ACS | RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING INSTRUCTION DOCUMENT  2023 Page 1

ACS RECOGNTION OF PRIOR LEARNING (RPL) INSTRUCTION DOCUMENT – 2023

This document provides detailed instructions and information to assist you in completing the ACS
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Form. It provides the opportunity for applicants to demonstrate the
knowledge learnt throughout their professional experience.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

Misleading and false information is viewed as a major breach of ethical behaviour and will
seriously jeopardise your migration prospects.

It is your responsibility to indicate when you have drawn on the work of others. Other people’s
original ideas and methods should be clearly distinguished, and other people’s words,
illustrations and diagrams should be clearly indicated regardless of whether they are copied
exactly, paraphrased, or adapted.

Failure to acknowledge your source by clear citation and referencing constitutes plagiarism. All
plagiarism will be assessed as not suitable and reported to the Department of Home Affairs.

The ACS reserves the right to use software applications to screen your submitted work for
matches either to published sources or to other submitted applications. In some cases, you may
be asked to submit project reports and other written work submitted with the application for
screening by plagiarism detection services.

If at any stage in the assessment process plagiarism is detected, the information may be
provided to other Australian Government agencies. The assessment will be terminated, and the
outcome recorded as unsuitable. A refund of the application fee cannot be provided for cases
assessed as containing false information or plagiarism.

Applicant Name

Applicant Email Address

Applicant Date of Birth

Please complete the following 2 sections:

1. Body of ICT Knowledge– Section 1
2. The Project Report Forms (In-depth ICT Knowledge) – Section 2

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SECTION 1 – BODY OF ICT KNOWLEDGE

Section 1 is based and will be assessed on the following document. Please ensure you read and

understand – The ICT Profession, Professionals and the ACS Body of ICT Knowledge (CBoK) .

You must clearly explain how your experience and qualifications meet the selected Areas of Knowledge

and specifically how and where you acquired the knowledge.

You are required to select two topics in each of the following first two hallmarks of an ICT professional:

1) Professionalism as it applies in ICT

2) Core ICT Knowledge

Professionalism as it applies in ICT
Categories are –

a. Professional ICT Ethics
b. Impact of ICT
c. Working Individually and in ICT development teams
d. Professional Communication
e. The Professional ICT Practitioner

Core ICT Knowledge
Topics are –

a. ICT Fundamentals
b. ICT Infrastructure
c. Information and Data Science Engineering
d. Computational Science and Engineering
e. Application Systems
f. Cyber Security
g. ICT Projects
h. ICT Management and Governance

ACS | RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING INSTRUCTION DOCUMENT  2023 Page 3

Important:

• Identify the knowledge category/topic that you have chosen to explain by entering the name

of the category/topic in the box.

• Explain, in the expandable typing area, how you have acquired the knowledge and illustrate

the depth of that knowledge.

• Be clear and concise in your explanation.
• Limit each explanation to no more than one to one and a half pages.

Professionalism as it applies in ICT: [Enter 2 category names relating to the chosen area]

How have you acquired this knowledge in your working environment for each of the above? Illustrate your depth
of knowledge.

Core ICT Knowledge: [Enter 2 topic names relating to the chosen area]

How have you acquired this knowledge in your working environment for each of the above? Illustrate your depth
of knowledge.

SECTION 2 – RPL PROJECT REPORTS (In-depth ICT Knowledge)
A project report is a clear written description of a project or engagement that provides you with the

opportunity to show your In-depth knowledge in an area of ICT.

Each report is to relate to a significant completed project or work episode undertaken by you during

your professional ICT career.

The purpose of these reports is to enable you to demonstrate your in-depth knowledge and Skills

necessary to fulfill a particular role in ICT Profession as the last hallmark of an ICT Profession defined in

The ICT Profession, Professionals and the ACS Body of ICT Knowledge (CBoK), namely, In-depth ICT

Knowledge

Please Note: You are required to provide two project reports.

Of the two reports, one must apply to a project undertaken within the last three years, and the other
for a project within the last five years.

Projects longer than two years may be used for both reports under either of the following conditions:

• The project has clearly defined work efforts which took place in parallel, each with their own

solution development and design activities and their own deliverables.

• The project had clearly defined phases that were executed in succession, each with its own

solution development and design activities and deliverables. Note that a second project

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phase that constructs and implements the solution developed by the first phase does not

meet this requirement.

Depending on the nature of your role in each project, the Project Report should cover an appropriate

selection of factors.

