Prior Learning Assessment Review( PLAR ) FAQs

[Sempai Julia]

well crap :-\
Thanks DAA

 

[DAA]

well crap :-\
Thanks DAA

PM'd you with some more details!   

 

[Che85]

Once the PLAR is complete, will they contact me or will I be merit listed automatically givien that the background check is done?

 

[Leeworthy]

They did not contact me once my PLAR was done. I contacted them and inquired. So I would go with that and maybe make a call to find out what the status of your application is.

 

[Armyhca]

Hi all,

I'm in the final stages of my application for an HCA position, DEO, Officer. I've completed: PT, CFAT, Med, Interview. The last piece I need to wait for is the PLAR. I'm aware of what a PLAR is- I'm just not sure of why I need one when I don't have prior military experience.

My education level is Masters in Healthcare Administration and a Bachelor of Science from a well known Canadian university. I'm also a Certified Healthcare Executive (CHE) from the Canadian College of Healthcare Leaders. No previous military training where a PLAR would be necessary.

I'm assuming that I am required to complete a PLAR because of my trade choice. However, it's been 3 months now and I thought that it would have been more of a "check off the box" type of formality. All of my diplomas and transcripts were enclosed with my application.

I have a few questions:

1. What could a realistic outcome be of a PLAR for an HCA officer candidate? Is it possible to have some occupation training exempt? Is that perhaps why it is taking 3 months - or is it more of a "checking off the box" to ensure that I am qualified for the role?

2. I understand that it is difficult to predict wait times for a PLAR. I was told anywhere between 1-3 months. What exactly are they doing with my transcripts/diploma? Are they checking the courses and the curriculum?

3. Does anyone have an insider perspective on the PLAR process. Is it perhaps a staffing/backlog issue?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[George Wallace]

From a previous post:

(This applies to current CAF members who are OTing/CTing/doing whatever career move that requires the use of the PLAR system. I have no experience with PLARs for applicants/new recruits.)

Reference: DAOD 5031-1

As I posted here earlier, I’ve recently gone through the VOT process from combat arms to RMS Clk.  I’ve been combat arms for 6 years but working out of trade for the last 2.  A big part of my VOT was the prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR) process.  My experience resulted in having all of RMS Clk QL3 written off.  However, each case is unique and you need to justify why your experience counts.

There was A LOT of confusion about this program and how it works, including here on the forums.  I thought I would provide a few tips learned through my experience:

1. Read the DAOD referenced above.

2. The purpose of a PLA is to recognize ANY relevant training, experience, or knowledge gained outside of the military in accordance with ANY formal military courses.  If you think your secret weekend ninja gig qualifies you for your underwater ninja knife-fighting course, request it.  If you think your part-time mechanic job might qualify you towards being a Vehicle Tech, request it.  If you think working at McDonald’s means you might have some credit towards being a Cook, request it.  Point being, if you don’t ask you won’t know.

3. You DO NOT need to have 100% of the experience you’d get on a course in order to have that course written off.  The CAF is willing to accept a “reasonable risk” that does not impact safety or legal requirements if you have completed at least 70% of the course’s experience.  The CAF is willing to give you the remaining 30% through OJT/your home unit/training at another unit.  In this current budget-constrained environment, you can bet the CAF is going to be very sympathetic when it comes to defining “risk” to keep members at home and avoid having to send them on TD for several months.

4. PLAR is NOT a home unit chain of command decision.  No, your Section Commander/Platoon WO/Chief Clerk etc. DO NOT determine your PLAR results.  If your Section Commander unilaterally shuts down your PLAR request because “you can’t do that,” they don’t know what they’re talking about.

5. Where your home unit chain of command does come into play is in verifying your request.  Just because you say “I worked in the Orderly Room doing releases for six months” doesn’t mean anything.  Prove it. “Proof” can include:

a. Letters of recommendation
b. Supporting letters from your CO/chain of command
c. Terms of reference
d. Your MPRR (to the extent that you were in a position for a certain number of days)
e. Course certificates/reports
f. PERs/PDRs from being in that position
g. Samples of work

Now, here’s what you need to do:

1. Learn your occupation’s managing authority.  This is usually an L2 organization and is the ONLY cell that has the ability to PLAR your experience.  For support trades, it’s CDA.

