Mike Scott: career enhancement with the help of CAPL at Ara
28 August, 2020
Mike Scott had been involved in sales and marketing in the electrical industry for 20 years after starting out as an electrician.
Mike wanted to match his on-the-job experience with an equally impressive academic record, and wasn’t sure he could fit in a degree qualification while also working full-time at Hamer Power Engineering.
Mike, who is now Hamer’s South Island Account Manager, knew that further part-time study in order to finish a Bachelors of Applied Management would “burn up nights and weekends” for an extended period and so was keen to explore other study options that would “help me achieve a degree qualification, be recent and that would keep me relevant to employers.”
Ara Institute of Canterbury Ltd offers professionals such as Mike the services of the ‘Centre for Assessment of Prior Learning’ (CAPL), which enables people with a demonstrable history of work experience to translate this into a formal qualification. The process involves a detailed assessment of prior learning and the formulation of plans to address any knowledge gaps.
“I’d previously finished a management diploma through Ara for the New Zealand Institute of Management and then further papers for the Ara Human Resources Diploma. The CAPL process was about taking both of those diplomas and my previous career working history and seeing if I could combine that into a degree,” says Mike.
Being a little older and experienced, Mike had no doubts that gaining a business degree from Ara’s EDI Department would be beneficial. “In the job market, a 50-year-old getting his degree shows relevance to some employers. It showed my current employer that I am passionate about what I do and always looking to improve, and that I want to know the latest teachings and be able to apply them to my work. The qualification benefits not only myself but the organisation that I work for.”
Although CAPL undertaking is individually tailored to each learner’s capabilities and past experience, it is still a rigorous process; one that encouraged Mike to become consciously aware of both what he already knew about his industry and new insights that he could incorporate into his professional approach.
“I found the CAPL process challenging and rewarding because it's quite a major reflective process during which you're looking back, then applying it to your work history - that part of it was really, really satisfying; it unpicked and uncovered previous learnings.”
Mike’s professional career history meant that his study was less about deepening his knowledge of the electrical and power industries but more about complementing it with an appreciation of business, law and management theory.
“I’ve definitely gained from completing the papers; they’ve definitely helped me in my work on specific occasions. When situations came up around commercial law, and leadership for example, my learnings helped me navigate successful outcomes, and the applied management paper improved my critical thinking around product development and processes.”
He is positive that the CAPL process can be of use to people from any discipline, not just to professionals from within his own industry.
“I absolutely recommend the process. If people have a working history that shows their experience and achievements and shows they understand what they know, or if they’ve done some learning recently or in the past, then they definitely should look into the CAPL programme.”
Tony Gray, CE of Ara Institute of Canterbury Ltd, also appreciates the importance of learning that enables people to advance at any stage of their career.
"While we want to help meet the needs of people entering employment, we also want to make sure that we also offer support within jobs that people go into, so there’s the opportunity for progression for them. And although many students train at Ara for specialist roles, we also train people to become adaptable and to be able to respond to employment opportunities whatever they may be.”