The Canadian Association for Prior
Learning Assessment
(CAPLA) presents

Recognizing Learning - Recognizing Skills
Innovative Assessment Practices to Support Sustainable Development
November 7 – 9, 2010
Ottawa Marriott Hotel
Ottawa, Ontario
Speakers
Keynote
International PLA Panel
Introduction
About the Conference
Sponsors
Pre-Conference Workshops
Pre-Conference Workshops
Registration
Registration Fees
How To Register
Accommodation
CAPLA Membership Renewal
Contact Us
Events
International PLA Network Webcast
Forum of the Adult Learning Network (ALN)
A Canadian Community of Scholars
ACCC’s ROL Dinner
2010 Canadian RPL Awards
CAPLA Annual General Meeting
Program and Schedule
Program and Schedule


Speakers

Keynote & Plenary Speakers
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Don't miss the opportunity to get your signed copy of two important books: Harnessing America's Wasted Talent - A New Ecology of Learning (2010) by author and CAPLA guest speaker Peter Smith and Re-theorizing the Recognition of Prior Learning (2006) by editor and visiting scholar Judy Harris.



David Walden photo
David A. Walden

David A. Walden is the Secretary-General of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO

Mr. Walden began his career as an archivist/historian with the National Archives of Canada. From 1984 – 1999, he held the positions of Secretary to the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board and Director of the Movable Cultural Property Program in the Department of Canadian Heritage . From 1985 – 2001, he was the Canadian representative on the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution . . . Read more in Case of Illicit Appropriation. In 1996 and again in 1999, he was elected Chairman of this Intergovernmental Committee.

In 1997, Mr. Walden led the Canadian delegation that negotiated the Agreement Between the Government of Canada and the Government of the United States Concerning the Imposition of Import Restrictions on Certain Categories of Archaeological and Ethnological Material. Mr. Walden has also been a member of many other Canadian delegations, including the Diplomatic Conference on the UNESCO Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (The Hague, 1999), the General Conference of UNESCO (Paris, 1999 – 2005) and the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) High Level Meeting on Sustainable Development (Vilnius, 2005). He is currently a Canadian representative on the UNECE Steering Committee on Education for Sustainable Development. Mr. Walden has also served on numerous UNESCO Committees including as Vice-President of Commission I (General Questions and Programme Support), and the Legal Committee of the General Conference, and Working Groups on the Protection of UNESCO's Name and Logo, and Relations among the Three Organs of UNESCO.

Mr. Walden serves as a member of the Management Committee of the Canada Council for the Arts and represents Canada on UNESCO’s 58 Member State Executive Board and the Board's Non-Governmental Organizations Committee.

David A. Walden holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in History and Political Science and a Master of Arts in Canadian Studies from Carleton University, Ottawa.

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Michael Bloom photo
Michael Bloom

Dr. Michael Bloom, Vice-President, Organizational Effectiveness and Learning at The Conference Board of Canada, is responsible for managing the Organizational Excellence, Education and Learning, and Organizational Learning and Development Research groups, and for overseeing funded research projects at the Conference Board. He has management responsibility for fourteen executive networks.

Corporately, Michael is co-leading CanCompete, the Conference Board’s flagship three-year research initiative. CanCompete builds on results from the Canada Project which defined seven . . . Read moremajor strategies for improving the sustainable competitiveness of Canada. He also leads a major Conference Board research initiative, Hollowing Out and Corporate Transformation, on the impact of corporate takeovers on Canada and Canadian firms.

Recent major research projects under his direction include: Valuing Culture: Measuring and Understanding Canada’s Creative Economy; Healthy People, Healthy Performance, Healthy Profits: The Case for Business Action on the Socio-Economic Determinants of Health, Building from the Ground Up: Enhancing Affordable Housing in Canada, Critical Steps for Canada: Environmental Health Lessons Across Borders: Australia, Sweden and California, Learning and Development Outlook 2007; How Canada Performs – Education and Skills Chapter; National Credit Review Service Pilot Project; Sector Council Research Project; Socio-Economic Benefits of Sport Participation in Canada; and the Public Works and Government Services Procurement Project. He also oversaw development of the Innovation Skills Profile, the General Innovation Skills Aptitude Test (GISAT), and the Skills Credentialing Tool.

Dr. Bloom speaks on human capital strategies, immigration issues, organizational effectiveness, learning and development, credentialing, skills and learning, innovation, post-secondary education trends, health matters, and international benchmarks.

Dr. Bloom is a graduate of the University of Oxford (DPhil) and Carleton University (BA, MA).

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Peter Smith photo
Dr. Peter Smith

Peter P. Smith, Ed.D. is the Senior Vice President of Academic Strategies and Development for Kaplan Higher Education. He is responsible for the development of mid-term strategies and program development to move Kaplan Higher Education, a $1 billion business, to higher profitability and academic quality . . . Read more.

Dr. Smith is the former Assistant Director of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and served as the founding president of California State University at Monterey Bay (CSUMB).

As the highest-ranking American at UNESCO, he was responsible for the supervision and management of some 700 full and part time staff located in more than 30 countries around the world. Headquartered in Paris, UNESCO’s Education Sector serves the Ministries of Education in the world’s less developed and emerging nations as their trusted intellectual advisor and advocate in developing and supporting national educational plans and strategies.

As founding president of CSUMB, he oversaw all aspects of leadership and development of the institution, working closely with the founding faculty. The university is widely recognized for its outcomes-based curriculum, a strong science and technology program, the first wireless computer network on a public university campus in America, a focus on first generation college students, and a commitment to service learning as a core component of the curriculum.

Dr. Smith, who holds a Doctor of Education from Harvard University, also advanced higher education in Vermont. He led a successful effort to implement Vermont’s community college system, which included the design of its operating, administrative, academic, and assessment systems. Peter served as the first president of the statewide Community College of Vermont from 1970-1978, and was named President Emeritus upon resigning.

Later, he went on to serve as the Dean of the Graduate School of Education and Human Development for George Washington University. He increased the student body, earned a new facility, and added highly talented and diverse faculty during his tenure from 1991-1994.

In 1989, he was elected as a representative from Vermont to the U.S. House of Representatives. He served as Vermont’s Lieutenant Governor from 1982-1986.

Dr. Smith is the author of the critically acclaimed The Quiet Crisis: How Higher Education Is Failing America (Anker Publications, Bolton Mass., 2004) & Harnessing America’s Wasted Talent A New Ecology of Learning (Published by Jossey-Bass A Wiley Imprint, San Francisco, CA 2010).

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International PLA Panel Speakers



Margaret Cameron photo
Margaret Cameron

Margaret Cameron entered higher education as an adult, graduating in 1997 from the University of Paisley (now the University of the West of Scotland) with an MSc, the focus of which was on the use of credit-based programmes within adult guidance. Having gained experience as an education guidance advisor, she developed and managed a number of widening participation initiatives in the West of Scotland and in Lancashire England. A manager at the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework Partnership since 2005 she currently leads on activities relating to the quality and integrity of the Framework and on activities involving other frameworks in the UK, Europe and beyond.




Nigel Lloyd photo
Nigel Lloyd

Nigel Lloyd is principal of Cambridge Professional Development (CamProf), a small consultancy based in the UK. CamProf advises organisations on the development of their professionals. CamProf specialises in standards of competence, professional development, and multicultural working.

Recent projects include:
  • development of an accreditation of prior learning system for the Polish construction industry (APL-Bud) including assessment of migrant workers. . . . Read more
  • updating Bloom's Taxonomy and its application to occupational standards for the Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council, mapping CTHRC qualifications against several qualifications frameworks.
  • evaluation of distance learning certification in humanitarian logistics
  • international coordinator for a project to develop the EuroPsy qualification for chartered psychologists, and for another project to develop a European Financial Advisor qualification.
  • piloting the European Qualifications Framework in the financial services sector by assigning levels to qualifications in 14 countries.

Prior to 1994, when Nigel created CamProf, his early years included spending a year in India, after completing school, as a volunteer, before studying Engineering & Economics at Oxford University. Three years research in urban computer modelling at Cambridge University was followed by an initial career as a civil engineer working for 9 years in Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Bangladesh. He also worked with the Register of Engineers for Disaster Relief (REDR) in Somalia and Ethiopia. He increasingly specialised in the human aspects of development projects, returning to UK in 1989 to work as Staff Development Manager for Transportation Planning Associates, involved in the creation of the competence-based NVQ system for construction professionals, managers and technicians.

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Madhu Singh photo
Dr. Madhu Singh

Dr. Madhu Singh is Senior Programme Specialist and Coordinator of the Lifelong Learning Programme at the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning in Hamburg, Germany. She joined UNESCO in 1998. Prior to this, Dr Madhu Singh was in the Unit for Third World Studies at the Technical University in Berlin where she did research on expanding competences, qualifications and adult vocational education in the informal sector . . . Read more in developing countries. Before coming to Germany, she lectured on the sociology of education at Poona University in India before joining the University of London Institute for Education as a Commonwealth research fellow.