2. Find the training plan for your course.

3. From the training plan, you will be able to determine the course’s POs and EOs.  For example, you need to find:

PO 001: do stuff
PO 002: do things
PO 003: get creative
PO 004: lead PT
PO 005: spell your name correctly

4. This is what the course “is.”  Now you need to equate your experience with what the course is.  It’s easiest to do this through a table that clearly breaks down your experience within that specific PO.

5. Ideally, if you’re OTing, your PLAR is completed and back to you BEFORE you ACCEPT a VOT.  Part of the VOT application is “PLAR results” which means you should know those results.  However, a PLAR can be requested at any time.

6. Be specific.  Do not bullshit, but also realize that you probably have experience you don’t even think about.  The person sitting down to look at your file does this every day and does not know you personally.  They are not about to ask you for more information or ask what you mean if something is unclear – they will simply reject your PLAR for lack of substantiation.  It is YOUR job to prove your experience.  Have you been a grocery store cashier? Do you have a driver’s licence?  Were you on a university school council?  Do you write for your school’s monthly newsletter?  What did you do in these positions?

7. Include dates.  How long was your experience?  One day?  A week? Two months?  Ten years?

8. Now you probably have a big fat file of everything from your BMQ course report to the painting you did for Mother’s Day in grade 3.  Great.  This file goes to your chain of command for them to verify for your experience (see above).  They may write a letter for the CO to sign that verifies your experience and recommends your PLAR be accepted, or they may only make sure you’re not BSing about being a JTF2 assaulter on weekends.  Or they may say nothing, and submit it for processing.  Electronically copy everything before it goes up your chain of command.

9. Now you wait.  Your Chief Clk should be sending everything directly to the managing authority; electronically is the new trend because these PLARs can be several hundred pages (depending on the request) and mail is expensive.  I’d say three weeks is a reasonable period to wait after submitting your PLAR to the Chief Clk before asking if they received a response.

10. Eventually, you will receive a letter from the managing authority that says “Congratulations, you’ve been granted xxx qualification” or “Sorry, the documents provided do not prove you have the experience for your underwater knife-fighter qualification.”

I hope this helps.  If anyone has any questions please let me know and I will do my best to answer them.

 

[George Wallace]

Sorry.  I can't be of much more help than this, having been removed from the position of a unit Recruiter for some years now, and only have a BA from the days when computers filled whole rooms, but here goes:

Prior Learning Assessment Review - PLAR;

The Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR);

Prior Learning assessment Review( PLAR );

Prior Learning Assessment (PLAR) Information; and

Prior Learning Assessment Review( PLAR ) FAQs to which this thread has been merged.

 

[ShaunaS]

Hi Armyhca,

Not having prior military experience does not negate the need for a PLAR; it could actually benefit you greatly WRT training.

1. Dependant on what is determined to be equivalent prior learning(my unqualified opinion is that you have lots :nod, you could be granted a partial or full equivalency following BMOQ. Partial would include being posted to a training establishment to complete the remainder of necessary training. Full equivalency would allow you to immediately be posted to a unit for duty, as well as grant a promotion up to and including Capt/Lt(N) as applicable, retroactive to enrolment. So yes, they absolutely want to ensure you have the proper qualifications and that the education you received on civvy street is in line with what is offered through the CAF.   

2. You will soon find the phrase "hurry up and wait" to be synonymous with military culture. That being said - The PLAR has to pass through a few hands so the wait seems reasonable. Quick and dirty: it is initiated at the CFRC, reviewed at the CFRG HQ, evaluated and recorded by the appropriate IT&E MA then the results are forwarded back down the the CFRG HQ, then the CFRC and subsequently the applicant/yourself.

3. I do not. But as you mentioned you are now on the later end of the timeframe they gave you, it wouldn't hurt to touch base with your RC to get an update on your file. Most clerks don't bite. 

 

[Eye In The Sky]

As mentioned, PLAR results might have a positive influence on how 'competitive' you are as well. 

 

[DAA]

1. As previously mentioned above, the possible waiver/granting of some of the HCA training and maybe some credit towards pay and or future promotion.

