May 26, 2025 - Preconference 

10:00 a.m. – Conference Registration Desk Opens – Coady Lobby (1st Floor) 

1:15 – 4:45 p.m. – Preconference Focus Group: RPL Practitioner Qualification and Training – McKenna Auditorium (Gerald Schwartz School of Business – Room 414) 

Andy Brown, CAPLA Chair; Dan McFaull and Taruna Goel, North Pacific Metrics Inc. 

Recognizing RPL Practitioners: Findings from the CAPLA/ONCAT research project 

Gary McNeely, Brandon University 

Building a Competency Framework for RPL Practitioners 

5:30 – 7:00 p.m. – Conference Opening Reception – McKenna Auditorium (Gerald Schwartz School of Business – Room 414) 

Formal Introductions, Indigenous Acknowledgement, beverages & snacks  

Supper on your own 

Day 1 - May 27, 2025 

8:00 a.m. Breakfast – Morrison Hall 

9:00 – 10:00 a.m. – Conference Keynote Address #1 – Cochrane Picot Hall (Gerald Schwartz School of Business - Room 215) 

Dr. Wendy Cukier, Toronto Metropolitan University 

Inclusive Recognition Practices for Employability, Sustainability and Prosperity 

10:00 - 10:20 a.m. Nutrition / Networking Break 

10:20 - 11:20 a.m. Concurrent Session #1 

Theme: Career Development and Workplace Learning – Coady East, Rm 242 

Speakers: Matt Foran, KnowMeQ – Virtual Presentation 

Title: Too Good to be True?  How reshaping RPL will save your college’s finances, improve access to lifelong learning for a wide group of learners and help you become the community’s hero. 

Theme: Post-Secondary Institutes – Coady East, Rm 342 

Speakers: Leigh Gillis, University of King's College, and Jeremy McQuigge, Council Advancing Work-Based Learning) 

Title: Rapid Skills Assessment through RPL 

Speaker: Daniel Laurin, Bureau de coopération interuniversitaire (BCI) 

Title: RPL in Quebec, a new general framework for universities of all regions. 

Theme: Immigrant Services – Coady East, Rm 265 

Speaker: Nava Israel, Fusion Global Education 

Title: Attracting and retaining immigrant talent through an innovative online course series. 

Speaker: Rebecca MacDonald, Cape Breton Island Centre for Immigration (CBICI) 

Title: Barriers to Employment: Creative Approaches to Broaden Opportunities 

11:25 a.m. - 12:25 p.m. Concurrent Session #2  

Theme: Career Development and Workplace Learning – Coady East, Rm 242 

Speakers: Ramon Messam and Jackie Messam, RippleEd – New Zealand – Virtual Presentation 

Title: Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) in New Zealand’s Food and Fibre Industries 

Speaker: Ashley Cooks, EmpowerHER Strategies LLC 

Title: Bridging the Gap: Leveraging Recognized Prior Learning (RPL) to Foster Sustainable Employment in Rural Communities 

Theme: Post-Secondary Institutes – Coady East, Rm 342 

Speakers: Dosseth Edwards-Watson, Danielle E.T. Williams, and Jordan K. Williams, Trench Town Polytechnic College – Jamaica – Virtual Presentation 

Title: Defying Tradition through Prior Learning Recognition: The TTPC Approach 

Speakers: Tiffany Adams and Nic Suapa, Thompson Rivers University 

Title: Decolonizing and Indigenizing PLAR: Learning Experience from Indigenous PLAR Developers 

12:25 - 1:25 p.m. Lunch – Morrison Hall 

Afternoon 

1:25 - 2:25 p.m. Conference Keynote Address #2 – Cochrane Picot Hall (Gerald Schwartz School of Business - Room 215) 

Jeremy McQuigge, Council Advancing Work-Based Learning 

Reclaiming the Invisible System: Work-Based Learning and the Future of Recognition 

2:25 - 2:35 p.m. Nutrition Break 

2:35 - 3:35 p.m. Concurrent Session #3 

Theme: Career Development and Workplace Learning – Coady East, Rm 242 

Speaker: Judy Dickson, Automotive Sector Council of NS (ASC)  

Title: Building Relationships: Engaging Employers and Industry Partners Across NS 

