Skills shortages and industry renewal: rethinking work and occupational knowledge when recognising prior learning

Credit transfer and recognition of prior learning (RPL) are related policy strategies that aim to improve pathways to learning and employment. This paper describes a higher education RPL initiative to build rich understandings of ‘work’ and so also the occupational knowledge accumulated by practitioners, sometimes over many decades. Located in the early childhood education (ECE) field, the study was prompted by recent policy changes to meet quality assurance requirements of early childhood provision. The initiative used a multidisciplinary approach to occupational knowledge drawing on feminist sociology, professional and work-related learning and early childhood theories of provision. A higher education ‘foundation course’ was used to identify and accredit prior learning. Data were collected from students undertaking the course. In brief findings indicate participants had accumulated extensive occupational knowledge but were often unable to articulate this experience in relation to formal learning outcomes or broader notions of ECE occupational knowledge and they experienced substantial challenges to their occupational identities as they shifted between being competent professionals and university learners. The findings have implications for contemporary workforces as occupational knowledge requirements are continuously upgraded and older workers are encouraged to remain in the workforce.