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Does anyone have advice on completing a Prior Learning Assessment?
Does anyone have advice on completing a Prior Learning Assessment (PLA)?
- Thread starter nsmedicman
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Biggest thing for a PLA is being able to back up POs/EOs with previous experience - whether it's civie side schooling/work or military courses. I've done 2 PLA's for the Health Services Branch (1 successful and 1 pending and hopefully sitting on the PLA desk in Ottawa) and I've done a couple for distance learning at RMC - 2 OPME courses (1 successful the other 2 out of 3 mods were given - from previous courses I did at Civie U).
Another thing that helps with a PLA is selling it to your CofC. My CO was on board with 2 of my PLA's (wasn't on board with another so he quashed it) and it was his letterhead/signature that was on the coverletter for the package I submitted. Someone at the LCol range submitting your PLA says that he trusts you have the prior experience/education to do your job. For the OPME PLAs, I just submitted them myself as it would have nothing to do with the CO whether or not I did poli sci in university.
If you PM me, I can provide you with an example matrix - basically it has all EOs/POs of a particular course, you rate your experience in it (again if someone higher up the food chain puts their name on it - they agree with your assessment and it shows you aren't BSing) and then you provide evidence in appendices. I had course reports, TPs of courses, PERs, course descriptions, etc, etc... all things that would back up my PLA.
What the PLA desk/decision makers want to see are airtight examples of things you have done to deserve getting waived from a particular qualification and/or course (matching EOs/POs to previous experience). Having someone else back up your cause by saying "I've reviewed this guy's past quals and seen him in action and I feel comfortable knowing he has them that he can perform at the same level as someone with X course" can help you a lot. Just submitting a 1 page letter will not do - you have to provide anything/everything you can think of to back up your PLA.
Cheers
Another thing that helps with a PLA is selling it to your CofC. My CO was on board with 2 of my PLA's (wasn't on board with another so he quashed it) and it was his letterhead/signature that was on the coverletter for the package I submitted. Someone at the LCol range submitting your PLA says that he trusts you have the prior experience/education to do your job. For the OPME PLAs, I just submitted them myself as it would have nothing to do with the CO whether or not I did poli sci in university.
If you PM me, I can provide you with an example matrix - basically it has all EOs/POs of a particular course, you rate your experience in it (again if someone higher up the food chain puts their name on it - they agree with your assessment and it shows you aren't BSing) and then you provide evidence in appendices. I had course reports, TPs of courses, PERs, course descriptions, etc, etc... all things that would back up my PLA.
What the PLA desk/decision makers want to see are airtight examples of things you have done to deserve getting waived from a particular qualification and/or course (matching EOs/POs to previous experience). Having someone else back up your cause by saying "I've reviewed this guy's past quals and seen him in action and I feel comfortable knowing he has them that he can perform at the same level as someone with X course" can help you a lot. Just submitting a 1 page letter will not do - you have to provide anything/everything you can think of to back up your PLA.
Cheers
