BUSINESS AND TRAINING
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occupational qualification. The only difference is that they
didn’t necessarily meet the entry requirements.”
To this end, PIRB is involved in setting the standard for
the ARPL advisers who are responsible for mediating the
process so that they know the standard that will be required.
From the process of gathering the evidence, the candidates
go into an ARPL panel assessment of the evidence
submitted. Thereafter, candidates will go through ‘a form
of trade test’ – which is not the official trade test as they
cannot access that without the FLC requirement.
“We don’t want it to stop
there: we want to support
them to complete the
FLC and get the actual
qualification, almost in
reverse.”
Colette Tennison, ETD Practitioner and ARPL specialist at the Plumbing Industry’s Five
Year Strategy Process workshop held on 4 November last year.
Lea Smith, PIRB chairman, commented that in this mediated
process the Master Plumber would play an important role
in coaching and mentoring. “With the mediation process
through the RPL advisers, if there are gaps found in the
applicant’s experience, we are working with training
providers to address those gaps. After those gaps are
resolved the candidate’s report will be returned to the
adviser to move on to the assessment process.”
The current process is about documenting the policy to
guide the process in the future, and to ensure it conforms
to current SAQA policy and guidelines for professional
bodies and for RPL. “The role of the RPL practitioner is
vital: you can’t just assess a candidate and tell him to come
back later,” says Tennison. “The RPL adviser is responsible
March 2020 Volume 26 I Number 01
“However, at the end of the process they will be awarded
the designation. We don’t want it to stop there: we want
to support them to complete the FLC and get the actual
qualification, almost in reverse,” says Tennison. In the
meantime, they still have the license to practice.
Lea Smith, PIRB chairman, at the Five Year Strategy Process workshop.
for walking the candidate through the process, while the
assessor makes the end evaluation.
“We are looking at the design of the RPL practitioner
course which will link into the Master Plumber course. The
envisioned roll out of the PIRB’s RPL process will be in 2020.
This process is well advanced.”
Smith concludes: “There is a desperate need for this, not
only in terms of law, but also for transformation of the
profession.” PA
www.plumbingafrica.co.za