This version replaces the previous one, which had jaggy font issues.

1. Career Portfolio
Manitoba
Community-based ePortfolio for Adult
Employability
CAPLA
November 2011
Don Presant

2. Learning Agents
Accelerated learning systems
E-learning resources & services
Learning community support
Consulting

3. What is ePortfolio?
http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/infokits/e-portfolios

4. ePortfolio: product and process
• Digital archive
• Showcase: celebration & assessment of learning
– Education
• Acceptance/advanced standing, course requirement,
graduation requirement
– Workplace
• Hiring, HR development, professional development, project
team selection
FuturEd 2004

5. ePortfolio: product and process
• Assessment for learning (e.g. CLPA)
• Reflection, self-assessment
• Transferring skills, making transitions
• Coaching, collaborative learning
• Learning plans
• Knowledge Management

6. Personal Planning and Learning
Online Locker, Interactive Workbook
• Online archive
– Personal & downloaded documents
– Links to useful websites
• Resources for self-directed learning
– Webinars, videos, self-assessment surveys
• Learning plans and tracking tools
– Set goals and track progress to them (Learning Plans)
– Keep records of learning activities over time (CPD)
• Personal journal
– Reflect on goals and alternative futures
– Keep ad hoc “notes to self”, prepare agendas, etc.
• Ongoing Personal Learning Environment (PLE)

7. Employment & related purposes
Demonstrate, assess & improve Human Capital
• Qualification Recognition
– Initial, formative, summative assessment
• Academic recognition
– PLAR/RPL for courses and programs )
• Career Development
– Gap analysis, exploration of alternatives, building pathways
• Employment (Web CV)
– Hiring, career advancement, team building tool for employers
• Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
– Tracking ongoing learning activities and reflection on practice
– Recertification

8. ePortfolio & industry-based PLAR
Small “r” recognition
• A workforce development strategy based on:
– Recognizing learning regardless of where it was acquired
– Actively seeking evidence of learning in individuals to
enhance their opportunities
• Specific applications:
– Recruitment
– Process/role/workstation qualification, team building
– Training needs identification
– Internal promotion
– Regulatory and certification compliance
– Performance management
– Talent management, succession planning

9. RPL around the world
UK: QCF, WBL, PDP, CPD...

10. Professional Example
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

11. Regional solutions
Inspiration for Manitoba

12. Career Portfolio Manitoba
Current stakeholders: WEM & WPLAR
• Nonprofit partnerships of Government,
Business and Labour
• WEM: workplace education in Essential Skills
• WPLAR: workplace Recognition of Prior
Learning
wem.mb.ca
wplar.ca

13. Canada’s Essential Skills
Contextualized by workplace occupation…
1. Reading
2. Document use
3. Writing
4. Numeracy
5. Digital technology
6. Oral communication
7. Thinking skills
– Problem Solving, Decision Making, Critical
Thinking, Job Task Planning and Organizing,
Significant Use of Memory, Finding
Information
8. Working with others
9. Continuous learning

14. The Essential Skills Portfolio
Origins and character
• First immigrants, now “general”
– Career changers (younger, older..)
• Reflection on life-wide learning of
Essential Skills for employability
• Build confidence, improve “skills dialogue”
– Make resumes & cover letters clearer, more credible
– Preparation tool for interviews
• More than ES: attitudes, specialized skills
• Product: ring binder, from electronic templates
• 18 hours class time + c. 18 hours of homework

15. The “e” factor
Advantages and opportunities
• Information Management
– Collecting, archiving, making different versions
• Measurability
– Frameworks, rubrics, summative tracking
• Interoperability
– Communication with other ICT systems via APIs, open standards
• Sharing
– “One to many”, digital copies, links to specific pages
• Multimedia
– Video, audio, digital images, online presentations…and scanned docs
• Internet skills
– Online research: documents, networks, Internet literacy
• Collaboration
– Easy to add comments, edit, mentor, coach
• Personal Learning Environment
– Integrated learning environment, professional network, digital identity

