Canada's Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) Chronology and Milestones

1980

Mohawk College (Hamilton, Ontario) and Red River College (Winnipeg, Manitoba) are the first Colleges to implement PLAR systems/processes for the assessment of experiential learning.

1981

Creation of the Commission d'étude sur la formation des adultes (CEFA), also known as Commisssion Jean. A 1982 report recommends the introduction of “la Reconnaissance des acquis extrascolaires.”

1983

Québec introduces PLAR in secondary schools and CEGEPs (Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel) at the recommendation of the Commission Jean.

1984

In Québec, the Regime Pedagogique (program of studies) under article #25 cites PLA (first time in Canada).

1984

Québec establishes 'service en reconnaissance des acquis de formation' (1984-1986).

1984

Sherbrooke conference: La reconnaissance des acquis de formation, organized by MEQ (Ministère de l'éducation du Québec) and Université of Sherbrooke, CEGEPS in Québec, and with the support of FIRAQ (Fond d'implantation pour la reconnaissance des acquis au Québec).

1985

First Nations Technical Institute (Ontario) pioneers the philosophy, practice and use of PLA in the Native Social Worker Program. PLAR is a fundamental part of curriculum design, development and delivery strategy.

1986

Québec CEGEPS - Ahuntsic, Vanier, Rosemount, and Champlain – lead the implementation of PLA programs.

1986

College Ahuntsic starts partnership with Canadian Forces for the accreditation of military occupations using the American Council on Education (ACE) model for evaluations with Military Police. Since then 200 occupations have been analyzed and credits given.

1989

First Nations Technical Institute holds its first annual PLA conference in Belleville, Ontario. (Since then, 14 annual PLA conferences have taken place.)

1989

Report of the Task Force on Access to Profession and Trades in Ontario proposes the creation of a Prior Learning Assessment Network (PLAN) operating under one or more of the ministries.

1990s

Regulatory bodies in a number of provinces, such as Ontario and BC Colleges of Midwives, Ontario College of Nurses, Certified General Accountants, College of Physiotherapists of Ontario and BC College of Pharmacists, become involved in PLAR.

1990

"Implementation and the Development of Prior Learning Assessment" conference takes place in Montreal, Québec.

1992

MEQ (Ministère de l'éducation du Québec) provides financial support for courses offered through PLA.

1993

Ontario begins implementation of a comprehensive PLAR system in 25 colleges of applied arts and technology. (This was a three-year initiative, from 1993-1996.)

1993

Human Resource Development Canada’s (HRDC) Occupational and Career Information Branch (OCIB) begins consultations with representatives of provincial ministries of education to identify provinces that have developed and implemented PLA policies and practices.

1993

British Columbia (BC) establishes a provincial steering committee for PLA.

1993

Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training Board approves a Policy Respecting the Recognition of Training and the Granting of Credit.

1994

HRDC begins research and consultations on PLA in support of its work on occupational skills/standards and sector councils.

1994

The College Standards and Accreditation Council (CSAC) was established by the Ontario Minister of Education and Training to be responsible for the development of system-wide program standards and accreditation of college programs. As a result, courses described according to learning outcomes lead to the facilitation of PLAR.

1994

Canadian Association for Prior Learning Assessment (CAPLA), a national association for the advancement of PLAR, is formed. CAPLA jointly hosts annual PLA conferences with First Nations Technical Institute (1994-2002), with financial assistance from HRDC.

1994

BC publishes Prior Learning Assessment in BC: An Orientation for Post Secondary Institutions and A Guide to Earning Credit for Your Skills and Knowledge.

1994

Alberta Council on Admissions and Transfer (ACAT) establishes an Advisory Committee on PLAR.

1995

Government of Newfoundland/Labrador conducts a province-wide initiative to facilitate implementation of PLAR in post secondary institutions.

1995

First "National Forum on Prior Learning Assessment," hosted by HRDC, is held in Ottawa with 500 participants.

1995

BC starts a province-wide PLAR initiative through the BC Council on Admissions and Transfer with policy guidelines and standards for colleges, universities and institutions. First provincial training event is held for more than 80 post-secondary faculty and administrators.

1995

Manitoba Prior Learning Assessment Network (MPLAN), a network of individuals committed to PLA practices and to the expansion of PLA in Manitoba and Canada, is formed. Since 1994, MPLAN has provided networking opportunities, informed and educated about PLAR, served as a resource for PLAR practitioners through the provision of professional development activities and conferences, and advocated and assisted with the development of a provincial PLAR strategy.