She is currently coordinating UNESCO’S programme on National Qualifications Frameworks and the Recognition, Validation and Accreditation of Non-formal and Informal Learning which is an initiative for achieving the greater participation of adults in lifelong learning and education for all. Her forthcoming publications on recognition include: Why Recognition Matters: Global Perspectives on Non-formal and Informal Learning (UIL: Hamburg, 2010) and Benchmarking National Learning Cultures on Linking Recognition Practices to National Qualifications Frameworks (with Ruud Duvekot, UIL: Hamburg, 2010).

Previous publications include: Institutionalising Lifelong Learning: Creating Conducive Environments for Adult Learning in the Asian Context (2002); Enhancing Adult Basic Learning: Training Educators and Unlocking the Potential of Distance and Open Learning (2004); Meeting Learning Needs in the Informal Sector: Skills Development for Decent Work, Empowerment and Citizenship (2005) (ed.); Adult Learning and the Future of Work (1999); Economics and Financing of Adult Learning (1999); Poverty Alleviation, Work and Adult Learning (1999).

The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning is a non-profit international research, training, information, documentation and publishing centre for literacy, non-formal and adult education from the perspective of lifelong learning. One of its major programmes is the promotion of South-South and North-South research co-operation and policy dialogues in the area of qualifications frameworks and recognition practices world-wide.

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Introduction

Recognizing Learning - Recognizing Skills
Innovative Assessment Practices
to Support Sustainable Development
The 2010 International Recognition for Prior Learning (RPL) conference will take place in Ottawa on November 7-9, 2010, marking the 15th anniversary of the first national PLAR Forum which took place in the same city in 1995. The conference will be looking at innovative prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR) and qualification recognition (QR) practices, programs and services.

In 2005 the United Nations declared the years 2005-2014 to be the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, challenging member states to think about their environmental, economic and social systems by encouraging growth that is good for the planet and for people. According to the Bonn Declaration (2009) which emerged from UNESCO’s World Conference in Germany, Education for Sustainable Development “brings new relevance, quality, meaning and purpose to education and training systems…it involves formal, non-formal and informal education contexts, and all sectors of society in a lifelong learning process.”

Wasting the skills and abilities of Canadians is not a sustainable practice and represents a paradox in countries where there are skills shortages. Ignoring or undervaluing learning achievements — informal, non formal or formal — represents a barrier to lifelong learning where the knowledge economy is rapidly changing.

Sustainable development is a cross-cutting theme that impacts all people, organizations, communities and countries. We have come to understand that throwing something away rather than recycling it is not environmentally friendly. We appreciate the need to re-think the way we do things in light of constant change. We are becoming more aware of climate change and the impact of wasting food, water and electricity. We know how important it is to do our part to reduce, reuse and recycle. How can the same principles be applied to our social environments? If sustainability requires people and organizations to change their behaviour in a meaningful way, what must we do to make education, training, human resource management, labour market, regulatory and career development systems more sustainable?
Sponsors
Funding provided by



Ontario


Manitoba


Nova Scotia Labour and Workforce Development


New Brunswick


Yukon


Nova Scotia Community College


Prince Edward Island


Government of Saskatchewan

UNESCO

Pre-Conference Workshops

Pre-Conference Workshops
Sunday November 7 from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm.

 

Pre-conference A

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Primer

Presenter: Ann Pedersen, Reframed Learning Concepts

This hands-on workshop is designed for participants who wish to learn the basic principles and practices of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL/PLAR) and portfolio development. The relationship of RPL and portfolios to standards and competencies within regulatory bodies will also be explored.
  • RPL/PLAR Framework
  • RPL/PLAR Terminology
  • Assessment models and tools
  • Approaches and applications for portfolio development and portfolio assessment
  • Principles of best practice and benchmarks for RPL/PLAR practitioners
  • Examples of unique RPL initiatives
  • RPL resources for both learner & practitioner

Participants will be encouraged to share experiences and perspectives, and to ask questions on RPL/PLAR, portfolio development, and competency assessment.

Individual and small group work will provide an opportunity for participants to explore their own experiential learning as a vehicle to gaining deeper appreciation for experiential learning, self-assessment, and transferable skills, as well as an understanding of the value to individuals, communities and organizations.

 

Pre-conference B

The Mature Worker and RPL

Presenters: John Atherton, HRSDC; Don Presant, Learning Agents; Michael Stewart, Manitoba Chambers of Commerce - Third Quarter; Barbara Jaworski, Workplace Institute; Gord Evans, Workforce Development Board; Sharon Davison, Northern Lights Canada; Patrick Cummins, CEP Consulting Inc. – ESPORT; Denyce Diakun, Algonquin College - Experienced Worker Centre; Anne Ramsay, Spotlight on Change: An Essential Skills Program for Women Over 40; Maitland MacIssac, Passport to Employment

This pre-conference will bring together those who have an interest in the current prior learning assessment and recognition thinking and innovative practice developed with the older worker in mind.

In the morning, several organizations who have PLAR programs and services designed for the older worker will share their present activities and lessons learned in areas such as job search, career change, formal assessment and recognition of prior learning and/or verification of talents, skills and competencies. Participant experiences, along with questions and answers will complete the morning.

After lunch, the employer perspective will be explored from the perspective of a return on investment (ROI) for hiring experienced older workers. PLAR assessment tools that currently exist, as well as those that could be modified or developed, will be examined. Outcomes which bring the needs of the employer and the skills of the older worker closer together will be the subject of breakout sessions. Relevance to HRSDC’s Targeted Initiative for Older Workers will be a priority. Resources used by employment and career counselors will also be shared.

 

Pre-conference C

Canada’s Colleges – RPL, Learner Mobility and Pathways – Now and in the Future

Presentation: ACCC Transfer, Articulation and Pathways Initiative – Michèle Clarke, ACCC, Director of Government Relations and Policy Research; Catherine MacLean, Vice President People and Planning, Nova Scotia Community College · Presentation: Canadian Forces Colleges Opportunities Program – Major Mark Russell, Canadian Defence Academy; Paul Toupin, ACCC-Manager of Canadian Partnerships · Presentation Panel: RPL Practices in Canada’s Colleges – A Snapshot – Amanda Roberts, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology; Frank Vandenburg, New Brunswick Community College and College communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick; Michelle Pugh, Niagara College; Shirley Amichand, Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology; Deb Blower, Red River College of Applied Arts, Science and Technology

This pre-conference day will showcase some of the notable transfer, articulation and pathways initiatives and RPL practices currently in place at Canada’s colleges and institutes. Facilitated by the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) Recognition of Learning (ROL) Affinity Group Coordinating Committee, this pre-conference workshop will explore the work of ACCC and its Transfer, Articulation and Pathways (TAP) Committee. The Committee is helping guide ACCC’s work in this regard and exploring ways and opportunities to move the mobility agenda forward in a positive direction for learners, institutions, partnerships and for Canada. A panel of RPL practitioners will share some of the exemplary RPL practices in Canadian colleges. Participants will be invited to share practices and challenges related to increased learner mobility and pathways including RPL across Canada. Join us and be a part of shaping the future direction of the ACCC ROL Affinity Group.

Registration

Registration Fees

Conference Registration:

Full Registration - CAPLA Member $ 495.00 + tax ($ 64.35) = $ 559.35
Full Registration Non-member $ 595.00 + tax ($ 77.35) = $ 672.35
One Day Registration (Monday) $ 295.00 + tax ($ 38.35) = $ 333.35
One Day Registration (Tuesday) $ 295.00 + tax ($ 38.35) = $ 333.35
Exhibitor Booth $ 500.00 + tax ($ 65.00) = $ 565.00
Speaker Registration $ 395.00 + tax ($ 51.35) = $ 446.35
Student Registration $ 195.00 + tax ($ 25.35) = $ 220.35


Pre-Conference Registration:

Pre-Conference Workshops* $ 150.00 + tax ($ 19.50) = $ 169.50


* Please note the CAPLA Member and Non-member conference registration fees do not include the pre-conference workshops. There is an additional $150+tax cost to attend the pre-conference workshops.

Cancellation Policy

Cancellations received in writing prior to September 25, 2010 will be charged a $55 administrative fee. Cancellations received after this date will not be refunded. Replacements will be accepted with a request received in writing from the registered participant. Cancellations and replacements should be forwarded to the Recognizing Learning Secretariat.

