What is Recognition of Prior Learning and Acquired Competencies? 

Recognition of prior learning and acquired competencies (RAC) is “a process whereby a person identifies the learning that they have completed in various times, places, using a variety of methods and contents, in order to have it evaluated by experts and obtain official accreditation from a recognized educational institution”

(Sansregret, in St-Pierre & al., 2010, p. 123)

RAC is based on 3 fundamental principles, enshrined in the Québec Policy on Adult Education and Continuing Education and Training. According to these principles, a person:

is entitled to the formal recognition of prior learning and acquired competencies that correspond to elements of qualifying training, so long as they provide proof that they master them;

is not required to repeat in a formal school context prior learning they have already completed elsewhere using other methods;

should not be required to seek recognition again for competencies or prior learning that have been rigorously assessed and sanctioned by an official system (ministère de l’Éducation, 2002, p. 23‑24).

Therefore, RAC is intended for people who wish to have the value and relevance of the learning they have acquired in various contexts (such as academic, professional, family, socio-community, etc.) officially recognized. At the university level, the RAC process allows one to be admitted to a program without formally meeting the admission requirements or to be exempt from certain courses. At the college level, the RAC process focuses on competencies specific to a program and leads to a diploma (ACS or DCS).

A Multi-Step Approach

In higher education, RAC has two components:

• Recognition of academic learning: Any RAC process includes a step for validating academic learning that was completed in another institution. At the university level, such recognition takes the form of course equivalencies or credits.
• Recognition of acquired experience (extracurricular): Such recognition is more complex to operationalize. At the college level, the process is well structured and the standards surrounding the design of tools are outlined by the ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur (MES, 2021b). At the university level, the recognition of experiential learning is developing, but remains more embryonic than at the college level. University institutions are free to develop their own RAC practices (Morrissette & Larochelle, 2021).

A RAC process includes many steps. Once fully informed about the nature and requirements of the process, the candidate must prepare an application that includes several documents relating to their previous experiences, their educational pathway and the reasons that have led them to undertake this process (e.g., cover letter, resume, letters of support, portfolio).

At the college level, the entire process is described in the Technical Framework produced by the ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur (MES, 2021b, p. 29):

How Does RAC Contribute to Student Success?

For students, RAC can accelerate their educational pathway, reduce the costs of studies and increase their personal confidence.

Research shows that RAC has positive effects on graduation rates and school retention (Bélisle & Fernandez, 2018; Klein-Collins & Shafenberg, 2023). Nevertheless, the process is quite demanding and challenges related to retention arise at all stages. Professional support is a key success factor: “adults appreciate the presence of professionals who work on the emotional dimension [of RAC] (Bélisle and Fernandez, 2018, p. 111). 

More Significant Barriers for People from Immigrant Backgrounds

The recognition of diplomas and experiences is an important milestone in the pathways of immigrants (CSE, 2021). Barriers to the recognition of their wealth of experiences and competencies are partly responsible for the professional integration difficulties they encounter as well as for their overqualification – which is extremely high among qualified immigrant populations (CAPRES, 2021), in particular women. Hurdles need to be overcome on the part of employers and professional orders, but also on the part of the education system (Cornelissen & Turcotte, 2020; Doutreloux, 2023).

In higher education institutions, the barriers that immigrants face in their quest for recognition include, namely:

• The impossibility for some people, in particular refugees, to provide written evidence of their academic achievements and the absence of alternative mechanisms (Goudet, 2021);
• Administrative pitfalls, in particular on account of the fact that “the RAC process [at the college level] is generally not accessible to refugees due to the requirement of a work permit or a study permit for admission” (CSE, 2022b, p. 20);
• Limited proficiency in French, which interferes with their ability to demonstrate their competencies (CSE, 2021, p. 87);
• The lack of knowledge about RAC and the confusion between the role and the services offered by the various stakeholders involved in the recognition of competencies (institutions, professional orders, ministère de l’Immigration, Emploi-Québec) (Comité interministériel sur la reconnaissance des compétences des personnes immigrantes formées à l’étranger, 2017);
• Discriminatory biases in the assessment of competencies (Goudet, 2021).

In addition to immigrants, other populations also have less access to the RAC process, in particular Indigenous people, as well as people belonging to a visible minority, at a social disadvantage or with disabilities. At the university level, “the process often seems reserved for adults who already have a qualifying degree” (Bélisle & Fernandez, 2018, p. 41). Therefore, not only does it appear important to raise awareness about RAC, but also to strengthen RAC services from an intersectional perspective.

