Yes. Reasonable adjustment can be provided during a recognition of prior learning (RPL) assessment when it helps a person participate in the assessment without changing the competency they must demonstrate. The registered training organisation (RTO) conducting the assessment decides what adjustment is appropriate for the individual, the qualification and the evidence required.
What is reasonable adjustment in RPL?
RPL is an assessment of skills and knowledge a person has already gained through work, training or other experience. It is not an automatic award of a qualification. An RTO assesses the applicant’s evidence against the relevant unit requirements and decides whether the applicant has demonstrated competency.
Reasonable adjustment changes how someone can access or participate in that assessment. It does not remove an essential skill, lower the standard or guarantee a competent outcome. An adjustment that works for one applicant or unit may not be suitable for another.
For current information about the regulation of vocational education and training, consult the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA). The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) provides information about the qualifications framework in which Australian VET qualifications sit.
What could an adjustment look like?
The options depend on the person’s needs and what the assessment must establish. An RTO might consider:
In RPL, an assessor may already use several kinds of evidence, such as work samples, records, third-party reports, interviews or practical demonstrations. Discussing the available methods can help identify an accessible way to show existing skills. The assessor still needs to be satisfied that the evidence relates to the unit requirements and genuinely demonstrates the applicant’s own capability.
What cannot reasonable adjustment change?
An adjustment cannot bypass an essential requirement of the unit being assessed. For example, if a unit requires a person to demonstrate a particular practical task safely, replacing that task with a general conversation may not establish the required skill. Likewise, if particular communication skills are part of the competency, a proposed change must still allow the assessor to evaluate those skills.
This is why it is worth raising adjustment needs early. The RTO can explain which requirements must be demonstrated and discuss whether another assessment method would provide suitable evidence. A requested adjustment may need to be changed or may not be possible in the form proposed; the decision rests with the assessing RTO.
How should you ask for an adjustment?
Tell the RTO, preferably before assessment activities begin, what part of the process may be difficult to access. You can describe the practical barrier and what has helped you demonstrate your skills in other settings. You do not have to work out the entire assessment design yourself.
Useful questions include:
If you have workplace documents or other evidence, ask the RTO what it can accept and how to remove information that should remain confidential. Do not assume that a particular document, support person or assessment format will be approved: the assessor needs to consider its suitability for the specific assessment.
Who makes the decision?
RPL Access Australia can provide support and guidance as you explore an RPL pathway and prepare to discuss your experience and evidence. It does not conduct the RTO’s assessment or issue the qualification. The assessing RTO determines the assessment arrangements, evaluates the evidence and makes the competency decision. If a qualification is awarded, the RTO issues it.
Any occupational licence is a separate matter for the relevant licensing authority. Visa and migration decisions are also separate from RPL assessment and are made by the responsible government decision-maker. Neither an adjustment nor an RPL outcome guarantees a licence or visa result.
The practical next step is to describe your access needs and the skills you want recognised, then ask the assessing RTO how you can demonstrate those skills fairly. Reasonable adjustment is about a fair opportunity to show competency—not a different competency standard.