Can customers or suppliers confirm my experience for an RPL assessment?

Yes. A customer or supplier may be able to confirm work you have done as part of a recognition of prior learning (RPL) assessment. Their statement can be particularly helpful if you are self-employed or no longer work with a former supervisor. But a reference on its own does not automatically prove that you meet the requirements of a qualification. An assessor at a registered training organisation (RTO) decides what evidence is needed and whether it is sufficient.

When can a customer or supplier be a useful referee?

A customer may have seen you plan, complete and explain a job. A supplier may be familiar with the materials you ordered, the technical questions you asked or the projects they supplied. Either person can speak to what they directly know. The strongest statement comes from someone who can describe specific work they observed, rather than simply saying you are reliable or experienced.

For example, a customer might confirm the type of work you performed, the approximate dates and your responsibilities. A supplier might confirm a pattern of trade-related orders over time. A supplier who only processed invoices, however, may not be able to verify how you used those products or whether your work met a particular standard.

What should their statement include?

Ask your referee to write in their own words. A useful statement will usually identify:

• The referee’s name, role, business and contact details.
• How they know you and the period they dealt with you.
• The work they personally saw you do or the transactions they can verify.
• Specific projects, tasks, products or services they can genuinely recall.
• The date of the statement and whether the RTO may contact them to check details.

A statement should be accurate, not polished to sound like an assessment checklist. Avoid asking someone to confirm skills they did not observe. If a customer can describe the finished job but not the techniques you used, that distinction is worth keeping clear.

What else can support a customer or supplier statement?

RPL assesses existing skills and knowledge against the requirements of a qualification or units of competency. Third-party statements are generally most useful alongside evidence of the work itself. Depending on the qualification and your circumstances, that might include dated invoices, job records, quotes, photographs of completed work, purchase orders, work samples or records of relevant training.

Try to make it easy to connect each item to a real job: what you did, when you did it and what your own contribution was. Remove or redact information you do not have permission to share, particularly customer addresses, pricing or commercially sensitive details. Ask permission before providing someone’s contact information as a referee.

You can look up Australian qualifications and units on the official National Training Register. The requirements of the particular units matter more than the number of references you collect.

Who decides whether the evidence is enough?

The RTO’s assessor makes the assessment decision. They may ask follow-up questions, contact a referee, request more work samples or use another assessment method to establish your skills and knowledge. The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) regulates RTOs; a customer reference does not replace an RTO assessment.

RPL Access Australia can help you understand an RPL pathway and organise information about your experience. It does not assess you or issue a qualification; those are the RTO’s responsibilities. If your goal involves an occupational licence, the relevant licensing authority makes its own decision. If it involves a visa or migration outcome, the responsible migration authorities make those decisions separately.

What if you cannot get a statement?

Do not invent one or pressure someone to sign a statement they cannot support. Tell the RTO what evidence you do have and ask what alternatives it will accept for the relevant units. A former colleague, supervisor or business record may help establish different parts of your experience. The right combination depends on the qualification, the work you performed and the assessor’s requirements.

If you are unsure where to start, gather a short list of your strongest projects and the people who can speak about each one. That gives you a practical starting point for discussing your evidence without assuming that any single document will secure an RPL outcome.

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