Accreditation of Prior Learning – A Contribution to National Economic Objectives

Accreditation of prior learning (APL) is the formal assessment and certification of employees′ and job seekers′ existing skills and knowledge in accordance with nationally recognised standards of occupational competence. The potential role of APL in making maximum effective use of existing national resources and in encouraging adults to acquire new skills is assessed. The relevance of APL in closing the“skills gap” and in tapping the adult labour market is examined. The UK Government′s APL initiatives are reviewed including the implementation of two, two‐year programmes. Colleges, employers and organisations in the public and private sectors are all interested in taking APL further but the real costs are still to be examined, an institutional model is yet to be established and the required infrastructure needs to be put in place nationally.