Media Release
The Canadian Association for Prior Learning Assessment (CAPLA) has received funding from the Government of Canada for a project that will explore good practices and develop guidelines for assessors who evaluate the informal learning of internationally trained workers.
“Our government is making significant progress to help skilled newcomers find jobs in their fields faster, and this project will bring meaningful change to the way that foreign qualifications are assessed and recognized in Canada,” said Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Multiculturalism. “Our Government is committed to removing barriers to employment faced by newcomers and to help them integrate into the Canadian labour market much faster.”
“In addition to degrees, certificates and diplomas, we need to have other reliable ways to assess the skills and competencies of newcomers to Canada, as well as Canadian-born workers, because they have a lot of experience that employers require,” said Patrick Donahoe, CAPLA Board Chair and Executive Director of Student Affairs at Vancouver Island University. “We are very excited about this project because it provides an opportunity to bring stakeholders together to develop standards that will help assessors in industry, the regulatory community and academic institutions, when they evaluate prior experiential learning. It will be a ‘win-win’ for the Canadian labour force and for citizens who have developed skills and abilities after years of working and living in their communities”.
CAPLA will be rolling out the quality assurance project at its November conference in Toronto with a range of activities throughout the three day event. Interested stakeholders are asked to contact CAPLA to become engaged in the project, which will end in 2016.
* CAPLA is Canada's only non profit, PLAR membership organization. It was established in 1994 and has over 400 members across Canada. It advocates for better ways of assessing and recognizing non-classroom learning, so adults can get formal recognition for their learning achievements.
** Prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR) processes help determine what a person knows and can do from all their work and life experiences. It is different from school-based learning and testing because it takes into account all types of learning and all places where learning occurs.
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