1995

Canadian Labor Force Development Board (CLFDB), a national advisory body made up of labour market partners who advise on the improvement of training and access for the Canadian labour force, provides extensive support and consultation around the concept and practice of PLAR. (The CLFDB closed in December, 1999).

1995

BC establishes the Centre for Curriculum, Transfer and Technology (C2T2) which sets the development and implementation of PLAR as one of its strategic directions.

1995

BC publishes Prior Learning Assessment and Educational Reform: A Vision for Now.

1995

ACAT endorses the principles on recognition of prior learning as recommended by the Recognition of Prior Learning Advisory Committee and agrees to work with the institutions to ensure their system-wide acceptance and application. The first inventory of Alberta post-secondary institution PLAR policies and guidelines is compiled.

1995

Ontario Prior Learning Assessment Network (OPLAN), an informal provincial network of stakeholders interested in advancement of PLAR, begins and offers provincial workshops.

1996

New Approaches to Life Long Learning (NALL), a research network and project coordinated by the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), develops a comprehensive PLAR database, an annotated bibliography, a values document for PLAR, and researches relationships between informal, formal and non-formal learning, and the current and future use of PLAR.

1996

Canadian Labor Force Development Board (CLFDB), after extensive consultation and research, releases the National PLAR Standards: 14 minimum standards which provide a framework for an effective PLAR system and serve as widely accepted voluntary principles for the establishment of good PLAR practice.

1996

Canadian Steel Trade and Employment Congress (CSTEC) becomes involved in PLAR. The United Steelworkers of America (UWSA), a number of steel companies and 21 Colleges from six provinces embark on a joint initiative for steelworkers across Canada. The initiative is called the national Steel Industry Training Program (SITP) and uses PLAR strategies as a key element.

1996

Halifax PLA Centre opens in a shopping mall - the first independent, collaborative, community-based PLAR organization in Canada, supported by HRDC-Nova Scotia Region, with a board of directors representing six universities, the Nova Scotia Community College and a range of on-going community members including the voluntary, business and labour sectors. The PLA Centre has since demonstrated the impact of portfolio development for key groups including civilian and military personnel on Canadian Forces bases (1997), social assistance recipients (1998), literacy learners and facilitators (2001), and federal inmates (2003).

1996

BC establishes the BC Institutional Coordinators' Working Group to support of the PLA Steering Committee and oversee the implementation of PLA services in Colleges, Universities and University-Colleges.

1996

ACAT PLAR Advisory Committee hosts Recognition of Prior Learning Workshop in Calgary.

1997

Second National PLAR Forum, "Learning has no Boundaries: Bringing PLAR into the Workplace", is held in Montreal, Québec with over 600 delegates. The conference is facilitated by CLFBD and funded by HRDC.

1997

Canadian Technology Human Resources Board (CTHRB) embarks on PROfile, a PLAR initiative for technicians and technologists.

1997

BC allocates $1 million to support the development and implementation of PLA services in the post-secondary system and publishes and distributes 10 PLA training modules.

1998

Manitoba PLA Centre, then one of two PLA Centres in Canada, begins as a three-year community-based PLA project providing PLA advisory and development services to assist Manitoba organizations with the development of PLAR policies, programs, initiatives and PLA training. The PLA Centre project was completed in 2001 and Manitoba moved forward with a new strategy to increase the capacity for the recognition of prior learning through out the education/employment system.

1998

Halifax PLA Centre organizes and hosts the first of four annual Nova Scotia-wide PLAR symposia to heighten awareness of PLAR principles, practices and applications for a variety of settings and sectors.

1999

A Symposium on Community Models for PLAR is held at the School of Labour, George Brown College, Ontario.

1999

Third National PLAR Forum, "Learning has no boundaries - PLAR as a Tool for Transition", is held in Vancouver, BC with 600 delegates attending. The conference is facilitated by CLFDB and funded by HRDC.

1999

The first cross-Canada study on PLAR, A Slice of the Iceberg, is completed by a partnership of six colleges and one CEGEP and is funded by HRDC. Using a combination of statistical data and focus groups, the study explores PLAR at seven institutions between 1995 and 1998 and examines: characteristics and numbers of PLAR learners; the PLAR experience from a learner and institutional perspective; and, programs offering PLAR and cost of PLAR.

