As universities respond to renewed requests from Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council to provide learning opportunities that allow for re-skilling and upskilling of non-traditional learners, it is important that this Enhancement Theme supports the drive to develop, deliver and recognise more flexible and accessible learning.

In 2014, QAA Scotland worked closely with the higher education sector to develop the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) National Framework in Scotland, with a view to expand and embed RPL to a wider extent in the sector. Alongside the Framework, an RPL Toolkit provided staff and students with a practical way to develop new RPL initiatives.

Building on the success of this original work, this new project aims to consider how we recognise and help learners to build on learning accumulated in non-traditional pathways in 2021 and beyond.

To support future work to expand and embed RPL in the Scottish higher education sector, we have developed a scan of rUK and international practice. The report, and its executive summary, explore the differing terminology, processes and frameworks, and support for RPL across the globe.