Some people prove their worth by attending a course of study and sitting an examination at the end. The examination certificate tells an employer that they have a certain level of knowledge or skill. APL, however, is a method by which you can gain credit for your competency in the workplace. With APL, the proven ability to do a job can count for as much as a certificate gained through an examination. Accreditation of prior learning can help you to gain an NVQ (National Vocational Qualification). NVQs apply to many areas of work and they can be obtained at different levels. For each type of work, there are set standards of competency which a person in that field should be able to achieve. You gain the qualification when you can prove that you can work to the required standard.
Alternatively, APL can serve as an entry qualification for further or higher education. Don't be fooled, though, gaining qualifications through APL is not an easy option.
Details of APL opportunities in your area can be found through local colleges of further education, adult education centers and libraries. Careers officers and Job center staff should also be able to point you in the right direction. Having made contact you will probably be put in touch with a tutor who will take you through the APL process. At the beginning, you can expect to have a fairly detailed discussion with your tutor about your experience to date and your hopes for the future. Your tutor will not expect you to talk simply about your experience in previous jobs. In many cases valuable experience may have been gained through voluntary work. As the treasurer of the local fishing club or a mothers and toddlers' group, you may have experience of bookkeeping and budget handling. The voluntary work you did a few years ago in a charity shop may count towards qualifications in retailing. As a voluntary helper in the local youth club you may have developed counseling skills. Past experience as a union official or school governor could indicate that you have developed skills in management or negotiation.
Having identified your strengths, the tutor will want to discuss the direction in which your future career could go. This can be difficult if you are out of work and your confidence has taken a hammering but the earlier discussions should have boosted your self-assurance and enabled you to identify areas of work in which your present skills would be appreciated.
Once you have a sense of direction you can begin to identify the qualifications that would be most useful and you can establish a plan by which you can collect evidence of your ability.
Essentially, APL is about helping you to make a collection of material which will convince an assessor that you have already learned enough to be awarded an NVQ qualification. Your tutor is there to help and advise you how to collect and present your evidence. Examples of work that you have done in the past, statements from previous employers, details of previous employment or involvement with voluntary organizations can be collected in a portfolio and presented for assessment. APL can be time-consuming and the collection of evidence can sometimes be difficult but it offers a way forward to anyone concerned that their qualifications don't reflect their true capabilities.
APL opportunities are developing all the time. You can even use APL to gain exemption from certain aspects of study at degree level.
In many instances, APL will not provide you with an off-the-peg qualification. This is largely because human nature encourages us to look ahead rather than dwell on the past. We tend to aspire to 'better' jobs and new challenges rather than looking for the soft option, so people use APL alongside current study to achieve a new goal. In the office, for example, you may have had experience of filing and word processing but have never had to manage the petty cash system.
APL can give you credit for the skills which you have already acquired and further study will enable you to gain experience of petty cash handling. Put the two together and you are well on your way to obtaining those qualifications you need.
Address
You need an address. There is no point in sending out letters of application for jobs, or telephoning companies to see if they require additional staff, if you don't have a place where you can be contacted easily. If you are about to leave college, or for any reason have no permanent address, try to make an arrangement with relatives or reliable friends to have your mail sent to them. Ask if they'll take phone messages for you as well. Whatever arrangement you make, it will be your responsibility to keep in contact and make sure that you pick up your mail and messages frequently. Jobs can be lost if employers cannot locate you and you don't bother to keep in touch with them.
Adult Education
Colleges of Further Education, some Tertiary Colleges, Adult Education Centers, Community Centers and some Sixth Form Colleges offer a wide range of day and evening courses. Some courses are purely for pleasure, but others can help you develop skills valued in the workplace. Each centre or college is different but most offer help with reading, writing and maths and courses that lead to qualifications such as GCSEs and A levels. Work-related subjects on offer may include keyboard, computer and shorthand skills, as well as leisure activities and hobbies such as aerobics, car maintenance and pottery. Check out the ones in your area. You'll find details in your local public library, directly from the institutions concerned or call Learning Direct on 0800 100 900 to find out where your nearest college is. The National Institute for Adult and Continuing Education may also be able to provide further information.
Adult Residential Courses
A number of colleges offer residential courses which can help you gain access to higher education if you don't have traditional qualifications. These are mainly long-term courses, but some can be taken on a part- time, evening, Access, short course or workshop basis.
Advancing technology
Think back over the last ten years or so. Items of high technology which were considered expensive luxuries are now commonplace in many homes. Personal computers, mobile phones, word processors and video camcorders are now affordable for a large number of people, and the Internet has revolutionized the way we communicate and do business in a way which could not have been imagined only a few years ago. Technology is changing all our lives and if it isn't changing the way you do your job, the organization you work for is probably set to go out of business!
Love it or hate it, getting a job and keeping it depends on your ability and willingness to cope with technological development. Survivors are those who enjoy the challenges that the accelerating rate of change will inevitably bring. As organizations adjust to the changes, older, less flexible companies may go to the wall and many of us will face periods of unemployment. Use that time constructively to update and realign your skills to changing circumstances. Ensure that while you are in employment your developing skills are being recognized and, above all, whenever you are interviewed make sure that you ask 'What training opportunities will there be?' See also Computer Literacy and Learning Direct.