Recognizing Learning Secretariat

Agenda Managers Inc.
2979 Oxford Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3L 2W3

Phone: (902) 422-1886 or 1-877-731-1333
Fax: (902) 422-2535
Email: capla@agendamanagers.com
How To Register

To register online click here.

The deadline for the Early Bird registration is October 4, 2010. You are not registered until payment is received in full. Space is limited – register early.
Accommodation

One King West Hotel & Residence

One King West Hotel & Residence offers guests one of the best, most desired addresses in the city. Located on the south-west corner of King & Yonge, you’ll be within walking distance to Toronto’s most popular destinations, including the Theatre District, Entertainment District, Business District and vibrant Queen Street.
Ottawa Marriott Hotel
1 King Street West,
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M5H 1A1

Phone: 1-416-548-8100
Fax: 1-416-548-8101
Toll-free: 1-866-470-5464

One King West Hotel & Residence Rate:


$139.00 / night + tax

Special needs accommodations allow for complete accessibility on request. Delegates are responsible for booking their own accommodations. Please contact the hotel directly to book your room. Reference the "CAPLA" to take advantage of the preferred conference rate. Rooms will be assigned on a first come first served basis, based on availability, so book early.
CAPLA Membership Renewal

Membership PDF

Join CAPLA now and save on conference registration fees. It's easy to join: Click here to join online or click the image at right for a downloadable membership application. Methods of payment include Visa, MasterCard, money order and cheque (payable to CAPLA.)

The application form is available here as a PDF document. You can view and print PDFs with the free Adobe Reader.
Contact Us
Questions or special requests can be directed to:

Recognizing Learning Secretariat

Agenda Managers Inc.
2979 Oxford Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3L 2W3

Phone: (902) 422-1886 or 1-877-731-1333
Fax: (902) 422-2535
Email: capla@agendamanagers.com

Events

International PLA Network Webcast
IPLAN Panel Presentation: Sustainability through National and International Sharing

Free International Prior Learning Assessment Network was webcast on Tuesday, November 9, 2010.

2010 Forum of the Adult Learning Network (ALN)
November 7, 2010 · Ottawa Marriott Hotel, Ottawa

Lifelong Learning Matters: Taking Steps Forward

The first national Forum of the Adult Learning Network is focused on the theme of shaping a vision of lifelong learning in Canada, taking a leadership approach.

The goal of the Lifelong Learning Matters: Taking Steps Forward Forum is to provide a venue where Anglophone, Francophone and Aboriginal learning communities will join to share promising practices, discuss new research and be informed of the progress made following CONFINTEA VI on the international and national levels. It provides an opportunity to present the Canadian Commission for UNESCO’s Draft Charter for Adult Learning in Canada and make suggestions on activities related to the International Adult Learners’ Week 2011. The strategy to implement a Canadian Lifelong Learning Network will be discussed with a view to establishing and promoting a culture of lifelong learning. The future of lifelong learning in Canada lies in building networks, developing exchange opportunities and creating synergy. The next steps forward identified by Forum participants are crucial to the development of lifelong learning in this country.

For more information visit, aln-raa.ca/forum/2010forum/
Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition: Emergence of a Canadian Community of Scholars
Saturday, November 6 · 1:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Sunday, November 7 · 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Ottawa Marriott Hotel
(Participation by invitation only)

A research workshop hosted by Thompson Rivers University (TRU) – Open Learning with financial support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)

The objectives of this session are:
  • To map the territory of PLAR research currently being undertaken in Canada, including research by graduate students
  • To identify future directions for Canadian PLAR research and the contribution this research might make to the international research agenda developed by the Prior Learning International Research Centre (TRU)
  • To identify possible inter-provincial and/or cross disciplinary and/or international research projects that Canadian PLAR scholars could undertake

An edited collection of papers presented by Canadian and international scholars will be prepared and posted electronically.

*There are a limited number of ‘observer’ seats available for PLAR academic scholars or PLAR practitioners. To find out more, contact Christine Wihak.
ACCC’s Recognition of Learning (ROL) Affinity Group Networking Dinner
ACCC symbol
Monday, November 8 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Carmello’s Italian Restaurant (one minute walk from the hotel)

The ACCC Co-ordinating Committee for the Recognition of Learning Affinity Group invites all Recognizing Learning - Recognizing Skills, Innovative Assessment Practices to Support Sustainable Development participants to come to an informal networking dinner at Carmello’s Italian Restaurant (one minute walk from the hotel) at 7:30 pm (at your own expense). Hear about what others are doing and share what’s happening with PLAR at your institution/organization! Registration for this event will take place, on site, at the registration desk at the conference.
2010 Canadian Recognition of Prior Learning Awards
In recognition of outstanding achievement in the field of prior learning assessment and qualification recognition, three (3) Recognizing Learning Awards will be presented for distinguished work in the field.

Award Criteria:

  • The three categories for nominations include
    1. a person
    2. a program (public policy/special initiatives) or
    3. institution/organization
  • The nominees must be Canadian, an immigrant to Canada, a Canadian program or institution
  • The achievement/contributions must reflect activities that occurred between the years 2008 – 2010.
  • The Award Selection Committee will consider
    1. how the nominee demonstrated commitment to and promotion of RPL
    2. the results achieved and the developmental nature of the work
    3. whether the achievement has had or may have some lasting benefit within the field of practice.
  • Nominations must be submitted by Thursday, September 30, 2010
The Award Selection Committee, comprised of members of the CAPLA Board of Directors, will review all nominations by October 4, 2010. All Nominees will receive a ‘certificate of achievement’ for their contribution to the field of prior learning assessment and qualification recognition, and will be encouraged to attend the conference.

The Award winner in each of the three categories will be given the opportunity to make a few short remarks at the presentation ceremony. Early bird registration rates will be extended to Award winners wishing to register for the conference who have not already done so.

CAPLA Annual General Meeting
Monday, November ???
from 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm.

All CAPLA members are encouraged to attend.

Program and Schedule

Program and Schedule
Sunday, November 7
8:30 am – 9:00 am   Registration/Information Desk Open for Pre-Conference Foyer
9:00 am – 4:00 pm   Pre-Conference Workshops
5:30 pm – 8:00 pm   Registration/Information Desk Open Sussex Salon Foyer
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm   Welcome Reception 27th Floor

Monday, November 8
Simultaneous interpretation will be provided at the Opening Session & Keynote Address and all workshops in Victoria Ballroom.
8:00 am – 6:00 pm   Registration/Information Desk Open Victoria Foyer
8:00 am – 8:45 am   Continental Breakfast Victoria Foyer
8:45 am – 9:30 am   Opening Session & Keynote Address Victoria
Education for All and the Role of UNESCO: Going Beyond the Millennium Development Goals
David A. Walden, Secretary-General of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO
• Canadian Recognition for Prior Learning Awards Presentation
• Tribute to Lenore Burton
9:30 am – 10:30 pm   Concurrent Workshops Various Rooms


Click a title to
see more about
the workshop.

