RPL

RPL (Recognition of prior learning) for workers to gain trade qualifications based on experience.

09/10/2026

Trying to work out if RPL's actually the right call for you? Ask yourself three things:

Have you actually done the full scope of the job, not just bits of it? Have you got or can you get proof of that? And is there some specific part of it you know you've genuinely never done?

If it's yes, yes, no RPL's probably your path. If there's a real gap somewhere, a cert or some gap training's the honest way through.

https://drewekohl.au/

07/10/2026

Trade Certs vs RPL: What's the Difference, and Which is Right for You?

New post is up: Trade Certs vs RPL: What's the Difference, and Which is Right for You?
If you've been wondering whether RPL is just the "quick way" to get the same cert, this one's for you. It's not, and picking the wrong path costs you time either way. I've broken down what each pathway actually involves, how much experience genuinely counts, and how to tell which one fits your situation.
Full post is on the website now
https://drewekohl.au/trade-certs-vs-rpl-whats-the-difference-and-which-is-right-for-you/

05/10/2026

Get asked this one all the time: "What's actually different between doing a trade cert and going for RPL?"
Short version, a trade cert builds a skill you don't have yet. RPL proves a skill you already do. Neither one's the "shortcut" version of the other. They're for different situations, and picking the wrong one just wastes your time either way.

Went into the full breakdown Wednesday. Visit the website if you want the detail before deciding which path fits you.

02/10/2026

Here's one most tradies don't think to keep: a record of the actual jobs you've done, not just your resume.

Doesn't need to be fancy. Address, dates, what the job was, what you were responsible for. Takes a minute per job if you do it as you go.

The people who come to me with this already sorted move through an RPL application way faster than the ones starting from a blank page. Doesn't matter if you're not applying for anything yet, start the file now anyway.

30/09/2026

Closing out September the way I close out every assessment: looking for evidence that stands up by itself — stuff that doesn't need me to fill in the blanks or take your word for it.
Not glamorous, but it's the standard. Written a fair bit this month about what it looks like in practice — under the current rules, and specifically for builder's and site super's licence applications. Underneath both, same idea: your experience is very likely enough. Whether it reads as enough on paper is a different question — and it's almost always fixable once you know what to look for.

That's the bar for every file I open. This month and every one after it.

28/09/2026

There's a moment in most assessment chats where I can feel it shift — a few minutes in, when someone stops talking about their role in general terms and starts talking about one actual job.

Small shift in how they're talking, but it changes everything. "I'm responsible for site supervision" becomes "there was a three-storey job where I picked up a compliance issue on the second-floor slab before the inspector did, here's what I did about it." One's a summary. The other's evidence — I can ask follow-up questions, and it holds up.

The details are what get me over the line. Not the title on the card, not the years attached to it. The details — because that's the one part that can't be true of literally anyone with the same job.

25/09/2026

After enough files, the same pattern shows up over and over: what separates a strong RPL application from a weak one usually isn't how much experience is behind it. Plenty of weak files come from blokes with fifteen, twenty years on-site. The gap is whether that experience got turned into something I can actually assess.
Strong files give me a job: address, building class, a decision this person made and why it mattered. Weak files give me a job title and expect it to do the talking.
Sometimes it's the same bloke on both sides of that genuinely excellent at the work, just never had to put it into words before, because nobody's ever asked. That's usually all that's missing. Not the skill. The write-up.

23/09/2026

"What evidence actually proves I'm ready for a builder's or site super's licence, if not my work history?"
Fair question. What I need is job-level detail, address, building class, dates, exactly what you were responsible for signing off. Backed up with paperwork where you've got it — site diaries, inspection records, photos across the job.
One thing that trips people up specifically here: your referee needs a licence at your level or higher. Worth checking before you ask, not after.

https://drewekohl.au/youve-run-sites-for-years-your-rpl-file-doesnt-show-it-yet/

21/09/2026

Before you send your RPL portfolio off, try this.
Go through it and imagine crossing out every mention of your job title: supervisor, leading hand, builder, whatever it is. Would what's left still prove you can do the work at the licence class you're going for? Or is the title doing all the work, with nothing solid backing it up?

A lot of applications lean on the title more than people realise. "As site super, I..." sneaks in as a stand-in for proof when it's really just context. The actual work; the jobs, the sign-offs, what changed because of you, has to stand up by itself.

If the answer's no, doesn't mean your experience is thin. Usually just means it hasn't been written down properly yet. If yes, you're closer than you think.

18/09/2026

Three swaps if you're putting together evidence for a builder's or site super's licence:

Instead of "site super for six years" → for every job, give me the address, the building class, the dates. Six to ten solid jobs beats one paragraph about your career.

Instead of a general reference letter → a referee who holds a licence at your level or higher, and can talk specifics about jobs you did together.

Instead of "I supervised the job" → what you actually signed off — inspections, trades you coordinated, a problem you sorted on-site.

Doesn't mean rewriting your career. Means turning what you already did into something an assessor can actually use. Full post's got the detail
https://drewekohl.au/youve-run-sites-for-years-your-rpl-file-doesnt-show-it-yet/

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