Appropriate factors will be determined based on the type of ICT project selected. Possible factors

include:

• System Analysis and Design and Software Engineering methodologies used;
• Contribution to the processes involved in the design and implementation of enterprise-wide

computing systems;

• Programming languages, design paradigms and implementation procedures adopted;
• Database and/or file design and management techniques employed;
• Network topologies, including size, distribution and security facilities installed;
• Project Management and quality assurance techniques followed;
• Internet application design, including database interactivity and security measures

implemented;

• Cyber Security

• Data Science

• ICT managerial activities, demonstrating the nature and extent of responsibilities.

Project Summary:

Project Name Start Date End Date

Project 1 mm/yy Mm/yy

Project 2 mm/yy Mm/yy

Instructions

The following pages provide a template for your reports.

When writing your reports please provide your own thoughts – do not just copy project documentation.

Please use the first person in your discussion, so it is clear to the assessor what you did versus what

others did – say “I did X” rather than “X was done”.

Diagrams from the project documentation may be helpful, but the text should be in your own words.

Please ensure that diagrams are relevant, readable, and help the assessor to understand what you did

as a member of the project team.

If sections of the Project Report template (see below) are not relevant to your participation in the

project, then leave the section blank.

Focus on quality rather than quantity. Each Project Report should be no more than four or five pages in

length.

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SPECIAL NOTE:

By submitting this RPL Knowledge and Project Report form as a component of your ACS skills

assessment application, you agree with the following statement:

The applicant confirms that the explanation of their knowledge and project reports submitted in this

application truthfully and accurately describe the applicant and the applicant’s personal involvement

in the projects. The applicant is aware that plagiarism by the applicant will automatically invalidate

this application, will jeopardise any future applications from the applicant and will be reported by the

Australian Computer Society to the Australian Department of Home Affairs.

Project 1: <project name>

1. Project Summary

1.1. Identification
Client’s Company
Name
Business Address

Contact Numbers

Web Address

Email Address

Nature of project
Location of project
Name of your
employer

1.2. Duration

From To

Total project duration mm/yy mm/yy

Your involvement mm/yy mm/yy

1.3. Resources

Number

Your team size

Total project team size

1.4. Personal Involvement

Please list the phases of the project in which you were personally involved

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Start Completion Phase Description

mm/yy mm/yy

mm/yy mm/yy

mm/yy mm/yy

mm/yy mm/yy

1.5. Describe your role(s) and responsibilities in the project.

[EXPANDABLE TYPING AREA]

2. Business Opportunity or Problem

2.1. Describe the business opportunity or problem(s) this project addressed.

[EXPANDABLE TYPING AREA]

3. Solution

3.1. Discuss your contribution to the solution, project or engagement.

[EXPANDABLE TYPING AREA]

3.2. Describe any design or problem solving methods you used on this project.

[EXPANDABLE TYPING AREA]

3.3. List the major deliverables of the project that you were responsible for or contributed to.

[EXPANDABLE TYPING AREA]

4. Results

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4.1. Was your solution implemented? If so, describe the role, if any, you had in the

implementation.

[EXPANDABLE TYPING AREA]

4.2. Assess the overall success or failure of the project.

[EXPANDABLE TYPING AREA]

4.3. Lessons Learned

In retrospect, what you might have done differently on this project?

[EXPANDABLE TYPING AREA]

Project 2: <project name>

5. Project Summary

5.1. Identification
Client’s Company
Name

Business Address

Contact Numbers

Web Address

Email Address

Nature of project
Location of project
Name of your
employer

5.2. Duration

From To

Total project duration mm/yy mm/yy

Your involvement mm/yy mm/yy

5.3. Resources

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Number

Your team size

Total project team size

5.4. Personal Involvement

Please list the phases of the project in which you were personally involved

Start Completion Phase Description

mm/yy mm/yy

mm/yy mm/yy

mm/yy mm/yy

mm/yy mm/yy

5.5. Describe your role(s) and responsibilities in the project.

[EXPANDABLE TYPING AREA]

6. Business Opportunity or Problem

6.1. Describe the business opportunity or problem(s) this project addressed.

[EXPANDABLE TYPING AREA]

7. Solution

7.1. Discuss your contribution to the solution, project, or engagement.

[EXPANDABLE TYPING AREA]

7.2. Describe any design or problem-solving methods you used on this project.

[EXPANDABLE TYPING AREA]

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7.3. List the major deliverables of the project that you were responsible for or contributed to.

[EXPANDABLE TYPING AREA]

8. Results

8.1. Was your solution implemented? If so, describe the role, if any, you had in the

implementation.

[EXPANDABLE TYPING AREA]

8.2. Assess the overall success or failure of the project.

[EXPANDABLE TYPING AREA]

8.3. Lessons Learned

In retrospect, what you might have done differently on this project?

[EXPANDABLE TYPING AREA]