
Every job on the planet needs you to have some kind of intelligence and use it accordingly every day. Every job induces thought processes and needs you to have ideas. Often, working-class individuals have less appreciation for their jobs and the skills they utilize. Even others can see less value in them because of the nature of their work. However, RPL destroys these perceptions and recognises the breadth of these skills. As a result, learners come to realise their skills are an asset and feel proud of having learned so much on their jobs alone. Hence, they will see the value of every skill. Finally, they work on their self-esteem because of the boost from RPL.
7. It enhances students’ perception and understanding of learning as a lifelong process.
RPL enhances your perception of education. The intent of education is to make learning a lifelong process. However, most individuals mix up education and schooling. They quit learning once they are out of school. This perception is challenged by the RPL system. It works by reversing the traditional relationship between education and work. Here, your work experience gains you admission to an advanced degree without having to complete a bachelor's or associate degree. It helps one realise that learning is a lifelong process and that it can help you in unlikely situations. It makes them realise they have been learning worthwhile skills throughout their lives. As a result, RPL inspires them to actively become lifelong learners through continuous skill enhancement and knowledge seeking.
Your future is with SNATIKA
If you are wondering where to resume your education while you have proper management experience, then SNATIKA is the right place for you. If you have not completed your bachelor's degree, you can apply for SNATIKA's Masters Degrees without having to go back to college and complete your bachelor's. You can easily avail of SNATIKA's RPL and gain entry to the prestigious UK Masters. In SNATIKA, your managerial experience is thoroughly screened to determine your eligibility. Along with that, your proficiency in English is also a decisive factor. If you have at least 5 years of managerial experience in your industry and English proficiency, grab your documents and apply to SNATIKA straightaway.
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Conclusion
RPL gives non-traditional students a chance to continue their education and pursue their academic goals. The non-traditional students are those who have left college due to unexpected commitments and delays. Moreover, the RPL programme allows students to pursue their education based on the work they have done over the years since they left college. Learners who have no opportunity to pursue their higher studies, like those who have been employed right after their undergrad, can easily obtain a seat in a reputed university if they meet the requirements of an RPL program. This is not traditional because normally college students are those who have had no pauses or breaks in their education.
There are three major types of RPL: credit transfer, prior certified learning, and recognition of prior experiential learning. All three can help learners pursue their dream education without wasting time, money, or efforts. There are also several advantages to RPL, which helps learners avoid unnecessary hurdles. Overall, RPL is a system that helps learners realise their educational dreams through their work experience.
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