 
‘New Bloom’ – Updating Bloom’s Taxonomy in the context of Occupational Standards and Quality Frameworks  more...
‘New Bloom’ – Updating Bloom’s Taxonomy in the context of Occupational Standards and Quality Frameworks
Presenter: Nigel Lloyd, Cambridge Professional Development (CamProf)
For over 50 years education practitioners have used Bloom’s Taxonomy as a tool to describe learning outcomes and to choose appropriate assessment methods. ‘New Bloom’ was developed on a recent project for the Canadian Tourism Human Resources Council. Nigel Lloyd will report on this useful update of a well-trusted tool, which was tested on 3 CTHRC occupational standards. The workshop will explore New Bloom’s uses (for competency profiles as well as training programmes) and limitations. It will also include discussion of qualification frameworks.
Download the Nigel Lloyd presentation
Update on Canada’s Adult Learning Network (ALN)  more...
Update on Canada’s Adult Learning Network (ALN)
Presenter: Teresa MacNeil, ALN and formerly St. Francis Xavier University
The Adult Learning Network, a voluntary group that is advancing some of the work begun by the Canadian Council on Learning’s Adult Learning Knowledge Centre, held a Forum recently to share information about its goals and future direction, and to gather ideas for this pan-Canadian initiative. This workshop will bring participants up to date on the Forum’s outcomes and will seek advice on new ideas for activities and stakeholder engagement of new partners across Canada.
Download the Teresa MacNeil presentation
The PLAR & Portfolio Development Project at Nunavut Arctic College – Sustainability and Holistic Well Being through the Integration of Traditional Knowledge, Principles of Adult Learning, and Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR)  more...
The PLAR & Portfolio Development Project at Nunavut Arctic College – Sustainability and Holistic Well Being through the Integration of Traditional Knowledge, Principles of Adult Learning, and Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR)
Presenter: Jennifer Archer, Nunavut Arctic College Council
The PLAR & Portfolio Development Project at Nunavut Arctic College, working on a 3-year research grant from HRSDC, has proven that holistic portfolio development is effective in helping adult learners across Nunavut to identify their strengths, increase their self-esteem and overall wellbeing, and connect meaningfully to education and work. Sustainability is the capacity to endure. In biology, sustainable systems remain diverse and productive over time. In human terms, sustainability is the potential for long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions. We will share the story of how we achieved sustainability for PLAR, how portfolio development is practiced at Arctic College and the research results regarding its affect on course participants, facilitators, and institutional policies and practices. We will also share how this participant-directed process of valuing the whole person is being adapted for personal and community development in other areas in Nunavut, including secondary schools and social services.
Download the Jennifer Archer presentation
Nova Scotia Boat Builder Competency Driven PLAR Model  more...
Nova Scotia Boat Builder Competency Driven PLAR Model
Presenter: T. A. ‘Chip’ Dickison, Nova Scotia Boatbuilders Association
The NS Boatbuilders Association (NSBA) decided (after doing some quite extensive research) that the best training and recognition of prior learning model for Nova Scotia boat builders was that practiced in New Zealand. It was a competency oriented, workplace driven program that the NSBA felt they could implement without too much infrastructure considerations and inherent costs. There was no boat building training program in Nova Scotia and the NSBA had identified a looming labour shortage with the present workforce getting steadily older. In this workshop, Chip Dickison (NSBA Training Coordinator) will outline the PLAR process that evolved from NS accessing this NZ model.
Download the Chip Dickison presentation
Diversified Evaluation and Learning Methods Within a Personalised Customer Approach: a Winning Formula in the Capitale-Nationale Region  more...
Diversified Evaluation and Learning Methods Within a Personalised Customer Approach: a Winning Formula in the Capitale-Nationale Region
Presenters: Roger Arsenault, Service de reconnaissance des acquis et des compétences de la région de la Capitale-Nationale; Andrée Gauvin, Commission scolaire de la Capitale; Marc St-Cyr, Cégep de Sainte-Foy
To meet the evolving needs of clients within their area of Quebec, educational institutions in the Capitale-Nationale region look at creative ways of recognizing prior learning (RPL). During this workshop, we will explore how school board and college (cégep) teacher references brought about complementary evaluation and training tools adapted to the specific needs of a group of construction workers and a group of new immigrant workers. Consequently clients are on a faster and surer track to obtaining their diplomas. Diverse needs require diverse approaches!

••• This presentation will be presented in French.

Download the Roger Arsenault presentation
10:45 am – 11:00 am   Nutrition Break Victoria Foyer
11:00 am – 12:00 pm   Concurrent Workshops Various Rooms


Click a title to
see more about
the workshop.

 
PLAR: Moving Beyond ‘Discourses of Righteousness’  more...
PLAR: Moving Beyond ‘Discourses of Righteousness’
Presenters: Dr. Judy Harris, Visiting Scholar, Thompson Rivers University; Joy Van Kleef, Canadian Institute for Recognizing Learning
PLAR practices have been described as ‘stuck in a discourse of ‘righteousness’ and a ‘closed intellectual world’ where PLAR is seen as de facto and self-evidently desirable, democratic and ‘a good thing’. In this session we will explore ways to think about PLAR that go beyond adult and experiential learning theory and practice. These will draw on the book Re-theorising the Recognition of Prior Learning (Harris and Andersson, 2006) and the work of the Prior Learning International Research Centre (PLIRC) at Thompson Rivers University. Under the banner of PLIRC, a group of scholar-practitioners from around the world (including three from Canada) have audited PLAR research in their country or region. We will share with you the messages and implications of the Canadian chapters for PLAR practitioners and locate those within the broader international context.
Don’t miss the opportunity to get your signed copy of Re-theorizing the Recognition of Prior Learning (2006) by editor and visiting scholar Judy Harris. Books are available for sale at the registration desk. Dr Judy Harris is available for book signings during lunch.
Download the Dr. Judy Harris presentation
The Legacy of Alan Thomas : A Champion of Learning, a Pioneer of PLAR and a Friend of CAPLA  more...
The Legacy of Alan Thomas : A Champion of Learning, a Pioneer of PLAR and a Friend of CAPLA
Presenter: Arpi Hamalian, Department of Education, Concordia University; & The Carold Institute for the Advancement of Citizenship in Social Change
In 1952 Alan Thomas took a long journey around the United States and kept a journal entitled “American Journal.” The journal concludes as follows: “. . . and where was it I had been? That remained to be seen and felt and thought about . . .” I will tell a few stories about Alan Thomas and his work and legacy. I am hopeful that this session will open up the flood gates to new stories, leading to many new learning circles to remember him with and renew our resolve to carry forward the torch of his legacy about learning and PLAR.
Valorizing Immigrants’ Non-Canadian Work Experience  more...
Valorizing Immigrants’ Non-Canadian Work Experience
Presenter: Gail Larose, Gail Larose Consulting
In 2009 Gail Larose and George Tillman were commissioned to discover whether any formal evaluations existed of initiatives by Canadian employers to valorize the non-Canadian work experience of immigrant workers. Their research revealed very few programs that addressed this question directly but a number of commendable initiatives where the foreign work experience of immigrant job seekers was recognized by employers. These initiatives are described in their report Valorizing Immigrants’ Non-Canadian Work Experience published on the Canadian Council for Learning Web site at www.ccl-cca.ca/pdfs/WLKC/WLKC_Valorizing_EN.pdf. Their session will explore what can be done to expand these initiatives especially for non-regulated occupations and SMEs.
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This is Not Your Grandmother’s PLAR: BC Prior Learning Action Network Takes Action  more...
This is Not Your Grandmother’s PLAR: BC Prior Learning Action Network Takes Action
Presenters: Clifford Bell, Immigrant Services Society BC (ISSBC), BC PLAN Board; Heather Dickson, Advanced Education & Labour Market Development (ALMD), British Columbia; Patrick Donahoe, Capilano University, BC PLAN Board; Sandy Steward, Industry Training Authority British Columbia (ITABC); Norma Strachan, ASPECT (BC’s Community Based Employment Training Association); Wendy Watson, University of the Fraser Valley, BC PLAN Co-Chair
Vancouver, April 2010: PLA stakeholders from across BC comprised of public, private and not-for-profit sectors attend BCPLAN’s inaugural summit, “Charting a Pathway, Building a Network.” The summit is the result of planning by a grassroots steering committee which understands the need for PLA stakeholders to communicate and work together. As a result of a mandate from summit participants, BCPLAN has formalized as a non-profit society, and is entering into a Labour Market Partnership (LMP) agreement with the BC Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development. A panel of BC stakeholders will present and answer questions on BCPLAN’s journey to this point and where the map will take players next.
Models for the Delivery of PLAR as a Learner Pathway to a High School Diploma  more...
Models for the Delivery of PLAR as a Learner Pathway to a High School Diploma
Presenters: Pauline McNaughton, Ontario Ministry of Education; Jonathan Brown, Ontario Ministry of Education
Statistics show that there are almost one million Ontarians of working age without a high school diploma. Prior learning assessment can help an adult gain recognition and credit for prior knowledge and skills towards a high school diploma. The Adult Education Policy Unit of the Ministry of Education has initiated capacity building activities to improve access to PLAR for mature student across the province. This workshop will highlight strategies to make PLAR services more accessible to adult newcomers and promote provincial consistency and standardization in the delivery of PLAR.
Download the Rose Burton-Spohn presentation
Completing the Recognition of Prior Learning Process – Acquiring Missing Skills  more...
Completing the Recognition of Prior Learning Process – Acquiring Missing Skills
Presenter: Jean-François Savard, Cégep Limoilou
In Quebec, the recognition of prior learning and competencies (RPLC) process incorporates what we usually refer to as “missing training”. It allows individuals enrolled in a recognition process to pick up the competency skills they are missing if they are unable to show that they have already mastered said skills. The presentation will try to identify what should make up the acquisition of missing competencies within a recognition of prior learning and competencies process. How can we adopt a personal approach, one that is tailored to each candidate’s situation? Which means can be taken to reach this goal? How can we build on each other’s prior learning to promote effective learning? Pertinent examples of missing competencies acquisition processes taken from the education field in Quebec will further illustrate points made during the presentation.

••• This presentation will be presented in French.