2. They are comparing your prior education and experience against the HCA CF Training standards.

3. Yes and perhaps!

Good luck!  You have some pretty nice credentials by the way!      :nod:

 

[jitterbug]

Looking for the doc that states you can get CAP training covered off if you have PLQ-Land.  I found this but it doesn't say anything about CAP.  If someone could post a link it would be most apprecitated as I have looked everywhere.
Note: Para 11 (b)  and Note 2


http://cda-acd.mil.ca/ops/equiv/doc/CDA%20BMOQ%20Equivalency%20Directive%2019%20May%2010.pdf

 

[Ostrozac]

You're digging in the wrong place. Army qualifications (like PLQ-Land/PLQ-Army and CAP/BMOQ-Land) aren't CDA qualifications, and are governed by an entirely different PLAR process. What you are looking for is LFCO (Land Force Command Order) 24-20. Sorry I can't give you a link, it's DWAN only. One of the annexes to LFCO 24-20 spells out the equivalencies in detail.

 

[sidemount]

CAO 24-20

Annex A is the form
Fill it out....add course report and mprr, to the CO for recommendation. Then it gets sent to CTC Gagetown for approval.

I just did the exact same thing.

Its not CAP anymore, its BMOQ-L (AIOX)

 

[jitterbug]

Thank you both for the reply.  I found the CAO 24-20 so now I just have to find the LFCO 24-20.  I just basically need whatever says that PLQ-L is equivalent to BMOQ-L.

 

[dangerboy]

Thank you both for the reply.  I found the CAO 24-20 so now I just have to find the LFCO 24-20.  I just basically need whatever says that PLQ-L is equivalent to BMOQ-L.

LFCOs do not exist anymore they were replaced by CAOs.  LFCO stood for Land Force Command Orders and when they renamed Land Force Command to Canadian Army the LFCOs were just retitled Canadian Army Orders (CAOs) the content remained the same.  So if you have CAO 24-20 it is the same as LFCO 24-20 maybe just formatted differently and references updated.

 

[llin_X]

Hi everybody,

I just received letter from RC that PLAR has to be done Is there any way to refuse PLAR? I applied for med tech and because I work as a nurse, that's for sure the reason for doing PLAR. My other trade is AVN tech, if I remove med tech from my application, will it automatically remove PLAR as well? I've read all PLAR related messages I could find here but there is nothing about refusing the PLAR

 

[George Wallace]

Hi everybody,

I just received letter from RC that PLAR has to be done Is there any way to refuse PLAR? I applied for med tech and because I work as a nurse, that's for sure the reason for doing PLAR. My other trade is AVN tech, if I remove med tech from my application, will it automatically remove PLAR as well? I've read all PLAR related messages I could find here but there is nothing about refusing the PLAR

As your PLAR is towards your Med Tech application, that is all it is for.  It does not affect significantly in any way your AVN Tech selection, other than being a check in your "Education" box, as your nursing experience is irrelevant to the AVN Trade.

 

[llin_X]

As your PLAR is towards your Med Tech application, that is all it is for.  It does not affect significantly in any way your AVN Tech selection, other than being a check in your "Education" box, as your nursing experience is irrelevant to the AVN Trade.

Thank you for quick response.

 

[DAA]

Hi everybody,

I just received letter from RC that PLAR has to be done Is there any way to refuse PLAR? I applied for med tech and because I work as a nurse, that's for sure the reason for doing PLAR. My other trade is AVN tech, if I remove med tech from my application, will it automatically remove PLAR as well? I've read all PLAR related messages I could find here but there is nothing about refusing the PLAR

NO, you can't refuse the PLAR as this part of the process is tied directly to your future training requirements and pay levels at the time of enrolment.  However, if the PLAR was for the Med Tech occupation and you did remove that occupation, then it would negate the requirement for a PLAR.

 

[marinemech]

I am in the process of reapplying to the CF for my original trade choices, I had done a PLAR in mid 2013. I was granted some credit for my schooling in Marine Engineering through NBCC and 2800 hours in the automotive industry. I had shipped out to Saint Jean, but had to withdraw due to issues that arose. Having fixed said issues I reapplied only thing to change in schooling is that I have had the opportunity to attend and complete blocks I and II of Auto Mechanic.

Will the PLAR be for requested for the changes to VehTech as more has changed, or to all trades.

Trades applied for 00129, 00168 and 00367