“Recognizing Learning” generally refers to the acceptance of a claim that a person has certain, specific skills and knowledge.

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR)

Prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR) is a process through which the skills and knowledge that an individual acquires outside of formal educational institutions are formally recognized. School boards, colleges and universities use PLAR to award academic credit for skills and knowledge learned in the workplace, during independent study, or through other means such as volunteering. Professional regulatory bodies use PLAR to assess the knowledge and skills of foreign trained professionals for Canadian licensing and certification. Employers can use PLAR to identify applicants' skills and reward the knowledge and skills of their workers for placement, transfer and promotions.
Individual students and workers have used PLAR to identify knowledge and skills they didn't even know they had!

In Canada, assessment methods such as portfolios, demonstrations, interviews, presentations, and written and oral examinations are used to identify people's knowledge and skills. PLAR in Canada is used mostly by community colleges and some universities. But its potential is much greater!

CIRL is working hard to encourage more organizations to use PLAR in their application, education and advancement processes.

Credential Assessment

Credential assessment is a process used to evaluate academic credentials from other countries. In Canada, many colleges, several professional regulatory bodies, universities, and some employers use credential assessment processes to recognize the previous studies of applicants.

Again, CIRL is working hard to encourage more organizations to use appropriate credential assessment methods in their application, education, and advancement processes.