Before we dive deeper, let’s begin by understanding what RPL is. RPL stands for Recognition of Prior Learning. It is a process that assesses your previous education and existing skills to determine whether you have what it takes to fulfill a certain job role.
Getting an RPL certification bears several benefits for an employment seeker. This certification can help you land a job that pays well and allows you to kickstart a career. It is a great alternative to a degree or online course certification if you don’t have the time to complete one.
RPL is an excellent option for Emergency Services Personnel and professionals that require official certification of their professional skills. It allows you to gain credibility on paper, which improves your chances of starting or progressing your journey in a career that you wish to pursue.
Instead of spending years and thousands of dollars on earning a university degree, RPL offers a quicker and cheaper alternative. Moreover, you are able to carve out a professional path for yourself more easily.
What is Police, Firefighter or Paramedic RPL?
Emergency Services experience is invaluable because it offers a variety of skill-building opportunities that set you up for extensive personal and professional development. You learn invaluable skills like leadership, discipline, time management, integrity, and strength.
The experience you gain during your First Responder role is not only unique but also highly relevant in a lot of civilian roles. Your time in the Emergency Services helps you build dynamic and specialised skills which may not often be recognised outside of First Responder roles but certainly hold value. That is where RPL comes in.
Although you may not receive formal certifications or qualifications after retiring from from your Police, firefighter or Ambulance role these skills still hold a high value for civilian employers. Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) converts the valuable experience you gain the Emergency Services into nationally recognised qualifications that civilian employers can understand and appreciate. In general, a First Responder RPL will help you in the following ways:
- Valuable addition to your resume
- Transition out of the Emergency Services
- Improve chances of gaining great employment opportunities
- Increase chances of promotion
- Formal recognition of years of experience
If you’re already retired, then you can still be recognised for your first responder experience by signing up for a free RPL assessment with 3CIR. Keep reading below to learn more about how a First Responder RPL will help you and why you should get one from 3CIR.
Benefits of Ex-Police/Fire/Ambulance RPL
Now that you know what RPL is, let's learn about the benefits of this certification in further detail, especially for military veterans and servicemen. Keep reading below.
1. Less Time and Less Money
Compared to degrees and other online certification courses that cost thousands of dollars, and leave you with a life-long debt, the RPL certification only costs a minor amount. RPL is not only beneficial for non-college graduates, but it can also make college graduates more employable. Degrees don't always prepare you to fulfill a certain role in the professional world.
As a ex-First Responder, you also likely don’t have enough time or resources to invest in a university degree that only gives you credibility on paper. Even fresh graduates often struggle to land their first job as they don't have much professional experience. Getting an RPL certification improves your chances of employability by proving the existence of certain skill sets that the employer is looking for.
Enrolling in online courses or full-fledged degrees takes months and years until you can kickstart your career. On the other hand, RPL certification only takes a week at best. If you can prove that you have the right skillset and knowledge, you will be good to go.
As a ex Emergency Services worker, this is an excellent opportunity for you to get right on track with your professional journey in the civilian context. Instead of starting from the bottom up, RPL allows you to capitalise on your existing experience in the military to qualify for bigger and better job prospects in a lot of relevant fields. So, if you’re anxious about your career prospects, post-military service, RPL is just the right step for you to take. It makes the path much easier and smoother.
2. Capitalise on Your Experience from the Police, Fire or Ambulance services
If you joined the Emergency Services right after high school or early in your career, then you won’t have any experience to show in terms of civilian jobs and work. However, an RPL certification allows you to leverage your experience to qualify for a variety of roles in the field of your choice. All the skills that you gain while serving in the Emergency Services will have formal recognition with the help of this certification.
Several civilian roles that focus on leadership, management, security, and risk can be easily taken on by ex first Responders from all three, including the Police, Firefighter, or ambulance services. Often, the time spent in these institutions also gives you an edge over other job applicants due to your unique experience in these fields.
With an assessment of your skills during RPL certification, you open yourself up to a variety of opportunities. The RPL certification makes you a stronger candidate for a variety of roles that you may be interested in. It helps level the playing field for candidates who might be at a disadvantage otherwise. You will be able to compete with other candidates who have advanced degrees or certifications based on your on-ground experience within a First Responder role.
