RPL in Nova Scotia: Here to Stay Issue 2, January 2026 |
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Welcome!
Thank you for your positive response to our first issue. In this, the second issue of RPL in Nova Scotia: Here to Stay, we highlight RPL programs at the Automotive Sector Council of Nova Scotia and celebrate learner Yann Berger. In our RPL Spotlight section, Learning and Development specialist Taruna Goel shares wisdom gained from more than 25 years in the field. We look back at the 2025 CAPLA Conference held in Antigonish, share updates on NSCDA initiatives, video and podcast links and other valuable resources.
Our aim is to deepen our shared understanding of the many ways Recognition of Prior Learning strengthens lifelong learning pathways, supports workforce development, and advances equity in education. We look forward to continuing this conversation with you—celebrating progress, sharing knowledge, and championing the value of RPL in our communities. |
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CAPLA Conference 2025: Recognizing Prior Learning in Rural Spaces |
The beautiful, sunny campus of St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, was the site of the Canadian Association of Prior Learning Assessment Conference, May 26-28, 2025. With 71 participants from six countries - Canada, Australia, France, Jamaica, South Africa and the USA – the conference was an immersive experience, rich in learning and sharing. Highlights:
The conference offered three streams: Career Development, Immigrant Services and Post-Secondary Institutions. Three Keynotes were featured along with 24 session presentations (five international), four half-day workshops and a plenary session. The sessions and environment generated lots of lively conversation and networking.
The conference theme, RPL in Rural Spaces, was reflected throughout, showing that no matter where you are, recognizing learning strengthens communities and supports growth and prosperity. |
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RPL Spotlight: Taruna Goel Recognition Begins with Learning
One of the most significant learning experiences of my life has never appeared on my résumé, even though it demanded problem-solving, cultural fluency, resilience, adaptability, and continuous learning. When I immigrated to Canada in 2011, I gained no formal credentials for what I learned along the way. My informal learning became visible and transferable only through reflection and dialogue. Once I recognized my learning, it found expression through volunteer work with immigrant-serving organizations, where I supported others navigating similar transitions.
After more than 25 years in Learning & Development, one consistent lesson from my practice is that our systems rarely capture the many ways adults learn.
Learning is neither linear nor tidy. We learn by solving problems, navigating new spaces, making mistakes, and receiving feedback. This learning is real and tied to identity and contribution, yet it’s often invisible. Much adult learning can be tacit and embodied, and it doesn’t come with a transcript. Adults also struggle to name their learning because it doesn’t feel legitimate unless it occurs in a formal course. Surfacing this internalized learning requires agency, confidence, and guided reflection.
Competencies help make this learning visible and translate it into something observable and measurable by capturing the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and context. Through my work across sectors including career development, early childhood education, digital and IT, automotive, and construction, I have designed and applied competency frameworks to support clearer articulation of learning and performance standards.
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) enables individuals to see the value of their learning while giving universities/industries a trusted way to acknowledge competence. Instead of forcing everyone through a single gate, RPL opens multiple doors by recognizing that learning happens in diverse and valuable ways: on the job, in the community, and in living life.
When engaging in the RPL process, it is important to note that experience alone does not guarantee learning. Neither do the years working in a role nor the job titles. What matters is how we engage with and reflect on the experience to surface the learning. This is why RPL is called recognition of prior learning, and not recognition of prior experience, because it is the learning that counts, not merely having had the experience.
This intersection of learning and experience is where my practice is grounded, supporting individuals to translate lived experience into articulated, valued learning.
Taruna Goel Practice Lead, Competence Development and Assessment, North Pacific Metrics Inc. Additional Resources:
What Does Competency Mean?
https://hrmhandbook.com/hrm/skills-competencies/meaning-definition/
eCampusOntario “The Open Competency Toolkit” https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/competencytoolkit/CAEL - Competency-Based Education and Credit for Prior Learning
https://www.cael.org/hubfs/C-BEN%20CAEL%204-pager_2022.pdf
PLA and Competency-Based Education: Friends? Family? Or Only Acquaintances? https://www.plaio.org/index.php/home/article/view/206/236 Experience Alone Does Not Guarantee Learning https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/experience-alone-does-guarantee-learning-taruna-goel-rhftc/
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL/PLAR) is Opening Doors for Many https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/recognition-prior-learning-rplplar-opening-doors-many-taruna-goel-v4ajc/ Recognize Before You Retrain: ‘Work Fingerprints’ (Podcast) https://www.linkedin.com/posts/shvetamalhan_futureofwork-rpl-humanskills-activity-7408514632035889153-7gkb |
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NSCDA Staff Development: Developing a Portfolio Mindset
NSCDA staff participated together in a four-session program, The Portfolio Mindset, a condensed version of our EMPOWERED: The Portfolio Career training. Team members explored their experiences, strengths, accomplishments, and personal career stories, gaining deeper self-awareness and a renewed appreciation for their individual journeys and the journeys of their colleagues.
The process proved to be both meaningful and transformative. While the program introduced helpful tools and frameworks, its true value came from the opportunity to pause, reflect, and openly share.
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Automotive Sector Council: Empowering Workforce Development through RPL |
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The Automotive Sector Council of Nova Scotia (ASC) utilizes Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) in industrial settings to address urgent skill shortages within the Nova Scotia automotive sector. Our certification programs for Tire & Maintenance Technicians and Collision Repair Preppers are assessment initiatives tailored for individuals seeking employment who possess relevant experience or interest but lack formal certification. These programs support a diverse demographic, including youth, career changers, new Canadians, and under-represented groups, ranging in age from 16 to 55.
