RPL and Older Adults: A case study
analysis
Graham Smith & Alice Morton
Centre for Lifelong Learning
University of Strathclyde
Centre for Lifelong Learning
Located in the City Centre of
Glasgow, the Senior Studies
Institute, University of Strathclyde
was formalised in 1991 as a
European centre of excellence for
lifelong learning for people over 50.
Today, located within the Centre for
Lifelong Learning, the Institute has
4 Key areas:
1. Learning in Later Life
2. Useful Learning
3. Widening Access
4. Employability
50+ Employability
1. Extensive experience and understanding of the diverse
range of issues facing adults in later life.
2. Widely respected across Scotland, the UK, Europe and
North America in relation to lifelong learning.
3. Sound knowledge of age management and the
associated business impact of an ageing workforce.
Transitions in later life
 A range of factors influence capacity for working in later life
 Capacity to deal with change and uncertainty varies
significantly from person to person
Phillipson, 2002
Encouraging lifelong learning
 One of the greatest predictors of participation in learning at a
later stage in life is the amount of initial education.
 Older adults less likely to participate in lifelong learning
activity, particularly those with poor educational backgrounds.
 Even less likely to work towards formal qualifications.
Realising Your Potential project
Key objectives of the project are to
assist older workers aged 50+ to:
1. Re-engage with learning
2. Update their existing skills and
develop new skills
3. Assess current work ability and
explore work potential
4. Enhance their future employability
5. Consider working longer and/or
postpone retirement
Double Loop learning model
Stage 5
Progress onto new
learning opportunities
Stage 2
Stage 1
Reflect on prior
learning experiences
Build confidence and
motivation for learning.
Develop skills such as
communication, team
working and Information
Technology
Stage 4
Stage 3
Evaluate current
workability
Explore new
interests
Based on Argyris & Schön, 1978
Emerging issues
 Appropriate advice and guidance provision for older adults
 Influencing Scottish Government policy on Information,
Advice and Guidance (IAG), taking into account the differing
needs of older adults
 Increasing number of older adults “encouraged” to consider
early retirement/redundancy
 Individual capacity for dealing with change (transitions)
beyond the age of 50 challenging
 Potential value of recognition of prior learning
Centre for Lifelong Learning
SCQF Partnership RPL Network Event
18th November 2010
Recognition of Prior Learning
and
Realising Your Potential
www.strath.ac.uk/cll
50+ Employability – Realising Your
Potential
 An extrapolation of similarities between
Realising Your Potential and Recognition of
Prior Learning
 Skills - centre stage for older workers analysing and profiling tools
 Demystifying the SCQF framework for older
learners
Similar Characteristics
Characteristics
Characteristics
•Learning potential of 50+
Interested in learning and
personal development
May envisage barriers to
learning
Working life may have been
for the most part in the same
job
Interested in education to
plan employability/retirement
Employment awareness
Planning for change/ career
Open to volunteering and
local opportunities
Learning
Employment
Qualifications
Career
Pathways
•Learner’s potential
•Interested in re-entering
learning
•Contribute towards a
programme of learning
•People who have been out
of education
•Adults returning to
education
•Wanting to re-train or
change careers
•Volunteering, community
activities/projects
Skills Analysis and Profiling
Experience and Processing
Experience and
Processing
•Learning (adult
learner/learning contexts)
•Skills profiling
•Reflection
•Work
•Family
•Community, voluntary,
hobbies and interests
(unstructured learning)
•Key experiences and events
in life (unstructured learning)
•Confidence building
•Future planning
•Reflective log / evidence
•Family life (homemaking,caring, domestic
organisation)
•Work (paid or unpaid)
•Community, voluntary or
leisure activities
•Key experiences and
events in life
•Confidence building
•Goals and what is
needed to achieve them
•Lifelong learning
•Reflective log / evidence
Reflection
Confidence
Goals
Skills
Profiling
Recognition of Prior Learning:
Toolkit
RPL toolkit is a resource
which can be adapted to
support the personal
development of older
learners when analysing
and profiling their skills
Where to Start? –
an ‘objective experience’
Step 1- Analyse a job experience
• Reflect on a well known job
• Identify skills in use or essential to job
• Record these at random
Skill
s?
• Categorise under headings
Step 2 - Reflect
• Additional skills
• Transferrable skills
Skill
s?
Step 3 - Profile
• Organise a personal skills profile for a barperson
Skill
s?
Skill
s?
Where to Start? –
a ‘subjective experience’
• Personal experience ( job or life)
• Describe the experience – what happened?
• Knowledge gained – what do you know now?
• Skills- what skills have been developed?
• Reflections- what skills are in deficit?
• Application – think of a new job/form of engagement in
which you could apply these skills
Skills – centre stage
• A personal skills profile
• Transferrable skills awareness
• New learning/career pathways
• Signature strengths
• A ‘sparkling’ CV
• A volunteering CV
SCQF Framework
Older learners
1. Indicated no knowledge
of the framework
2. Pilot - found it useful
3. Greater understanding of
qualifications and
progression routes
Observations
What are the benefits to the older learner?
What difficulties/challenges were experienced?
What successes have there been?
Thank You
Contact details:
Graham Smith
graham.smith@strath.ac.uk
Thank You
Contact details:
Graham Smith
graham.smith@strath.ac.uk
Alice Morton
alice.morton@strath.ac.uk
Website:
www.strath.ac.uk/cll