Most people acquire their skills and knowledge over a period of time outside the formal education system, and as a result they do not have any qualifications.

Skills Recognition enables you to have your current skills and knowledge recognised and assessed against nationally recognised qualifications. It also identifies any skill gaps you may have, meaning you will only have to do training in the areas you need to—a fast way to achieve your goals and gain a qualification!

You can undertake Skills Recognition for individual units in courses offered by South West TAFE. This process requires you to be able to provide evidence of your skills and abilities.

Skills Recognition provides you with advantages when seeking employment. It helps you to produce evidence of your knowledge and skills. A certificate issued by an independent body such as a TAFE, can carry a lot of value in gaining a job.

South West TAFE undertakes the granting of status or credit to students for modules (subjects) or units of competency, they have completed or it has been assessed and deemed equivalent, at South West TAFE or another institution or training organisation

If you can identify with any of the following, then you may be a candidate for Skills Recognition.

You have:

• Years of industry or business experience but no qualifications
• Trade skills
• Paid or unpaid work experience (e.g. voluntary or community work)
• Life experience (e.g. travel, sport, hobbies, family)
• Completed short course studies
• Completed previous study

You want:

• A ‘piece of paper’
• To update your skills
• To return to study but are time poor
• A promotion or career change
• To identify the skills and knowledge of your staff
• Help to develop your workforce
• Industry compliance documentation

Let South West TAFE help you recognise the work and life skills you already have. We can help match and document your skills and knowledge against a qualification.

Skills Recognition can:

• Count your existing skills and knowledge towards a qualification
• Enhance your career options
• Help you complete a qualification in a short amount of time
• Reduce the duplication of learning in areas you already have skills
• Reduce study costs (as well as other associated costs, such as books, child care, etc)
• Lighten your study load, leaving you time to do other things (e.g. part-time work)
• Provide opportunities to support staff development in your business
• Increase business competitiveness by producing well trained staff

To be deemed competent, you will need to demonstrate your ability to work to the current standards set by industry.

Rapid technological or legislative changes have a major impact on the currency of workplace knowledge. In some situations, skills and knowledge acquired as recently as two years ago may already have become out dated, whilst in other industries, skills and knowledge may not have changed for a considerable period of time.

Our staff understand that the Skills Recognition process may seem daunting at first.  To assist you, a staff member will be assigned to support you through the process.

South West TAFE undertakes the granting of status or credit to students for modules (subjects) or units of competency, they have completed or it has been assessed and deemed equivalent, at South West TAFE or another institution or training organisation. For further information on Skills Recognition or Credits and Exemptions please contact the Course Coordinator of your required study area or the Customer Service Centre.

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