Lucy tells us about her RPL application journey, her work experiences and the opportunities it will provide for her in the future.

Inspired by her mother’s love for cooking, Lucy had always been passionate about all things food related and was determined to build her career in that sector. Like most, Lucy worked a variety of jobs after completing her second level education but soon found her feet when she leased and managed her first café over 25 years ago. Lucy has owned, managed and worked within the food industry during those 25 years gaining significant experiential learning and has been innovative in her approach to each project.

When Lucy read about the Certificate in Food Innovation and Entrepreneurship course available in ATU Galway (then GMIT), she instantly made inquiries knowing it would be something that may help her embark on her next project. Her only concern was that although she had a vast amount of relevant experience, she had no formal third level education and felt she would not be eligible to apply for the Level 9 certificate. On meeting with the RPL facilitator in ATU Galway, it was confirmed that Lucy did not meet the formal entry requirements of an Honours Degree but that her 25 years of experiential learning would be recognised when making her application.

Using the myexperience.ie website, Lucy submitted her RPL ePortfolio including all supporting evidence required for her application. Lucy found the tool very user friendly and felt that she gained a lot from creating the ePortfolio realising the importance of her experience and skillset she sometimes took for granted. She was delighted that she had the opportunity to gain access to the course.

Rusty tells us about his RPL application journey, his work experiences and the opportunities it will provide for him in the future. Des, a Head of Department in electronic engineering, also explains the process for RPL applicants and the opportunities available.

Kieran tells us about his RPL application journey, his work experiences and the opportunities it will provide for him in the future.

Nigel tells us about his RPL application journey, his work experiences and the opportunities it will provide for him in the future.

Why did you decide to go to college?
I decided to go to college to improve my long term career prospects. I really enjoyed my job working in the Quality Department at Medtronic, but I knew that I would have to get some formal qualifications under my belt in order to progress in my career. My ultimate goal is to become a Quality Engineer.

What attracted you to the course?
The most attractive thing about the course was that I could study and work at the same time. Classes are held in the evening time, which makes the course really accessible. The content of the course was also really important to me, it ticked all the boxes of what I need and I have been able to apply everything that I’ve learned to real work situations.

How useful did you find the My Experience website and ePortfolio application tool?
The tool was quite useful, it was great to be able to use the experience that I already had and it made me realise that I had lots of knowledge and skills already. This gave me a fair bit of confidence. I found the tool a little but difficult to use at times though, I felt that it could have been more intuitively designed.

Tell us about your experience with building your application?
I put lots of time and effort into building my application. I answered each applicable section as well as I could, and I asked for references and supplementary material from my work. The application was a really important component of my degree in the end – I think it’s important to stress the importance of getting it right to applicants.

Any advice for other RPL applicants?
My advice would be to allow yourself plenty of time to complete the application, and demonstrate evidence of the experience that you’re presenting wherever possible. If you don’t understand anything or you need some guidance, ask for help from the ATU Galway department.

Are you glad you made the decision?
I am really glad that I made the decision to complete the course. It certainly wasn’t easy – sometimes when you finish work the last thing you want to do is study! The results and the sense of achievement at the end make it all worthwhile. I was so proud of myself when I graduated. All of the hard work and evenings with the books really paid off.

What is next for the future?
I’m waiting for the final Level 8 year of the Quality Science for Industry course to be offered. I’m really looking forward to reaching the next level of my degree. I’ve already been promoted at work, and I know that achieving the Level 8 will be a huge help to me in my career ambitions. Onwards and upwards!

I have been working in a large multi-national Medical Device company for many years. I had a lot of experience in Quality roles and had been promoted accordingly. Previously, I had completed a Diploma 1 and Diploma 2 in Quality Management along with 2 further Certificates (Science in Quality & Regulatory Affairs and Supervisory Management & Statistics) at Level 7 but did not have a Level 6 qualification on the NFQ. My ultimate goal was to obtain a Degree in Quality to formalise my quality experience, training and knowledge.

Completing the RPL process with ATU Galway My Experience allowed me to document and show case my experience, training and knowledge through a formal system. Once I had completed this and met requirements, I was granted credits by ATU Galway which allowed me to bypass Level 6 and graduate with a Level 7 BSc in Quality.

The RPL process basically involves documenting your past work experience, training and qualifications and providing evidence of those. I would strongly encourage anyone who would like to obtain a higher qualification to complete the RPL process.

When Anthony was informed about an innovative part time Masters programme in Computer Science available at ATU Donegal (then known as LYIT), he made inquiries. Although Anthony did not meet the normal academic entry requirements of an Honours Degree, he was informed by the RPL Facilitator at ATU Donegal that his experiential learning would be recognised when making his application.

Anthony submitted his RPL e-portfolio through myexperience.ie website for assessment, which allowed him to present all the supporting evidence required for his application. He found the tool very user friendly and enjoyed preparing his portfolio.

“I really liked the way the tool was structured and how it gives examples of evidence that could be used to support my application. I was also delighted that LYIT put so much value on experiential learning as opposed to relying on just certified learning.”

Anthony was also interviewed before being accepted on to the programme.

The Level 9, Certificate in Road Maintenance Engineering and Network Management programme at ATU Sligo (then IT Sligo) is a bespoke course that was developed in 2014 in collaboration with the Local Authority Services National Training Group (LASNTG), primarily to meet the professional development needs of a large cohort of local authority road engineers.

While Alan did not meet the standard entry criteria for this flexible, part-time on-line programme he was made aware by the Programme Director and via the www.myexperience.ie website, that experiential learning could form part of a successful application. He reflected on his membership of numerous professional and trade association committees and his regular attendance at conferences and seminars and realised he had developed knowledge and skills associated with a Level 8 Civil Engineering degree.

Alan submitted a very comprehensive RPL application and was commended by the ATU Sligo assessor for his engagement with continuous professional development throughout his career. The assessor concluded that Alan met the required learning outcomes and, following a final interview, he was accepted onto the course.