1999

Prince Edward Island (PEI) officially launches its PLA services in Workplace Education PEI - a partnership serving PEI business, industry and labour.

1999

As a result of province-wide community consultations, the Nova Scotia Community College becomes the first post-secondary institution in Canada to adopt, as an explicit strategic objective, the goal of becoming a "Portfolio College."

1999

British Columbia's Credit Review Service, a national program designed to recognize learning and award academic credit to workplace-based training program, is established. (OLA's Credit Review Service (CRS) was transferred to the British Columbia Institute of Technology on July 31, 2003).

2000

Dalhousie University accepts portfolios for mid-career public servants who lack the normal undergraduate prerequisite and are seeking admission to the Master’s of Public Administration (Management) program. The Halifax PLA Centre offers its first pilot "Portfolio for Academic Purposes" and initial candidates are considered and admitted to the Dalhousie University program on the basis of their academic portfolios (20 candidates have been admitted to the program to date).

2000

CAPLA completes a national research project establishing benchmarks for PLAR practitioners in advising and assessing. Two publications are produced, Developing Benchmarks for PLAR Practitioner and Perspectives and Guidelines for the Canadian PLAR Practitioner, and used national for PLAR training.

2000

Saskatchewan Labor Force Development Board (SLFDB) and partners implement a two-year province-wide PLAR services project, with financial assistance from HRDC, to establish a forestry sector approach to prior learning assessment and recognition, geared toward supporting the transition of older and Aboriginal workers to occupations in the forestry sector.

2001

4^th International PLAR/QR Forum, "Recognizing Learning-Building Canada's Future Prosperity-A Call to Action," funded by HRDC, is organized and hosted by the PLA Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia and attended by 600 delegates. The legacy of this forum is the Halifax Declaration for the Recognition of Prior Learning that affirms principles for recognition of prior learning and four key actions.

2001

BC completes the three year project: Collaborative Nursing Program in BC: Integrated Model for PLA Across the Curriculum involving 10 nursing schools across the province working on a shared PLA model, tools, protocols and resources to provide learners with enhanced access and transferability across nursing programs.

2001

HRDC-supported research, Building Capacity in Communities; PLA Centres: A Catalyst for Change, studies other models of community-based prior learning assessment centres in Canada. The study, implemented by the Manitoba PLA Centre, provides the basis for a conceptual framework and operational model for developing a community-based prior learning assessment centre.

2001

Manitoba Provincial PLAR Policy Framework is announced with an initial three-year implementation phase/ funding to increase the expertise in and use of PLAR across Manitoba.

2001

Conference Board of Canada releases HRDC-funded research report, Brain Gain: The Economic Benefits of Recognizing Learning in Canada.

2002

Canadian Policy Research Networks paper, Working and Learning in the Information Age: A Profile of Canadians, recommends PLAR measures should be implemented widely. Study supported by HRDC.

2002

Halifax PLA Centre, with support of HRDC, conducts an impact evaluation to sample and analyze the immediate and long-term outcomes from the more than 2000 Nova Scotians who completed a ‘Skills and Learning Portfolio.’

2002

HRDC supports the OECD Thematic Review of Adult Learning and Canada Country Note, the first comprehensive report on adult learning in Canada and comparative review of adult learning amongst OECD member countries. The project enhanced the knowledge base on adult learning and recommended more systematic approaches to prior learning assessment and recognition in Canada.

2002

Canada's Innovation Strategy: Human Resources Development Canada and Industry Canada lead national consultations on skills and learning. Highlights include: release of Achieving Excellence: Investing in People, Knowledge and Opportunity, and Knowledge Matters: Skills and Learning for Canadians; and, national roundtables and best practices workshops on recognizing learning including, "Building Community Capacity to Recognize Learning" (CAPLA); Innovations in Workplace Skills and Learning (Conference Board of Canada/Bow Valley College); and, Immigrants and the Labour Market (Vancouver).

2002

PEI Provincial statement supports PLAR and includes Qualification Recognition.

2002

The national Learning Assessment and Recognition Network (LeARN™) of prior learning assessment providers, whose assessments are recognized in the Campus Canada consortia’s academic programs, is formed. LeARN also includes those who support the development of a national approach to PLAR and who specialize in various forms of assessment.

2002

Canadian Commission for UNESCO launches the first International Adult Learners' Week in Canada. Adult Learners' Week continues to be and is celebrated across Canada each September.