Download the Jean-François Savard presentation
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm   Lunch Victoria
Speaker: Dr. Peter Smith, Senior Vice President, Academic Strategies and Development, Kaplan Higher Education
Don’t miss the opportunity to get your signed copy of Harnessing America’s Wasted Talent - A New Ecology of Learning (2010) by author and CAPLA guest speaker Peter Smith. Books are available for sale at the registration desk. Dr. Smith will be available at lunch to sign his book.
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm   Concurrent Workshops Various Rooms


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Reuse, Recycle Learning and Reduce Time to Degree: Council on Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) PLA Research Study Findings  more...
Reuse, Recycle Learning and Reduce Time to Degree: Council on Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) PLA Research Study Findings
Presenters: Judith Brown, Barry University; Joanne Longo, Barry University; Pamela Luckett, Barry University
During the summer of 2009 Barry University and 48 other institutions of higher learning in the USA participated in a CAEL research study on the efficacy of adult undergraduate programs with a PLA component. Graduation rates, persistence, and time to degree were compared between PLA and Non-PLA students. The institutions involved in the study provided data on more than 62,000 adult learners. The study findings support the use of PLA in recycling and reusing learning, and reducing time to degree completion. In addition, this presentation will provide a hands-on demonstration of the elements of PLA e-portfolios to further reinforce sustainable and innovative assessment practices.
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Trends in Public Support for Prior Learning Recognition: Basic National Survey Findings, 1998-2010  more...
Trends in Public Support for Prior Learning Recognition: Basic National Survey Findings, 1998-2010
Presenter: David Livingstone, Canada Research Chair in Lifelong Learning and Work, Professor Emeritus, Department of Sociology and Equity Studies OISE/UT
This paper will present the basic findings from three national surveys conducted in 1998, 2004 and 2010 on paid and unpaid work, formal and informal learning and attitudes toward the principle of prior learning recognition. Relations between various socio-demographic factors and support for prior learning recognition will be analyzed. In particular, trends in relations between formal and informal learning activities will be assessed in terms of implications for changes in popular support for initiatives to gain recognition for prior learning.
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My Record / Record of Education and Experience (REE) and the My Record Report for Employers  more...
My Record / Record of Education and Experience (REE) and the My Record Report for Employers
Presenters: Cynthia Murphy, Colleges Integrating Immigrants to Employment (CIITE); Tim Owen, World Education Services (WES); Jan Carter, George Brown College (GBC); Bill McKee, Ontario College Application Service (OCAS)
The My Record/ Record of Education and Experience (REE) and the My Record Report for Employers was developed by the Ontario colleges, in partnership with Colleges Integrating Immigrants to Employment and CONNECT to streamline the recognition of international credentials and experience for internationally trained immigrants (ITIs). These tools have the potential to better serve the 36% of Ontario college students who have prior post-secondary experience. This presentation will discuss the best practices and lessons learned from the pilot thus far and present research and future plans to expand and implement the My Record.
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Slipping the Chains  more...
Slipping the Chains
Presenter: Geoff Peruniak, Athabasca University
The assessment of prior learning (APL) has normally been associated with the attainment of credentials. Those of us involved in APL have always known that there is far more prior learning present with any learner than can be assessed for credit. Many of us have been so busy trying to legitimize APL to our credentialing organizations that we may have neglected the basic developmental processes that underlie ourselves and our learners as whole persons. This session will explore opportunities and limitations of a deeper and more comprehensive review of prior experiential learning than that normally associated with the credentialing process.
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Continuing Care Assistant (CCA) RPL Process in Nova Scotia  more...
Continuing Care Assistant (CCA) RPL Process in Nova Scotia
Presenters: Cailleagh Sharples, Nova Scotia CCA Program Advisory Committee, Health Association Nova Scotia; Teresa Francis, Prior Learning Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Over the past ten years Nova Scotia’s CCA Program has moved from a standard provincial education program to one that supports and responds to their participants needs by incorporating three different RPL Methods to accommodate a variety of participant backgrounds. With some innovative solutions to our challenges, the RPL Methods are starting to produce very positive numbers and uptake of these Methods is increasing every year. This presentation will explore these Methods.
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The Validation of Acquired Knowledge and Experience at the University of Strasbourg as a Validation of Acquired Knowledge Tool for Sustainable Personal Development – The NDPC Sheet: From an Administrative Document to a University Evaluation and Validation Transformation Tool  more...
The Validation of Acquired Knowledge and Experience at the University of Strasbourg as a Validation of Acquired Knowledge Tool for Sustainable Personal Development – The NDPC Sheet: From an Administrative Document to a University Evaluation and Validation Transformation Tool
Presenter: Paul Nkeng, University of Strasbourg
The validation of acquired knowledge and experience at the University allows anyone with at least three years experience relating to the requirements of a diploma to have this experience recognized toward said degree. This presentation shows how the VAKE approach provides adults with the opportunity to highlight the scope and the richness of their experiences to better represent themselves in terms of personal development. Our presentation will show the implementation of a little-used diploma-describing document to assist university validation juries, the “NDPC sheet”, as well as the mobilisation of said juries to change their student assessment approach.

••• This presentation will be presented in French.

Download the Paul Nkeng presentation
2:30 pm – 3:00 pm   Nutrition Break Victoria Foyer
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm   Concurrent Workshops Various Rooms


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Efficiency and Effectiveness in Quality RPL Practice  more...
Efficiency and Effectiveness in Quality RPL Practice
Presenters: Deb Blower, Red River College; Lauren Waples, Red River College
Quality and sustainability are critical components of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) practices within a post secondary environment. This session will describe the building of sustainable practices at Red River College through exploration of current systems, practices, policies and resources/tools. Examples of effective and efficient “reduce, recycle and reuse” approaches, resources and tools ensuring quality in RRC’s RPL system will be highlighted.
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National Adult Literacy Database (NALD): A Newly Redesigned Gateway to All the Tools and Resources Practitioners Need to Help Learners in the Field of Literacy and Essential Skills  more...
National Adult Literacy Database (NALD): A Newly Redesigned Gateway to All the Tools and Resources Practitioners Need to Help Learners in the Field of Literacy and Essential Skills
Presenters: Katherine d’Entremont, National Adult Literacy Database (NALD); Rick Hutchins, NALD
Workshop participants will come away with a wealth of information about NALD/NALD@Work: an important resource in the field of workplace learning and essential skills located at www.nald.ca. Topics include: Searching NALD’s Online Library, Connecting Research and Practice, Online Learning, Workplace Literacy and Essential Skills. A live tour of the NALD@Work website will focus on prior learning assessment and recognition.
NBPLAR Action Group-Find Out How New Brunswick is Working to Increase PLAR Coordination and Delivery  more...
NBPLAR Action Group-Find Out How New Brunswick is Working to Increase PLAR Coordination and Delivery
Presenters: Frank Vandenburg, New Brunswick Community College (NBCC), Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour (PETL); Philip Belanger, Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour (PETL)
New Brunswick is taking several steps forward with the creation of the NBPLAR Action Group. This group has been formed as the result of a series of consultations in the Fall of 2009. Now stakeholders from all of the different organizations that use PLAR in New Brunswick are working together on a Coordination Plan to ensure that their efforts are effective, efficient and provide the best quality service to clients. Join us to discover how we are making the most of shared resources, using best practices and creating a shared vision of a sustainable PLAR service in NB.
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The 3 R’s Within a Career Portfolio Planning Framework  more...
The 3 R’s Within a Career Portfolio Planning Framework
Presenter: Clarence De Schiffart, Nova Scotia Community College
Canada’s political and economic policy makers are forecasting a work skill shortage in the near future. What impact would re-examining the 3 R’s (reduce, reuse, and recycle) within a career portofolio framework have in dealing with the shortage? This interactive session will draw upon current research that examines retention and recruitment and the connection to young and older people being more intentional about their life/work future decisions. It will also introduce experiences and best practices around career and portfolio development that the facilitators have had with older workers, parents, and youth.
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How the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science (CSMLS) Uses an Evidence-Based Approach to Foster Policy Decisions for the Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Program for Medical Laboratory Technologists in Canada  more...
How the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science (CSMLS) Uses an Evidence-Based Approach to Foster Policy Decisions for the Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Program for Medical Laboratory Technologists in Canada
Presenter: Tania Toffner, Certification & Prior Learning Assessment
The Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science (CSMLS) is a national professional association and certification body for medical laboratory professionals. We represent 14,000 members in Canada and around the world. Since 1999, the CSMLS had delivered a pan-Canadian (with the exception of Quebec) Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) program. We evaluate over 300 internationally trained medical laboratory technologists annually, on behalf of the profession. The CSMLS is committed to continuous improvement in PLA and use research to provide an evidence base for policy change. Through this presentation, you will learn how CSMLS has utilized the research agenda to create a world class program, that uses a humanistic approach to credential evaluations and PLA.
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The Role of Argumentative Strategies in the Validation of Acquired Knowledge and Experience (VAKE)  more...
The Role of Argumentative Strategies in the Validation of Acquired Knowledge and Experience (VAKE)
Presenter: Sandrine Cortessis, IFFP
With the validation of acquired knowledge and experience, one can receive certification without having to sit through traditional training methods. Compiling both a written statement of one’s experience and restating said experience through an oral presentation are part of current VAKE devices. Given VAKE’s reliance on arguments and language, this presentation will examine the argumentative strategies used by candidates and experts. Results lead us to believe that the key to convincing juries to award a diploma is the ability to master language and social conventions. Knowing how to communicate is the number one skill needed during VAKE.

