L Beekman’s scientific contributions

The concept of RPL tantalises the South African economy with its inherent promise to allow working adults from all walks of life the means to acquire a formal qualification without returning to a traditional classroom. The promise is clear -RPL is a tool that can lead to the transformation of a society like South Africa because work experience can equal a qualification; and having a qualification will mean improved career prospects, better opportunities and ultimately greater earning potential. But the reality is far removed from the promise. RPL is not widely available to working adults, and vast amounts of money and time are spent each year to train working adults to gain qualifications in the very disciplines they have been working in for years. This paper summarises research which demonstrates that one of the main reasons for this widespread rejection of RPL in favour of traditional classroom training is simply that the RPL models available do not cater for the needs of the working adult in a typical working environment. This research proposes a logic model to guide RPL implementation in the insurance workplace.