2002

Halifax PLA Centre announces the establishment of a PLAR Practitioners Network linking 200 practitioners across Nova Scotia.

2002

Canada's Innovation Strategy: Priority recommendations from participants at the National Summit on Innovation and Learning, Toronto include encouraging the use of PLAR through occupation-based collaborative projects to include non-formal and informal learning and skills in order to build an inclusive and skilled work force.

2002

The SLFDB submits the Provincial Framework for RPL in Saskatchewan for review and consideration by Saskatchewan Learning (refinements to be incorporated summer 2003). The Framework outlines a vision, guiding principles, the role of stakeholders and a comprehensive action plan. Many of the actions listed in the Framework have already been undertaken to varying degrees.

2003

ACAT reactivates its Advisory Committee on PLAR.

2003

HRDC-funded study, Feedback from Learners: A Second Cross Canada Study of PLAR, which reports on the perspectives of both PLAR and non-PLAR learners, is published. The study expands the existing database to include eight years of data on over 7,200 learners and 14,000 assessments at the seven partner institutions.

2003

BC's Ministry of Advanced Education and BC's International Qualifications Program issues a call for proposals for jointly-funded PLA projects that build on current PLA systems or projects; assist in addressing current & future labour market needs; create mechanisms for assessing learning experiences of immigrants; and promote collaboration with BC's regulatory bodies and professionals/trades associations.

2003

The Association of Registrars of the University and Colleges of Canada (ARUCC) produces a National Transcript Guide for use in Canadian Post-Secondary Institutions. Funded by HRDC, a new category, "External Learning Recognized by the Issuing Institution," is included to address recognized courses from other institutions, demonstrated competencies, prior learning and experiential learning.

2003

HRDC supports Athabasca University's Pan-Canadian Pathways initiative to further develop a Human Services model for customizing Block Credit Transfer, course transfer and prior learning assessment recognition, in order to produce new, innovative and flexible pathways to undergraduate degree completion for practitioners in the Human Services field.

2003

HRDC supports First Nations Technical Institute’s paper on Integrating Adult Learning Theory and Practice into Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) Activities, which includes recommendations on making HRDC more adult learning friendly, including developing a PLAR policy for employees and placing PLAR in the context of a continuum of essential services. To this end, the Halifax PLA Centre provides ‘blended’ on-site/on-line Portfolio for Academic Purposes Program to HRDC and Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) public servants interested in the Dalhousie MPA(M) program.

2003

CAPLA begins development of an Online Community of Practice (OCOP). CAPLA will provide leadership to PLAR stakeholders across Canada in the development of an Online Community of Practice dedicated to the recognition of prior learning. Through support from HRDC and Industry Canada, the goals of the project are to increase the capacity for PLAR, information, services and practice in Canada and to provide leadership in the development of national PLAR standards and best practices.

2003

Mount Royal College, with support of HRDC and partners Ryerson University and New Brunswick Community College, undertakes action research to study the impact of prior learning assessment and recognition in the nursing field to improve access to nursing education programs and accelerate graduation and employment of nurses into the labour force.

2003

Report of the Parliamentary Committee on Human Resources Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, Raising Adult Literacy Skills: The Need for a Pan-Canadian Response includes two recommendations in support of PLAR for literacy learners.

2003

Halifax PLA Centre undertakes a major three-year research initiative - with support and cooperation from HRDC, federally and regionally - to provide professional development and capacity building support to Employment Assistance Services agencies across Nova Scotia, to enable them to offer "Skills and Learning Portfolio Programs" to their clients. This initiative will be carried out in the context of a comprehensive research and evaluation framework that will add significantly to impact and outcomes data required to assess the value of the PLAR approach and interventions.

2003

The Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC), supported by HRDC, initiates a study to build an inventory of provincial/territorial initiatives relating to PLAR, with a comparative analysis of best practices by individual jurisdictions on a Pan-Canadian level. The report will provide an analysis and assessment of jurisdictional practices with a focus on best practices, applicability of international models, recommendations for next steps, and future program and policy development to be considered by jurisdictions.

2003

Fifth International Forum on PLAR/QR, “Recognizing Learning–Building Capacity in a Knowledge Economy,” is held in Winnipeg and hosted by CAPLA, with support from HRDC and other partners.

2003

Launch of Canada's Portfolio: a web-based showcase of the recognition and assessment initiatives in PLAR/QR (http://www.capla.ca).