Help with ACS application
 

Hi everyone

I am completely bowled over by helpful people are in here and now I guess I need some help. Unfortunately I am completely useless when it comes to forms and I obviously do not want to fail the ACS application at the first hurdle.

I have been working in IT for 10 years now but still have no formal qualifications and have to complete the RPL application. The way it is worded and the format they require I am sorry to say seems beyond my comprehension for some silly reason. Can anybody out there please help me?

Many thanks - Andrew

Re: Help with ACS application
 

Hi Andrew. It is easier than it seems at first, but takes ages. I can tell you what I did, hope this will clear things up. Key requirements from the ACS - your work needs to be paid for, be full time (or prorated to full time based on 38 hours week) and be at a "degree level" whatever that means. Obviously, shifting boxes with computer equipment does not, but the rest is kind of murky.

Purpose of the RPL is to describe what you have learned, rather what you did. Typical example would be that I worked with lead systems architect and learned to write my own algorithms then programmed my own functions type thing.

I started writing up everything that I did in IT, chronologically at first, ended up with about dozen pages of plain text (12 years work + 4 research, mind). then started copy-pasting this into section 3 of the RPL document. You need to split things up along the lines of the CBOK, use sub-headings as a guide. This is the key part of the RPL application. After you are done rearranging the text, just make sure it reads right.

I advise against using so-called "example RPL reports" because it can skew your own work, everyone's situation is fairly individual. If you still can't / unsure, then you can hire an agent to organize this bit for you, there is a few on this forum specializing in IT.

NJ

Re: Help with ACS application
 

Cr@p, almost forgot. Everything in your RPL application should be supported by employer reference. You can use your own text as a basis of the ref letters, wrap it around typical HR yahoo like worked as ... from .. to.. reported to.. key responsibilities were 1,2,3, etc. projects involved in were blah blah, sincerely, your manager and include contact details. Must be official looking, i.e. headed paper, etc.

If you can not support your claims in the application, this experience may not be taken into account - ACS is not known to call former/current employers for verification, they base their opinion entirely on references.

NJ

Re: Help with ACS application
 

Thanks for that. In the RPL do I state my companies, title and then go into what I have learned in each position?

I also worked for an ISP between 1998 and 2001which went defunct when the bubble burst, they are still running but have been liquidated several times since and I doubt that they have a record of me ever working for them anymore, how do you suggest I work around this? I do have several more questions more though, sorry and thank you.

Re: Help with ACS application
 

More questions, yay :)

Re. Application. Section 1 is reiteration of your resume, personal details, employers, etc.
Section 2 is where you put a big fat X across the sections you are looking recognition for. Remember there are three mandatory ones (Interpersonal Communications, Ethics/Social Implications/Professional Practice, Project Management and Quality Assurance) and on the rest you need to try to cover as much as you can. This section is best done after you are done with the Section 3
Section 3 is the mapping of everything you went through to the CBOK. Look at the Section 5 in the CBOK (after you have written down everything chronologically, eh? :) ) and then try to map your career path to these categories. I tossed the template btw, but kept the general order of things, made those areas of knowedge as subheadings and wrote career episodes for as much as I could cover. Section 3 alone ended up over a dozen pages.


Re. your ISP.
Best you can do is to try and find your former colleagues, who will need to do a stat. declaration on your behalf (do a search, there's been quite a few, I also posted a link to the template, but too lazy to search for it now LOL). Best would be your direct manager, but colleagues working with you on the same level would do too. Stat dec would then need to start with the fact that company went belly up, relation to yourself and confirmation of your job profile.

If you can not find anyone, your last resort is to do a stat dec on yourself. Same basic idea, but also include reasons why you do it yourself - like years gone by, lost contact, etc.

I did one on myself, almost like for the sheer heck of it, because had more years than necessary, but wanted to have it all, like really all of it supplied in one go. I took part of a major research project, govt job, and thought declaring these years was important to prop up the learning path, but knew for the fact that the, umm, "place", even if agreeing to respond in a first place, would not acknowledge much of anything bar what the weather is like. Having been assessed as suitable, I have reason to believe that it was not a blank shot, however the rest of my pack was rock solid - letterheads and seals and customer thank you letters.

If you bank your case on that, you may be better off checking with an agent when you are done.

NJ

Re: Help with ACS application
 

Sounds like a familiar story: I worked for breathe.net and the same thing happened to me :)

Do you still have any payslips, or other documents that might back up your employment history with them?

Cheers
Ben

Re: Help with ACS application
 

Thanks for all your help NJ, still not sure how to get on but will give it a go but I am no good at this kind of thing - documentation has never been a high point for me so I am worried about screwing it up.

Ben - who did you contact at Breathe or do you still have a contact who left?

Re: Help with ACS application
 

I did make contact with someone at breathe's parent company (during the time I was there), who had some limited records, but other than that it would have been payslips, P60s, P45s, offer letters and the like. I couldn't find anyone to do me a job description; luckily I managed to get the necessary stuff for the ACS app without having to go back as far as breathe in the end.

Cheers
b