16. Essential Skills ePortfolio
Program overview
• Beyond the paper portfolio
• Leverage the “e” factor
• Embed authentic ICT skills
– Useful software, accessible hardware
– Digital identity literacy
• Short and modular
– 6 x 3 hours
• Provide support, ongoing learning opportunities
– Email, telephone support
– Refresher clinics, master classes

17. Vision for Career Portfolio Manitoba
Career development for life
• For all Manitobans
• Learner owned
• Lifelong
• Lifewide: home, community, school, work...
• Based on (not restricted to) Essential Skills
• Built through partnerships of stakeholders, with
WEM and WPLAR as “anchor owners”
• Globally aware, locally relevant

18. Implementation
Online tour (careerportfolio.mb.ca)

19. Choosing the platform
The “Mahoodle” ecosystem
INSTRUCTOR LED
Archiving
Presenting
USER DRIVEN
Mahara tools
Blog, forum, views
Collect, Select, Reflect…
Human capital Networks Artefacts, commentary, dialogue
development Peers, mentors
Employability Other Web 2.0 tools
Skills transfer
KSA asset building
Lifelong learning

20. Benefits for adults in transition
“Career companion”
• Self-assessment, personal reflection
• “Digital evidence bank” to support
professional goals and consideration of
alternative goals
• Personal space for learning and building
knowledge
• Develop communication skills
• Build business network, personal “brand”

21. Benefits for unengaged employers
Electronic recruitment tool
• Scaffolded solution for the Manitoba workplace
– Works with LinkedIn, job boards & other solutions
already used for electronic recruitment
– Candidate evaluation can begin overseas
• Professional Page = quick, easy dashboard
– Links to further detail and downloadable resume
• Deeper, richer “Web CV” rewards closer study
– More complete picture of the candidate
– Authentic demonstrations of skills and knowledge
• Job Match Summary simplifies assessment
– Rubric aligns with employer’s original job description

22. Benefits for engaged employers
Recruitment and beyond
• eSourcing/eRecruitment tools
– Résumé Importing/Exporting/Searching
– Assessments & Applicant Screening
– Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
• Human Resource Management Systems
(HRMS/HRIS)
• Onboarding (orientation) tools
• Talent Development
• Performance Management
• Workforce Adjustment

23. Open source alternative to...
Electronic human capital management

24. Benefits for regulatory bodies
Supporting fairness, providing utility
• Visibility, transparency
– (esp. with exemplar case studies)
• Holistic view of applicant
– Authentic valorization of experience
• Overseas engagement?
• Value-added service to candidate
– Process & product supports career development
– Tool for ongoing PD
• Ongoing services for registered members
– Showcase, Continuing Professional Development

25. Open Badges
Essential Skills and...

26. Mahara as a “thin hub”
Dynamic interoperability via web services, etc.
Online HE Online
Mentoring Learning Credential
Services systems Verification
Employer HR
Government Management
Information Systems
Portals
Professional
Thin Localized
Bodies Mahara Labour Market
(CPD) Hub Information
Web 2.0 Job Boards,
YouTube Recruitment
LinkedIn Sites
Twitter…
Larger Online Personal
Networks TBA
Communities

27. Career Portfolio Manitoba
Provincewide solution for adults in transition
• Based on Essential Skills
– Not a straitjacket - a focus for employability
– Plenty of space for individual attributes,
positive attitudes, speciality skills and knowledge
• User friendly
– For individuals and employers
– Can be “simple and easy” or “rich and deep”
• Well supported
– Hands-on portfolio building program
– Exemplars, step by step video tutorials, ongoing user support
• Open source and global: getting better...and better...
– Flexibility & sustainable continuous improvement

28. Don Presant
don@learningagents.ca
Twitter: donpresant
Skype: dpresant
bit.ly/CAPLA2011