••• This presentation will be presented in French.

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4:15 pm – 5:15 pm   Concurrent Workshops Various Rooms


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Pan-Canadian Quality Standards in International Credential Evaluation  more...
Pan-Canadian Quality Standards in International Credential Evaluation
Presenter: Yves E Beaudin, Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC), a unit of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC)
The Canadian Informational Centre for International Credentials and the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) are currently coordinating a project on pan-Canadian quality standards in international academic credential evaluation. The project is funded by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC). After the first phase, initiated in 2007, the project’s second phase aims at improving the consistency and portability of academic assessments in Canada, and facilitating the integration of skilled, internationally educated immigrants into the workforce. A pan-Canadian quality assurance framework and an extensive terminology guide are being developed. Other activities include the development of a competency profile for international academic credential evaluators and of a university program for international academic credential assessors. The session will explain the project and how its various activities will address inefficiencies in the field of academic credential assessment. The intent is to promote these initiatives to organizations responsible for evaluating formal, non-formal and informal learning acquired abroad.
Web-Based Competency Self-Assessment Tools in Financial, Tourism and Information and Communications Technology Sectors‚ a Model for Development and Deployment of Online Self-Assessment Process for Prior Learning and Experience  more...
Web-Based Competency Self-Assessment Tools in Financial, Tourism and Information and Communications Technology Sectors‚ a Model for Development and Deployment of Online Self-Assessment Process for Prior Learning and Experience
Presenters: Salman Kureishy, Ryerson University; Eva Schausberger, Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council; Stephanie van Riel, Information and Communications Technology Council
Today, more and more assessments leverage occupational and employer standards creating tools closely linked to workplace and industry needs in various sectors. Validated by job seekers, including immigrants, each responds to end-users’ needs -- increasing understanding and awareness of prior learning and the ability to communicate one’s skills, most critical steps to employment integration. The three online tools featured are: The Canada Readiness Tool; Finding and Applying your Skills in Tourism; Self-Assessment Tool for Internationally Trained Accounting and Financial Services Professionals. This presentation will provide a glimpse of the unique features of each assessment tool, contrasting approaches and reconciling differences.
Download the Salman Kureishy presentation
Research Project: The Effects of Early Learning on the Adult Student  more...
Research Project: The Effects of Early Learning on the Adult Student
Presenter: Anne Pinchera, Liberty University
Almost every journal or publication in psychology and education includes information on the adult learner. Now, the adult learner population is large enough for researchers involved in learning and educational development research to find subjects. Studies show learning is the creation of a mental image saved in memory. Leading theorists use imagery to explain their theories. Hear how the Individual Learning Tree concept is developing to understand how adults learn and the effects early education have on the adult population.
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Multiple Assessment Pathways Project  more...
Multiple Assessment Pathways Project
Presenters: Jeff Nugent, Industry Training Authority; Dennis Green, Propel - Go2; Sandy Steward, Industry Training Authority
In 2008 a pilot was initiated in BC to test a better way of assessing and credentialing challengers in the Cook trade. Endorsed by the Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship (CCDA), the project was run through a close partnership between the Industry Training Authority BC and Propel, the industry body with the mandate for industry trades training for BC’s tourism, hospitality and food services sector. Hear from Propel and the ITA how the Cook industry worked to develop Occupational Performance Standards and a range of assessment tools that were used by trained assessors to collect evidence of competency for challengers of the Cook credential. Propel and ITA will describe how the pilot worked, key lessons learned, next steps, and why the industry sees this as the end of the “Paper Chef”.
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Implementing a Hybrid Self-Assessment and Career Planning Workshop for Internationally Educated Professionals (IEPs) in a Large Urban Teaching Hospital  more...
Implementing a Hybrid Self-Assessment and Career Planning Workshop for Internationally Educated Professionals (IEPs) in a Large Urban Teaching Hospital
Presenters: Ruth Wojtiuk, The Chang School - Ryerson University; Michelle Gordon, The Chang School - Ryerson University; Martha Ireland, The Chang School - Ryerson University
In the summer of 2009 Ryerson University’s G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education collaborated with Sunnybrook Health Science Centre (SHSC) to offer a self assessment and planning workshop designed for internationally educated professionals (IEPs) looking for career planning strategies. The advantages of offering this workshop have been twofold. Participants expressed increased confidence in identifying and articulating transferable skills, developing goal statements and utilizing various career and education planning tools. In addition systemic change was apparent in an increased awareness of career challenges faced by internationally educated staff and recognition of the hidden talents within the organization. This presentation will provide participants with an understanding of the processes involved in the assessment, planning implementation and evaluation of a customized PLAR based self assesment and career planning workshop.
Download the Ruth Wojtiuk presentation
Download the Ruth Wojtiuk presentation
NBCC Recognition of Prior Learning Initiatives  more...
NBCC Recognition of Prior Learning Initiatives
Presenter: Ginette Vienneau, New Brunswick Community College
In order to establish mechanisms that help facilitate and promote student mobility between post-secondary institutions within the province, the Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour and the New Brunswick Community College (NBCC) have initiated various actions. The NBCC’s goal is to provide better service regarding assessment and recognition of prior educational training and experiential learning. During this session, we will inform you of the projects currently underway at the NBCC and the DPSETL. In addition, we will share best recognition of prior learning practices and business initiatives within participating educational institutions.

••• This presentation will be presented in French.

Download the Ginette Vienneau presentation
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm   CAPLA Annual General Meeting Wellington
7:30 pm – 9:00 pm   ACCC’s ROL Dinner Carmello’s Restaurant
Association of Canadian Community College’s Recognition of Learning (ROL) Affinity Group Networking Dinner (optional and at your own expense). Carmello’s Italian Restaurant is a one minute walk from the hotel

Tuesday, November 9
Simultaneous interpretation will be provided at the Opening Session & Keynote Address and all workshops in Victoria Ballroom.
8:30 am – 5:00 pm   Registration/Information Desk Open Victoria Foyer
8:00 am – 9:00 am   Continental Breakfast Victoria Foyer
8:00 am – 9:00 am   Informal Networking Breakfast of the Quebec Affinity Group Victoria
9:00 am – 10:00 am   Concurrent Workshops Various Rooms


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Nursing Country Profiles : An Innovative Approach for Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR)  more...
Nursing Country Profiles : An Innovative Approach for Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR)
Presenters: Monique Flibotte, Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec; Judith Leprohon, Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec
Nursing country profiles (NCPs) add a new dimension to PLAR. Each NCP contains information about the regulatory and legal framework, initial training programs and nursing practice in the country. Complementary to the paper-based evaluation, it allows for the context of practice to be taken into account while assessing prior learning. Come learn more about this innovative approach.
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Prior Learning Assessment and the Coffee Industry: Using PLAR Tools to Promote Sustainable Development of Fair Trade Coffee Farmers  more...
Prior Learning Assessment and the Coffee Industry: Using PLAR Tools to Promote Sustainable Development of Fair Trade Coffee Farmers
Presenter: Adina Gray, Thompson Rivers University
Studies of farmer-owned cooperatives have found that these institutions offer its members numerous opportunities for informal learning. This presentation explores the idea of using Prior Learning Assessment Tools to recognize the skills gained by Coffee Farmers from Cooperativa Agraria Cafetalera Pangoa, a Fair Trade Coffee Cooperative from Northern Peru. Evidence collected in the field suggests that informal learning is part of everyday life for Pangoa Farmers however few of them recognize its value. The development of Competency based PLAR Portfolios could help these farmers gain an appreciation for their skills and it could also assist the cooperative in identifying and enhancing its human capital.
Download the Adina Gray presentation
Learning Forum London 2010: Current Trends in International ePortfolio Practice  more...
Learning Forum London 2010: Current Trends in International ePortfolio Practice
Presenter: Don Presant, CAPLA, MPLAN
Don Presant of Learning Agents, who has been tracking ePortfolios since 2004, will provide highlights from this summer’s international conference in London.