Receive Qualifications for the Skills you Possess
As part of 3CIR’s RPL program, we conduct a free assessment and identify all the qualifications that you possess the skills for. This means that you won’t have to go through the trouble of figuring out what kind of work you could do because our assessments will provide you with a variety of options to choose from. Many of the skills you learn during your military experience are transferable in a variety of conventional roles in the professional world. With an RPL, you can get formal recognition of those skills that will give you an edge over other applicants when applying for a job that requires those skills.
3CIR makes this entire transition easy for you by making the RPL process super quick and smooth. We also offer special discounts to military personnel for our certificate qualifications. After your assessment, we sign you up for short courses that lead to formal certifications. After completing the requirements of the coursework, you get RPL certified. RPL certifications are accepted at all workplaces across Australia.
Not only will you gain formal recognition and certification of your skills, but RPL will also open several doors of employment for you in a variety of industries. Our goal is to help veterans reintegrate into civil society by leveraging their existing skills and without causing any unnecessary barriers.
3. Receive Qualifications for the Skills you Possess
As part of 3CIR’s RPL program, we conduct a free assessment and identify all the qualifications that you possess the skills for. This means that you won’t have to go through the trouble of figuring out what kind of work you could do because our assessments will provide you with a variety of options to choose from. Many of the skills you learn during your military experience are transferable in a variety of conventional roles in the professional world. With an RPL, you can get formal recognition of those skills that will give you an edge over other applicants when applying for a job that requires those skills.
3CIR makes this entire transition easy for you by making the RPL process super quick and smooth. We also offer special discounts to military personnel for our certificate qualifications. After your assessment, we sign you up for short courses that lead to formal certifications. After completing the requirements of the coursework, you get RPL certified. RPL certifications are accepted at all workplaces across Australia.
Not only will you gain formal recognition and certification of your skills, but RPL will also open several doors of employment for you in a variety of industries. Our goal is to help veterans reintegrate into civil society by leveraging their existing skills and without causing any unnecessary barriers.
4. Access to a Variety of Qualifications
RPL certifications are available for a variety of skills across several industries. Based on your existing skills, experience, and interest, you can choose to get enrolled in a course you prefer. There are several options available for people with experience in military and emergency services. You can easily get certifications in any of the following skills:
- Work health and safety
- Security and Risk
- Leadership Management
- Work health and safety
- Government
- Project Management
All of the above-mentioned courses can easily be acquired by a person with experience in military or emergency services. Visit our assessment center for a free assessment of your skills, and our team will let you know which of these courses you can qualify for. Once you complete our short courses, you will receive your certification soon after.
Why Choose 3CIR for your Military RPL
3CIR is a veteran-owned and operated company. This means that we have been through the same experiences and understand exactly how to guide and help you. Our founders are two
veterans from ADF and NZDF. The way we operate is based on our own first-hand experiences that allow us to support military veterans in the best way possible. We simplify each step
of gaining your RPL and make it easier and quicker for you to gain your qualifications.
When you choose 3CIR for your military RPL, you will be choosing people from your own community who relate to your lived experiences and can support you based on that.
We also offer special offers and discounts for military veterans specifically. Let’s dive deeper into the many benefits of choosing 3CIR for your
RPL assessment and certification:
1. Work with Defence RPL Specialists
As veterans ourselves, we specialize in RPL services for ex military personnel in Australia. So far, we have supported hundreds or military veterans in getting their skills and experiences recognized and certified. Regardless of your position or rank within the ADF, we help all veterans get qualified for their service and the skills that they bring to the table. We offer three major RPL qualifications:
- Navy RPL
- Army RPL
- Air Force RPL
Start your FREE RPL Assessment
2. 25% Police, Firefighter, Ambulance Services Discount
At 3CIR, we offer all military veterans as well as serving military personnel a flat 25% discount on all our
RPL qualifications. Our mission is to serve those who serve the nation and we
want to honor your invaluable experiences. Through our First Responder RPL qualifications program, we aim
to empower veterans and military personnel to pursue their professional aspirations.
Another great benefit of choosing 3CIR for your First Responder RPL qualifications is that we offer a
variety of options. During your time in the military, you gain several skills that can be recognised through RPL. Based on your interest as well as the result of our
free assessment, you can choose to get qualified in any of the following professions:
- Work Health Safety
- Leadership Management
- Security Risk
- Government
Don't Wait, Start Your Journey Now!
RPL is an excellent option for current and retired military personnel who want to start new careers with decent-paying jobs but don't have the qualifications or experience.
If you have any questions or feedback, please drop them in the comments below or get in touch with our representatives.
We have special discounts and offers for veterans that you can easily benefit from.
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