Developed by a Technical Working Group of employers and partners from the NS Community College and the NS Apprenticeship Agency, the program’s competencies are defined and validated by industry standards. Our competency-based exams and shop assessments, conducted by trained industry assessors, ensure results are both reliable and valid.
This RPL approach acknowledges and credits individuals for their existing knowledge and experience, regardless of how it was acquired. By embracing this method, candidates can attain certification within months, expediting their entry into the workforce and apprenticeship programs. Candidates who successfully meet these standards are granted 180 hours of credit by the NS Apprenticeship Agency. The success of these programs is built on two key elements: -
The personalized guidance and support provided to candidates by the ASC and its partners.
- Strong partnerships with employers, involved from the early planning stages through to implementation.
https://automotivesectorcouncil.ca/ |
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Learner Success Story: Yann Berger
Yann Berger moved from Alberta to Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, while working for a local automotive employer. Ambitious to become an automotive service technician apprentice, Yann felt he had gaps in his knowledge despite his prior experience. He chose to seek training before undergoing a Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) assessment.
He registered for the Pathways to Success Tire and Maintenance Technician (TMT) Training Program, a pre-apprenticeship bridging program offered by the NS Automotive Sector Council (ASC). After earning his certificate, he completed an RPL assessment, successfully meeting the Competency Standard Exam and Shop Assessment requirements. This earned him a certification and 180 hours of apprenticeship credit. Although his initial employer could not offer an apprenticeship, Yann successfully joined a dealership in a larger center and is now registered as a first-year Automotive Service Technician.
Geographic and personal constraints prevented Yann from enrolling in a traditional NSCC program. He discovered the Pathways to Success program online, which features an eight-week online curriculum supplemented by 8–10 days of in-person instruction at NSCC on weekends. During this time, ASC staff provided evening remedial support to prepare candidates for the TMT Competency Exam and offered guidance on apprenticeship career paths.
Yann’s long-term goal is to achieve Red Seal certification as both an Automotive Service Technician and a Collision Repair Technician. Toward this end, he also completed the Collision Prepper Program with 100 percent success, becoming a Certified Collision Prepper.
In his program evaluation, Yann stated that he is "now confident and gained greater exposure and insight to multiple trades." He noted significant growth in math, communication, teamwork, leadership, and technical skills, expressing that he thoroughly enjoyed the programs despite the short training duration. The RPL program provided Yann with a flexible pathway to reach his goals while remaining employed. Through the support of the industry and the Automotive Sector Council, Yann now has the tools and knowledge necessary for a successful career in the trades. |
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Video: The Competency Learning Model |
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Learning is much like learning to drive a car—something that unfolds gradually and in distinct stages. Developing strong reflective skills is essential. When we reflect, we become more attuned to where we are in the learning cycle and better able to identify what we already know, what we can do, and what we still need to work on. This awareness supports deeper, more intentional learning.
Ultimately, whether we’re driving a car or developing any new skill, learning is cyclical. We move through stages of awareness, practice, reflection, and growth. Each stage brings us closer to competence and eventually to mastery. And while practice builds skill, it’s reflection that ensures we continue to learn, adapt, and evolve—no matter how experienced we become. Click on our our video below to learn more about the Competency Learning Model. |
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One of my favourite RPL success stories is about Angel, an African Nova Scotian woman in rural Nova Scotia, who had no idea of the breadth and depth of skillsets she possessed. Week after week, as she peeled back the layers of her experiences in portfolio class, she gave the same response: ‘I don’t know; I don’t think I learned anything.’
Several sessions in, Angel expanded on that statement: ‘I don’t know; I don’t think I learned anything - I just raised five kids.’ It turned out that, as a single mom, not only had she raised five children, she’d also built her own house. Say what?! Yes, she’d served as general contractor and done much of the work herself, hiring tradespeople when required. She’d needed a home in which to raise her family and it was the only way she could get one. In her words, ‘I just did what I had to do.’
RPL helped Angel bring her vast array of learning to the surface, identify knowledge and competencies, then gather evidence to prove it. The result was transformational. Angel stood taller, spoke with pride about her achievements and applied to an educational program, forging a successful career in healthcare.
Angel’s story illustrates my immediate response to the question ‘Why RPL?’ Recognizing learning is transformational – for any of us, but perhaps especially for anyone who has been disadvantaged, who may have encountered challenges in school. Seeing yourself as a learner, possibly for the first time, changes you and unleashes a world of opportunity. You never know where your new self-knowledge and confidence might take you.
Teresa Francis is the Director of Learning and Professional Practice at the NSCDA and has championed the recognition of learning for 30 years. |
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From the Field Podcast: Competencies in a Changing World of Work |
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In this episode of the NSCDA's podcast, From the Field, Lindsay Guitard sits down with Taruna Goel, Senior Consultant at North Pacific Metrics and a leading expert in competency development and assessment. Taruna breaks down what competencies are (and aren’t), why context matters so deeply, and how competencies help make learning and performance visible in a rapidly changing labour market. Together, Lindsay and Taruna explore the value of national competencies for Career Development Practitioners, how competency frameworks strengthen consistency and trust in the profession, and what organizations should consider when building their own competency models. Click on the link below to check out this 10 minute podcast. |
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Interested in contributing? |
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If you would like to contribute to our next newsletter or share your ideas and suggestions, please reach out to either: Teresa Francis - tfrancis@nscda.ca
Director of Learning & Professional Practice - NSCDA
Lisa Strong - lstrong@nscda.ca Career Services Specialist - NSCDA |
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The trusted voice for the career development community since the late 1990s. Offering professional certification, training based on competencies, special membership benefits, and opportunities to get involved in research, networking, and advocacy. |
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