Find out how CAPL may enable you to gain a qualification through your industry and educational experience

The purpose of CAPL is to evaluate your industry or educational experience against the academic requirements of a qualification, allowing you to gain credits towards part or all of a qualification.

Here’s how the process works: after connecting with the CAPL office, applicants work with facilitators to set out their work skills, experience, and previous learning. The team, with the subject specialists, considers whether the applicant’s prior learning is current, appropriate for the chosen qualification, and can be evidenced against a qualification graduate profile.

Mandy Gould, who leads the CAPL programme, says people often don't think about how much they know and could get formally recognised for.

If accepted, the CAPL facilitator supports the learner to collect evidence of their prior learning, which could include CVs, case studies, photographs, certificates, conversations with past or current employers or clients, and other material to demonstrate their previous knowledge and skills development.

“Effectively, you’re researching you,” said Mandy. “What’s most amazing about this process is that people often don’t stop to recognise how much they know. For someone that was frightened of academia, to come in and go through this process can be very empowering.”

Next, a report of learning is created. Based on this, an individualised programme of learning towards a qualification is developed. For Bachelors (L7) and above, this includes a presentation to a panel, including subject specialists, industry representatives, academic managers, and senior academic staff.

The cost to gain a qualification through CAPL depends on the amount of assessment required, but it’s always less than the cost of enrolling to study for the qualification. For a Bachelor degree, the cost is generally less than one year’s study.  

If you are interested in finding out more please click here or contact CAPL@ara.ac.nz.