It was actually three conferences in one:

  1. ePortfolio 2010, the 8th international ePortfolio conference, with a special track on healthcare;
  2. Key Competencies 2010, the 4th international conference on skills for life with a special focus on 21st century skills and competencies;
  3. the first Internet of Subjects Forum, to spark international dialogue about personal data.
Come learn how current technology trends, public policy and innovative practitioners are helping drive change in the international practice of RPL.
Pilot to Socrates: Institutions Share the Results of Pilot Projects Using the Socrates Online Self-Assessment Tool  more...
Pilot to Socrates: Institutions Share the Results of Pilot Projects Using the Socrates Online Self-Assessment Tool
Presenters: Deb Blower, Red River College; Frank Vandenburg, NBPLAR Action Group; Nicole Drapeau, NBPLAR Action Group
Two years of collaboration between the New Brunswick Community College (NBCC) and Red River College (RRC) resulted in the development of Socrates, an online Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) tool. Learners using Socrates self-assess to outcome or competency-based courses, job descriptions, or professional qualifications. Socrates permits them to explore options, contribute to the advising process and prepare lists of possible evidence to demonstrate their skills and abilities. This presentation will be a collaborative effort from several organizations who have undertaken pilot projects using Socrates. Join us to discover the results of pilot project results involving students, workplace learners, and newcomers.
Download the Deb Blower presentation
IPLAN Panel Presentation: Sustainability through National and International Sharing  more...
IPLAN Panel Presentation: Sustainability through National and International Sharing
Presenters: Margaret Cameron, Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework Partnership; Gail Hall, IPLAN (International Prior Learning Assessment Network); Madhu Singh, UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning; Nigel Lloyd, Cambridge Professional Development (CamProf)
Reduce, reuse, recycle . . . a sustainability motto that looks at efficiencies. We often talk about ‘not re-inventing the wheel’, but how good are we at putting this into practice with RPL/PLAR? On one hand, are we willing to share? On the other hand, how much are we willing to recycle (and adapt) what others have done in RPL? The International Prior Learning Assessment Network (IPLAN) has been set up to share expertise and resources on a global basis. This session will present some resources and sharing practices, and will look at how IPLAN can support exchange and discussion in global sharing and recognition.

••• This workshop will be webcast.

Download the Margaret Cameron presentation
Assessing Skills Developed Through Work Experience: Labour Mobility Challenges and Issues Faced by Professional Bodies  more...
Assessing Skills Developed Through Work Experience: Labour Mobility Challenges and Issues Faced by Professional Bodies
Presenters: Jean-François Thuot, Québec Interprofessional Council; Christiane Gagnon, Office des professions du Québec
Evaluating work experience in regulated occupations is often overlooked during the recognition of competencies process. Speakers will present an evaluation model adapted to regulated occupations. This model was developed in accordance to a France-Quebec agreement on labour mobility practices. It also takes into account the recognition of skills criteria that could be included in the Canada-Europe Free Trade Agreement.

••• This presentation will be presented in French.

Download the Jean-François Thuot presentation
10:00 am – 10:15 am   Nutrition Break Victoria Foyer
10:15 am – 11:15 am   Concurrent Workshops Various Rooms


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How Recognition of Prior Learning Practices is Part of an International Effort for a Sustainable Adult Learning System  more...
How Recognition of Prior Learning Practices is Part of an International Effort for a Sustainable Adult Learning System
Presenters: Elisabeth Barot, Canadian Commission for UNESCO; Madhu Singh, UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, Hamburg, Germany
International organizations like UNESCO regularly organize international meetings of Ministers of Education to debate key issues that have been identified in national reports. The International Conference on Adult Education (known by the French-language acronym CONFINTEA) is one such meeting. The most recent edition—CONFINTEA VI—took place in Belem, Brazil in December 2009. In the field of adult education, the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning in Hamburg, Germany, plays a key role in the preparation of summaries and synthesis of national reports such as the Global Report on Adult Education and Learning (GRALE), organization of Conferences, and follow-up to their recommendations.

The Canadian Commission for UNESCO is proposing to hold a workshop to inform you, the practitioners of recognition of prior learning (RPL), of the results of CONFINTEA VI and the Belem Framework of Action, and to explore possibilities for follow up in Canada. International Adult Learners Week provides an opportunity to give a voice to learners and to reach-out to disenfranchised learners. A group of Canadian non-governmental organizations has developed a common set of principles for adult learning that we will share at the workshop and seek input and advice from the participants.

Download the Madhu Singh presentation
A RPLS Information and Awareness Regional Tour for Stakeholders Working with Immigrants  more...
A RPLS Information and Awareness Regional Tour for Stakeholders Working with Immigrants
Presenter: Nadia Lakrouz, Comité d’adaptation de la main-d’œuvre pour personnes immigrantes (CAMO-PI)
The successful integration of immigrants into the workforce is the key element to successfully integrating into a new society. Several studies have reported major integration barriers, including the lack of language proficiency and the non-recognition of work experience and diplomas earned abroad. In this context, recognition of prior learning is a service that should be made available to these people. It is also necessary that stakeholders liaising with immigrants be equipped with all of the information necessary for that purpose.

Initiated in December 2009, the tour took place in eight Quebec regions and attracted nearly 300 individuals from the fields of employment, education, community organizations and other. It was a day of awareness and information. The tools introduced during the activity included an intervention guide and an educational approached based on case studies and problem solving.

Preliminary results will be presented during the November 9, 2010 workshop.

••• This presentation will be presented in French.

Download the Nadia Lakrouz presentation
Transforming Systems and Creating Change in Manitoba  more...
Transforming Systems and Creating Change in Manitoba
Presenter: Sandi Howell, Manitoba Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade
No matter if RPL is being implemented within an organization or across a government it helps to understand some change and systems theory and strategies. This presentation will focus on the Manitoba experience of cross-department policy implementation and industry RPL implementation and how to think of both areas as a system which requires change. The presentation will combine both the theoretical and lessons learned from the field.
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An Accelerated Learning Pathway for Workers: The NB Workplace Essential Skills Program  more...
An Accelerated Learning Pathway for Workers: The NB Workplace Essential Skills Program
Presenters: Kim Hollihan, WES, Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour; NB PLAR Action Group; Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association; Frank Vandenburg, New Brunswick Community College
Can PLAR processes make the delivery of Workplace Essential Skills (WES) training more sustainable? The NB WES Program is aimed at enhancing adult literacy, promoting continuous learning, and collaborating with workers and employers to meet training needs. It is based on the HRSDC essential skills and accompanying occupational profile methodology. NBWES, the program’s bilingual online system, provides skills assessments, captures prior learning and supports program delivery and evaluation. A program overview and NBWES demo will focus on the process and tools for assessing and recognizing workers’ essential skills to permit individualized and customized training aimed at filling gaps in learning.
Download the Kim Hollihan presentation
Foreign Qualification Recognition Framework Overview  more...
Foreign Qualification Recognition Framework Overview
Presenters: Margot Morrish, Government of Manitoba; Bev Davis, HRSDC
The co-chairs of the Foreign Qualification Recognition (FQR) Working Group, Margot Morrish of the Government of Manitoba and Bev Davis of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, will provide participants with an overview of governments’ common approach to FQR through the Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Credentials led by the Forum of Labour Market Ministers (FLMM). The discussion will highlight the Framework’s principles and objectives, and governments’ progress to date in engaging regulated occupations in Framework implementation.
Download the Margot Morrish (en) presentation
11:30 am – 12:30 am   Conversation Café Victoria

This session will be an opportunity to hear about many different activities, research studies, new publications, projects and courses in the field of adult learning, assessment and recognition. Every 15 minutes, participants will move to another presentation to meet the expert and to network with others. Be prepared for some lively discussion.

Participating organizations include: Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science, Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC), AXIS Career Services - Association for New Canadians, Human Resource Systems Group Ltd. (HRSG), Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers, Post-Secondary Training, Education and Labour Government of New Brunswick, Centre for Workplace Skills and RecognitionForLearning (RFL)

12:30 pm – 2:00 pm   Lunch (on your own)
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm   Concurrent Workshops Various Rooms


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The Association of Canadian Community Colleges’ Transfer, Articulation and Pathways – An Overview  more...
The Association of Canadian Community Colleges’ Transfer, Articulation and Pathways – An Overview
Presenter: Michèle Clarke, Association of Canadian Community Colleges
Across Canada and internationally, efforts have increased to improve credit transfer, articulation and credential recognition within and between post-secondary education systems. Yet, there is still much room for improvement. The Association of Canadian Community Colleges’ Transfer, Articulation and Pathways Committee will provide an overview of the state of mobility in Canada, share some of the challenges that exist and explore ways and opportunities to move this forward in a positive direction for learners, institutions, partnerships and for Canada.
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University PLAR Liaison: Sharing our Experience in the University Sector  more...
University PLAR Liaison: Sharing our Experience in the University Sector
Presenters: Martha Ireland, Ryerson University; Barb Read, University of Winnipeg
This workshop is a roundtable discussion among universities to share information and increase awareness about PLAR/RPL activity. It will be an opportunity to network with your colleagues.
Sustainability – A Role for Everyone  more...
Sustainability – A Role for Everyone
Presenter: Lori Fontaine, Office of the Manitoba Fairness Commissioner
The Office of the Manitoba Fairness Commissioner’s (OMFC) primary motivation is to see changed practice that improves the outcomes for internationally educated applicants (IEA) as they seek professional registration. The OMFC provides information and expertise, and supports regulators to increase capacity related to the assessment and registration of IEAs.

