PLAR – FAQ

Think of PLAR (Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition) as getting credit for what you already know. Whether you’ve learned skills from a job, volunteering, workshops, or even hobbies, PLAR helps you turn that experience into a recognised certificate like a Trinidad and Tobago National Vocational Qualification (TTNVQ) or the Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ), which can open up new job opportunities or educational paths.

The PLAR (Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition) process involves several key steps to ensure your prior learning is recognized and accredited. Follow the steps below to successfully complete the PLAR process:

1. Application: Sign up and provide your details to start the PLAR process.
2. Pre-Screening: Complete a self-assessment review.
3. Orientation and Registration: Attend an orientation to learn about the PLAR process and register for the assessment.
4. Pre-Assessment: Prepare your evidence and create a plan for the assessment.
5. Assessment: Complete the assessment.
6. Certification: Results are verified, and candidates receive either a certificate or unit awards.
7. Post Certification Guidance and Support: Candidates are advised on further training or career opportunities.

Almost any learning you’ve done outside of school can count! This includes:

• Work experience
• Training programmes from jobs or private organisations
• Workshops and seminars
• Independent studies like online courses
• Learning alongside a parent or other adult
• Volunteer activities and community work. Here’s a quick scenario: Say you’ve been helping out at a community kitchen for years. PLAR can help recognise your cooking and management skills formally.

 Here’s a simple breakdown of the steps:

• Apply and Pre-screen: Tell us about your skills and experiences.
• Orientation/registration/self-assessment: We’ll guide you on how to prepare.
• Assessment and verification: Show us what you know through tasks like portfolio reviews or interviews.

Certification: If all goes well, you get your qualification! Check out this infographic for a visual guide on PLAR Steps.

The PLAR process uses a comprehensive range of assessment methods to cater to different learning styles and experiences. These methods include:

• Projects, Assignments, Case Studies: These practical assessments allow candidates to demonstrate their understanding and application of knowledge in real-world scenarios.
• Essays, Reports, Diaries, Logs, Journals: Written assessments help evaluate candidates’ ability to articulate their knowledge and reflect on their learning and experiences.
• Role Playing: This method is used particularly in areas where interpersonal skills and behavioural competencies are crucial. It allows assessors to observe candidates in simulated environments.
• Interviews, Panel Presentations, Oral Presentations: These methods assess candidates’ verbal communication and presentation skills, as well as their ability to engage with an audience or panel.
• Portfolio Review/Evidence Collection: Candidates submit a portfolio of work that evidences their skills and learning. This may include reports, photographs of completed work, testimonials from clients or employers, and certificates from relevant training.

A Workforce Assessment Centre (WAC) is a facility approved by the National Training Agency (NTA) to assess the skills and competencies of individuals in various occupational fields.

At a WAC, individuals undergo assessments that evaluate their knowledge, skills, and abilities against industry-recognized standards. These assessments may include practical demonstrations, written evaluations, and interviews, giving candidates the opportunity to receive formal certification for skills they have gained through work experience, training, or other forms of education.

WACs play a key role in the Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) process and significantly increase accessibility by providing flexible options for individuals to gain qualifications based on their informal and non-formal learning experiences, without needing to follow traditional classroom-based education. This helps ensure that the workforce meets national and regional standards for occupational competence.

If you’re between 1-5 years into your career, can show what you’ve learned, and meet basic literacy and numeracy levels for your certification, you’re set to start!

You can get certified in fields like carpentry, electrical work, cosmetology, cooking, and many more. Whether you’ve learned these skills on a job, through courses, or by self-teaching, PLAR can recognise them.

PLAR is more about evaluating your skills than teaching new ones. It’s for when you’ve already got the skills and just need the official paperwork to back it up.

Absolutely! If you have skills in multiple areas and can prove your expertise, you can pursue multiple certificates.

A lot! It can help you land a better job, get a promotion, or continue your education. For example, with a Level 2 certificate, you might be able to jump into a Level 3 course at an institution that offers higher-level education and training opportunities.

Benefits to Individuals:

The benefits to individuals include formal certification, enhanced job opportunities, reduced certification time, avoidance of learning duplication, support for working people by validating their experience, recognition of lifelong learning, a boost in self-esteem and motivation, and the identification and addressing of knowledge and skill gaps.

Benefits to Employers:

The benefits to employers include the effective and efficient utilization of existing workplace skills, identification of skill gaps for better training needs analysis and career planning, fostering a learning culture that encourages further education and training, and increasing the number of certified workers available.

Benefits to Training Providers:

The benefits to training providers include better use of training resources through reduced teaching time and resources, facilitation of learner and employer-centered training programs, and the achievement of valuable learning outcomes regardless of recognition.