Is RPL the right pathway for you?

Designed for engineers who are already in the maintenance environment.

Engineer RPL and gap assessment courses work best when you’ve got routine access to aircraft maintenance work, current documentation, and a workplace contact who can verify your experience when needed.

Good fit if you’re experienced (2+ years working on aircraft), and have solid, documented aircraft maintenance experience (civil or defence), can access workplace evidence that’s traceable to you and the task, and you’re comfortable doing self‑directed online theory to close any knowledge gaps.

Not a good fit if you’re new to the industry, you aren’t currently in an aircraft maintenance environment, or you have less than two years’ experience, you can’t provide authentic workplace evidence or third‑party verification, or you need practical training delivered from scratch (this pathway assesses practical via RPL). It’s also not for anyone looking for a quick sign‑off without doing the work.

Why employers like this model: because we’re recognising experience, there’s no need for a formal traineeship or block release – so engineers stay productive.

Evidence requirements

Practical competence is proven with authentic workplace evidence.

RPL is evidence-based. To assess you fairly and defensibly, we need evidence that is valid, sufficient, authentic, and current. The usual sources are maintenance documents already controlled by your organisation.

Typical examples include task or job cards and work pack extracts that clearly identify the aircraft, task and your involvement, as well as maintenance records and worksheets generated through approved data. Logbook or journal entries that demonstrate repeated performance over time are also relevant, particularly where they show progression in responsibility and complexity. Photographs of completed work can be included where appropriate, provided they are traceable to you and the task, and supported by contextual documentation. Third-party verification from a supervisor or authorised person is often critical, confirming that the work was performed by you, to standard, and in accordance with approved maintenance data.

You don’t need to share sensitive customer details or classified information. Redact what isn’t required for assessment and follow your employer’s confidentiality rules.
If a unit expects breadth or repetition, a single task won’t cover it -but in each example we’ll tell you clearly what’s missing and what evidence would close the gap.

If it isn’t traceable to you, the workplace, and the unit requirement, it won’t be enough.

RPL and CASA licensing outcomes

Same engineer, two systems: AQF competency and CASA licensing.

In Australia, vocational qualifications and Part 66 licensing are related but they’re not the same system. AQF outcomes require you to demonstrate every part of the unit of competency. CASA outcomes require Part 66 module exams and the right experience history for the licence or exclusion you’re pursuing.

Our model keeps those requirements separate and clean:

• Competency first: we assess the unit requirements using mapped evidence, knowledge assessments, and competency conversations.
• Licensing next: if your course includes a CASA outcome, you then complete the invigilated CASA module exam(s) as the regulator’s confirmation step.

If you’re currently on the CASA self-study pathway, you’re essentially preparing for the CASA exams and building experience – that path also doesn’t confer any VET outcome, and has zero trainer support.

Our RPL and gap model is different: it’s built to prove unit competence as well as prepare you for licensing outcomes, with trainer support, and without repeating work you’ve already earned through real experience.