Chapter 3: The PLA Resume

The Prior Learning Portfolio procedure requires two kinds of resumes. One, the traditional resume, gives a quick overview of your work history. The other is the Prior Learning Assessment (or PLA) Resume.

The PLA Resume is a skills-based resume that presents your experiential learning in terms of the expertise you’ve gained by learning outside the classroom.

This chapter will cover the PLA resume in detail, helping you think about how to brainstorm and list your skills and expertise areas, how to engage in the writing process of this resume, and how to address the portfolio reviewers.

Learning Objectives

• Understand the difference between a traditional chronological resume and a Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) resume organized using skills and experiences
• Understand the context of the PLA resume as a component of the learning portfolio
• Frame your skills based on the learning outcomes of the courses you are challenging
• Prepare your PLA resume using the prompts and guidelines found in the assignment instructions.