The OMFC is guided in its work by Manitoba’s Process Model for Qualification Recognition that sets out an ideal systemic model for the assessment and recognition of internationally educated professionals; here, all stakeholders have responsibility and a role to play.

Systemic change requires an impetus for action and the support to step back and allow awareness and solution to evolve. Given resources to implement new approaches, changed practices then often demand little in the way of ongoing resources.

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RPL in Europe: The Construction Sector Gives a Lead  more...
RPL in Europe: The Construction Sector Gives a Lead
Presenter: Nigel Lloyd, Cambridge Professional Development (CamProf)
In September 2010, the Assessment of Prior Learning – Bud (APL –Bud) project, held a conference, Building Competence for Europe in the European capital (Brussels), focused on RPL for the construction industry. Nigel Lloyd will provide highlights of the event, and report on the two year project (www.apl-bud.eu funded by the European Commission), including the context of current European RPL developments. APL-Bud has piloted (with brick layers, roofers, plumbers): Poles in Poland, Poles outside Poland and nonPoles wanting to work in Poland. “Pilots in Poland” showed there is a demand for APL and created a reliable, cost-effective APL-Bud assessment process. “Foreign pilots” used existing APL systems in four other countries to assess the competence of Polish migrant workers and identify barriers. APL-Bud also made Case Studies from eight countries, and international comparisons of qualifications.
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Knowledge at Work/Le Savoir au Travail: An overview of the current work of the Centre for Workplace Skills  more...
Knowledge at Work/Le Savoir au Travail: An overview of the current work of the Centre for Workplace Skills
Presenters: Alex Stephens, Centre for Workplace Skills; John Hugh Edward, Canadian Labour Congress; Christian Durand, Centre for Workplace Skills
The Centre for Workplace Skills is a partnership between the Canadian Labour Congress and Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters with funding support from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada. The Centre brings together business, labour and other stakeholders to promote the importance of workplace skills in enhancing Canada’s productivity and standard of living. The Centre focuses on gathering and sharing knowledge of exemplary practices in the field of workplace learning. This workshop session will explore the current work of the Centre, including a series of workplace focused projects and the recently launched Roundtable on Workforce Skills.
Expertest, A Business and Corporate Workplace Assessment Breakthrough  more...
Expertest, A Business and Corporate Workplace Assessment Breakthrough
Presenter: Yves Groulx, Société GRICS (QC)
The department responsible for educational and assessment services at GRICS has been developing, over the past few years, assessment products and services for a new clientele. Specifically they are targeting local and international businesses and corporations. Even if assessment practices are different between schools and businesses, basic assessment concepts are relatively the same. Like schools, organizations must qualify, certify and evaluate individuals. They must therefore have the proper tools to carry out these tasks. The impact that assessment tools may have on an organization’s credibility and an individual’s future are quite great. During this workshop, we will quickly run through the products and services offered by the department responsible for educational and assessment services to organizations other than school boards. Then, we will glance at how this new service operated during the last three years. Finally, we will discuss the questions and challenges that await us in this new and growing market.

••• This presentation will be presented in French.

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3:15 pm – 4:15 pm   Concurrent Workshops Various Rooms


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The “Nos compétences fortes” Initiative: Recognizing the Generic Skills of Adults  more...
The “Nos compétences fortes” Initiative: Recognizing the Generic Skills of Adults
Presenter: Guy Grenier, Institut de coopération pour l’éducation des adultes
Introduced by the ICÉA in 1995, the “Nos compétences fortes” initiative is a consolidated skills recognition approach that allows adults to identify the skills they have learned through the experience of doing. This updated version of the recognition of generic skills approach developed by the ICÉA targets adults regardless of the group to which they belong. Find out how the “Nos competences fortes” initiative contributes to the development, the recognition and the valuing of adult generic skills.

••• This presentation will be presented in French.

A Learning Partnership: The Life and Times of the Competency Portfolio Community Alliance  more...
A Learning Partnership: The Life and Times of the Competency Portfolio Community Alliance
Presenters: Sharon Davison, Northern Lights Canada; Terri Geerinck, Sir Sandford Fleming College; Bonnie Kennedy, Canadian Association for Prior Learning Assessment
Almost a year ago, a group of interested stakeholders in the City of Kawartha Lakes (employment service agencies, the college, a literacy group, community based trainers, the training board) and surrounding area came together to explore the idea of a multi-use competency-based portfolio. They built an employment counseling framework in which a competency portfolio was embedded. Next, they shared resources and discussed strategies that would help any interested partner deliver the program. Later they had a Feedback from Employers meeting to share their ideas with small, medium and large employers to get input on the model and to adjust the content and approach where needed.

One of the community partners involved with the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers program in Ontario has begun delivering the competency portfolio and will be able to share the results of her experience. You will hear presentations from Northern Lights Canada, Fleming College and CAPLA as they reflect on their interest in the work, the community’s response, employer feedback and the variety of applications the competency portfolio might bring to this learning partnership.

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Environmental Scan of RPL Activities in the Province of Nova Scotia  more...
Environmental Scan of RPL Activities in the Province of Nova Scotia
Presenters: Nancy Anningson, Prior Learning Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia; Joy Van Kleef, Canadian Institute for Recognizing Learning (CIRL); Mary Morrissey, Prior Learning Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia
As the first action item in the new RPL Policy Framework, the Environmental Scan is a comprehensive description of RPL activity throughout the Province of NS. As such it acts as an essential starting point for evaluating and enhancing learning recognition programs and services and identifies the foundational elements and leverage points for effective human resource planning across all sectors. It also reveals gaps and limitations. In this session we will discuss the methodology and strategy behind the research, share some overall findings and exemplary practices, and outline the emergence of a vision toward a more integrated system of learning and development.
Fair Assessment Practices: The Road to Sustainability for Internaional and Canadian Professionals  more...
Fair Assessment Practices: The Road to Sustainability for Internaional and Canadian Professionals
Presenters: Hon. Jean Augustine, OFC Fairness Commissioner; Deanna Williams, Ontario College of Pharmacists; Andrea Waldie, Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario
The Ontario regulatory sector can become sustainable in the early 21st century if it integrates immigrant professionals into the professions more quickly, adopts innovative means of assessment, offers fair licensing practices, responds pro-actively to new labour mobility laws and embraces the global economy. This workshop will explore these complex and inter-related ideas. Speakers include the registrars of two regulatory bodies and the Fairness Commissioner for the Province of Ontario.
Download the Deanna Williams presentation
Download the Deanna Williams presentation
Integrating the Use of Technology for the Recognition of Acquired Competencies Process  more...
Integrating the Use of Technology for the Recognition of Acquired Competencies Process
Presenters: Charbel Mourad, Heritage College; Nadia Bissada, Dawson College
The implementation of Recognition of Acquired Competencies services by various educational institutions across Canada requires an optimization whereby the efficiency and effectiveness of the process are guaranteed while maintaining its integrity. While there is “no one solution fits all” (each context requires its own methodology), we should make use of technology whenever feasible. Heritage College and Dawson College have both integrated the use of technology through Recognition of Acquired Competencies. A presentation of a sample of the Heritage College online self-assessment as well as the Dawson College online “formation manquante” modules will be presented and the principles guiding the development of both tools will be explained.
Download the Charbel Mourad and Nadia Bissada presentation
Proficient Even Without a Diploma! The Recognition of Informal Skills as a Means to Sustainable Employment  more...
Proficient Even Without a Diploma! The Recognition of Informal Skills as a Means to Sustainable Employment
Presenter: Nathalie Boudreau, Centre d’intégration au marché de l’emploi
The Centre d’intégration au marché de l’emploi (CIME) (labour market integration centre) is a NPO tasked with helping non-graduate women gain entry into the labour market. The centre focuses its activities around the recognition of informal skills. Results are impressive: 75% of its 300 clients have improved their career path. This presentation will highlight the four steps of the program’s team based approach: acknowledging one’s own work history as well as the work history of women in general, compiling and recognizing one’s own personal and professional skills, reinforcing one’s ability and commitment to having skills recognized, and finally, transferring recognized skills towards a new professional career goal.

••• This presentation will be presented in French.

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4:30 pm – 5:15 pm   Closing Plenary Victoria
Dr. Michael Bloom  more...
Dr. Michael Bloom
Vice-President, Organizational Effectiveness and Learning, The Conference Board of Canada
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