Challenges for Institutions

Despite the progress achieved over the last few years, several challenges remain to be addressed in order for RAC to become a genuine part of the higher education system:

• Develop and maintain RAC expertise in institutions, particularly university institutions (CSE, 2023, p. 71‑72; Horth, 2023).
• Coordinate the various stakeholders and institutions involved in RAC (Bédard, 2020; Dagenais & Langevin, 2016, p. 33).
• Mitigate certain epistemological and cultural barriers to RAC in higher education: scholarly or didactic stance, disciplinary boundaries, etc. (de Champlain & al., 2023; Ricard, 2018).
• Raise awareness about RAC, including among organizations that support professional integration (Dagenais & Langevin, 2016, p. 32).
• Develop tools, common references and information sharing systems related to RAC at the university level (Horth, 2023).

Bédard, J.-L. (2020). Reconnaissance des acquis : évolution et perspectives. Dans H. El-Hage (dir.), Les angles morts de la gestion de la diversité : A-t-on le bon réflexe? (p. 87‑92). Institut de recherche pour l’intégration professionnelles des immigrants. https://r-libre.teluq.ca/2209/1/Actes-du-colloque%281%29.pdf

Bélisle, R. et Fernandez, N. (2018). Rôle des pratiques en reconnaissance des acquis et des compétences dans la persévérance et la réussite scolaires d’adultes sans diplôme qualifiant. Centre d’études et de recherches sur les transitions et l’apprentissage. https://www.certarecherche.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/belisle-fernandez_rerva_2018.pdf

CAPRES. (2021). Insertion socioprofessionnelle des diplômé·es de l’enseignement supérieur. Consortium d’animation sur la persévérance et la réussite en enseignement supérieur. https://www.oresquebec.ca/dossiers/insertion-socioprofessionnelle-des-diplomees-de-lenseignement-superieur/

Comité interministériel sur la reconnaissance des compétences des personnes immigrantes formées à l’étranger. (2017). Rapport. Gouvernement du Québec. https://ceraccegeps.ca/wordprcms/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/6.-Rapport-Comit%C3%A9-minist%C3%A9riel-sur-la-recon.-PI.pdf

Cornelissen, L. et Turcotte, M. (2020). La persistance de la surqualification en emploi des immigrants et des non-immigrants. Statistique Canada. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/75-006-x/2020001/article/00004-fra.htm#n1-refa

CSE. (2021). L’inclusion des familles immigrantes : pour une synergie accrue en éducation des adultes. Conseil supérieur de l’éducation. https://www.cse.gouv.qc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/50-0542-AV-inclusion-familles-immigrantes.pdf

CSE. (2022). La reconnaissance des acquis et des compétences au collégial : Une avenue à optimiser et à promouvoir. Conseil supérieur de l’éducation. https://www.cse.gouv.qc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/50-0555-AV-RAC-optimiser-promouvoir.pdf

CSE. (2023). Profession enseignante au Québec : voies d’accès actuelles et potentielles. Rapport sur l’état et les besoins de l’éducation 2021-2023. Conseil supérieur de l’éducation. https://www.cse.gouv.qc.ca/publications/profession-enseignante-voies-acces-50-0807/

Dagenais, C. et Langevin, A. (2016). Reconnaissance des parcours scolaires et expérientiels des personnes immigrantes. Pertinence de la reconnaissance des acquis et des compétences (RAC) au collégial pour un parcours d’intégration réussi. Centre d’expertise en reconnaissance des acquis et des compétences (CERAC), Cégep Marie-Victorin. https://ceraccegeps.ca/wordprcms/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/11.-CERAC-Rapport-_final-web-004.pdf

de Champlain, Y., Hutchison, M., Boudreault, H., Chastenay, P., Girard, A. et Laurin, D. (2023). La reconnaissance des acquis et des compétences, une transdiscipline ? Enjeux et société : approches transdisciplinaires, 10(1), 163‑193. https://doi.org/10.7202/1098702ar

Doutreloux, E. (2023). Obstacles d’accès à l’enseignement collégial : que nous apprennent les personnes allophones issues de l’immigration récente ? Relais. La revue de vulgarisation scientifique sur la réussite en enseignement supérieur, (2). https://www.oresquebec.ca/relais/obstacles-dacces-a-lenseignement-collegial-que-nous-apprennent-les-personnes-allophones-issues-de-limmigration-recente/

Goudet, A. (2021). La reconnaissance des acquis et compétences, entre autonomie des universités et discrimination systémique des personnes immigrantes. L’Esprit libre. https://revuelespritlibre.org/la-reconnaissance-des-acquis-et-competences-entre-autonomie-des-universites-et-discrimination

Horth, P. (2023, 25 mai). Reconnaissance des acquis et des compétences (RAC) : Comment accroître l’agilité des services de RAC dans les universités? Journées d’études 2023 de l’ACDEAULF, ENAP Montréal.

MES. (2021). Reconnaissance des acquis et des compétences en formation collégiale technique. Cadre général et technique. Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur du Québec. http://www.education.gouv.qc.ca/fileadmin/site_web/documents/enseignement-superieur/collegial/Cadre-general-RAC-coll-tech.pdf

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