The Canadian Technology Human Resources Board

THE CANADIAN TECHNOLOGY HUMAN RESOURCES BOARD (CTHRB)

By Frances Manning, CTCA Project Manager

The Canadian Technology Human Resources Board (CTHRB) founded in 1995 is a partnership between employers, practitioners and educators. CTHRB's objectives are to publish and maintain industry defined national standards of practice for technicians and technologists and to assist Canadian industrial and occupational organizations identify and resolve human resource issues challenging industry and the technology work force.

CTHRB, in partnership with the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATA), is developing the TechnoFile System, an internet based data base and career portfolio for technology workers. At the very beginning of TechnoFile's planning stages, CTHRB realized the need for a methodology to measure and record a technology practitioner's education, experience, training, certification(s) and experiential learning according to the Canadian Technology Standards. The methodology had to take into account thousands of technical workers without formal credentials who acquired their skills on the job. The methodology would also have to evaluate thousands of others who were trained or acquired their experience offshore.

CTHRB wanted further to identify areas of evaluation for nontraditional learning. The technique would evaluate professional development, training acquired in the workplace, self-directed study, non-college courses, employer- sponsored courses, non-accredited courses, accredited courses and military occupational training. CTHRB wanted to acknowledge learning acquired through experience and not experience in and of itself.

Prior learning Assessment and recognition (PLAR) has been recognized for over 20 years as a valid, reliable and systematic approach to learning assessment. A PLAR policy written for technical workers and based on the Canadian Technology Standards would provide the means by which the skills, knowledge and under-standing acquired by an individual from work, life and educational experience could be assessed against the Canadian Technology Standards and recorded in CTHRB's TechnoFile system.

The Alberta Society of Engineering Technologists (ASET) contracted to develop CTHRB's PLAR policy. Ron Farrell, project leader, brought together the best PLAR experts and practitioners in Canada. This team worked on the PLAR Committee, conducted research into best practices in Canada and throughout the world and led a national consultation process. The result is a PLAR policy document unequaled in the country. Although written primarily for the Canadian technical worker and focusing on the Canadian Technology Standards, the document's scope is universal.

The CTHRB national PLAR policy is based on five requirements:

PLAR Principles Policy Requirement: The PLAR process or a participating agent in TechnoFile must conform with national and international principles as identified by the Canadian Labour Force Development Board and the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning.
Eligibility Policy Requirement: The PLAR process should be designed primarily for individuals who have acquired important skills, knowledge and concepts from work, life or educational experience. Its purpose should be to help individuals:
- reflect upon, identify, articulate, document, measure and evaluate relevant learning at the post-secondary level and in the workplace; and
- to acquire appropriate credit/recognition toward a secondary or post-secondary credential and/or professional certification or for labor market entry.
Assessment Policy Requirement: Assessment methods should be applied alone or in combination with other methods to offer a flexible, credible, comprehensive, learner- centred process of assessing learning.
Residency Policy Requirement: Residency should not be a determining factor in a decision about the type or amount of credit that may be earned by a qualified PLAR candidate in relation to the Canadian Technology Standards.
Administration Policy Requirement: The PLAR administrative process should be effective and efficient and include practices that address customer sensitivity, fairness and equity, openness and freedom from bias. It should conform to the six best practices elements outlined in section six of the CTHRB policy document.
Assessor Policy Requirement: The assessor should be trained and prepared to perform the assessment process in conformance with the seven elements outlined in section seven of the CTHRB policy document.
Quality Assurance Policy Requirement: Participating agents of the TechnoFile System must ensure that a proactive, continuous feedback and improvement process is in place at all levels to monitor situational and needs changes and to align processes based upon what has been learned from past PLAR or TechnoFile practices.

In addition to the PLAR policy itself, ASET developed a Guide to Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition to accompany CTHRB's national policy.

The Guidebook provides direction to prospective validating agents involved in the development and implementation of PLAR for CTHRB's TechnoFile. It identifies the criteria for acceptable PLAR models, describes the role of a PLAR Agent, provides a self-assessment framework and sets out the process for becoming an Agent.

During a round table discussion at the Canadian Association of Prior Learning Assessment (CAPLA) conference in May, feed back from the audience clearly recommended CTHRB establish a strong, prescriptive policy and process for its Validation Agents. In response, Paul Zakos, President of CAPLA, developed a chart outlining the Roles and Responsibilities of Validating Agents for the PLAR Process, the Validating Agent Approval Process (Zakos, July 98). CTHRB added the chart to its Guidebook. Moreover, CTHRB is proud to partner with CAPLA in the development of the final stage of the PLAR project, the Validation Agent policy and process.

It is vital that the CTHRB/CAPLA validating policy and practices establish a transparent, prescriptive process to ensure transferability of validation with built-in controls to ensure excellence. Based on the CTHRB national PLAR policy with direction from the CTHRB Guide to PLAR and Roles and Responsibilities of Validating Agents for the PLAR Process chart, the validation process will be prescriptive and consistent.

One of CTHRB's long term goals is a seamless integration of the Canadian Technology Standards, a coordinated national technology training system, a variety of flexible assessment options based on the Canadian Technology Standards, the recording of career development for individuals within a technology career portfolio. In acting to achieve this goal, the CTHRB, in collaboration with the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATA), Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC), the Department of National Defence, technology practitioners, employers, educators and labour groups, is developing TechnoFile, a career credit bank and the Technology PROfile, a career portfolio.

The implementation of the PLAR Policy, the Guidebook and, in collaboration with CAPLA, the Validation Agent process will provide the means by which the skills, knowledge and understanding acquired by an individual from work, life and educational experience may be assessed against the Canadian Technology Standards and recorded in the TechnoFile System.

For more information regarding CTHRB's PLAR policy, the Technology PROfile or TechnoFile, please contact:

Frances Manning, Project Manager
Canadian Technology Human Resources Board (CTHRB)
2-285 McLeod Street
Ottawa, ON K2P 1A1
Phone: (613) 233-1955
E-mail: fmanning@cthrb.ca