Theme: Immigrant Services – Coady East, Rm 265 

Speakers: Alan Roberts, Shift iQ, and Patrick MacKenzie, IEC BC 

Title: FAST | Facilitating Access to Skilled Talent  

Theme: Post-Secondary Institutes – Coady East, Rm 342 

Speakers: Don Moore, Portage College 

Title: Recognizing Military Obtained Training, Skills and Competencies in Post-secondary Education 

3:45 - 4:45 p.m. Concurrent Session #4 

Theme: Career Development and Workplace Learning – Coady East, Rm 242 

Speaker: Don Presant, Learning Agents 

Title: Opening up recognition practices 

Speaker: Julie Sullivan, Loyalist College 

Title: Building a Portfolio for Life: A Framework for Lifelong Learning and Growth 

Theme: Post-Secondary Institutes – Coady East, Rm 342 

Speaker: Jessie Boeding, Education Assessment System – United States 

Title: Rethinking Transparency: Mapping Demonstrated Knowing to Credit and Workforce 

Speaker: Tricia Bonner, Loyalist College  

Title: Pathways from Home Support Worker to Certified Personal Support Worker  

4:55 – 5:55 p.m. Conference Plenary #1– Cochrane Picot Hall (Gerald Schwartz School of Business - Room 215) 

Serge Ravet, President of Reconnaître-Open Recognition Alliance – France  

From Recognition of Experience to Recognition as Experience 

Supper on your own 

Day 2 - May 28, 2025 

8:00 a.m. Breakfast - Morrison Hall 

9:00 – 10:00 a.m. Conference Keynote Address #3 – Cochrane Picot Hall (Gerald Schwartz School of Business - Room 215) 

Susan Forseille and Tiffany Adams, Thomson Rivers University 

Democratizing Knowledge: Empowering Learners Through RPL 

10:05 - 11:05 a.m. Concurrent Session #5  

Theme: Career Development and Workplace Learning – Coady East, Rm 242 

Speakers: Gary McNeely and Wayne Kelly, Brandon University 

Title: Recognizing Workforce Learning in the Context of Rural Community Development 

Speaker: Jeremy McQuigge, Council Advancing Work-Based Learning (CAWBL) 

Title: Enhancing Rural Sustainability through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and Work-Based Learning (WBL) Accreditation 

Theme: Immigrant Services – Coady East, Rm 265 

Speaker: Darryn Van Den Berg, Passion4Performance International - South Africa – Virtual Presentation 

Title: #QualifiedByExpereince (with the Portfolio to prove it) 

Speaker: Dan McFaull and Taruna Goel, North Pacific Metrics Inc.  

Title: RPL Tools for Upskilling in High Tech 

11:05 - 11:25 a.m. Nutrition Break 

11:25 a.m. - 12:25 p.m. Concurrent Session #6 

Theme: Career Development and Workplace Learning – Coady East, Rm 242 

Speaker: Wendy Cato, Cato Human Resources – Australia – Virtual Presentation 

Title: Supercharging RPL Assessors: Skills, Strategies and Success 

Speaker: Susan Forseille, Thompson Rivers University 

Title: Exploring the Impact of RPL/PLAR on Career Development: A Framework-Based Analysis 

Theme: Post-Secondary Institutes – Coady East, Rm 342 

Speaker: Amy Tucker, Thompson Rivers University 

Title: From Reflection to Recognition: Enhancing Access and Credit through Portfolio-Based Course Challenges in Canadian Post-Secondary Education 

Speakers: Melina Crosby, Michelle Chisholm, and Patrick Reinartz, New Brunswick Community College 

Title: Rising to the Challenge: Accessible Recognition for Every New Brunswicker 

12:25 - 1:45 p.m. Lunch and Townhall Discussion – Marjorie Desmond Hall (“Desmond”) – Coady West Building – Room 110 

Moderators: Conference Committee 

Update on CAPLA’s Activities and Discussion on Future Initiatives  

Afternoon: 

1:50 - 4:45 p.m. RPL Capacity Building Workshops: Energizing New RPL Practitioners in  

Your Sector 

Three concurrent sessions: 

• Room #1 – Post-Secondary Education – Andy Brown, CAPLA – Coady East, Rm 342 

• Room #2 – Immigration Service Organizations – Anna McBeth and Tanja Krajcinovic, Immigrant Settlement Services, NS – Coady East, Rm 265 

• Room #3 – Employment Services – Teresa Francis, NS Career Development Association – Coady East, Rm 242 

5:00-5:15 p.m. Conference End - Closing Remarks – Marjorie Desmond Hall (“Desmond”) – Coady East Building – Room 342