Portfolio Development: Impact and Side-effects of the Journey Presented by: Portfolio Development Centre (PDC) Belleville, ON

PDC Gateways participants  Hastings County 5 employer sponsored candidates in the primary group 3 hold diplomas that gained them block transfers while 2 were to use PLA for entry level into BPA  15 community members from a variety of backgrounds in human service areas  12 hold diplomas  1 will use PLA for entry level  2 “stopped out” to use PLA toward an SSW Diploma which will gain them 60 block transfer credits toward the BPA

The Community  Belleville is a City with a population of 46,000 (2001 census) located within the Quinte Region, which has a population of approximately 173,000  Mainly rural areas  University is generally not accessible without commuting at least 1 hour or quitting employment and moving  The majority of workers and managers in local human service agencies possess a college diploma

Results to date Of 20 who started: –3 have submitted –6 will submit by end of September –7 are in progress –4 have “stopped out” (1 due to personal life changes/crises, 1 due to perceived workload of portfolio development and 2 because of work overload)

The candidates: previous education  ECE graduates: 5  SSW graduates: 9  CYW graduate: 1  Nursing: 1  Addiction program graduate: 1  No diploma: 3

The candidates: Roles  ECE workers conducting expanded roles i.e. mentoring, managing volunteers, providing family and literacy support  Administrator of a private college  Managers in human service agencies  Career practitioners  Instructors at community college  8 are single mothers

Challenges faced during the process (the ones we know of) The movie “Four Weddings and a Funeral” comes to mind here, and yet most persist  Legal separation  Death in family  Negative changes in place of employment i.e. restructuring or funding cut = 2  Illness (self and family member)  Birth  Move (2)  Job change (7)  Financial stress (resulting in a barrier to course- taking)

Career changes during process  Career advancement: 4  Planning career advancement: 5

Side effects of the group/advisement process  Networking within the group resulted in at least one person obtaining a new position and a new program under development  Support, encouragement and confidence gained from the process helped enable 9 participants to begin planning to advance their careers  Increased advisor skills resulted in group members’ identifying and articulating each others’ competencies related to the BPA Skill Set

Side effects of Portfolio Development  Identification of competencies that had previously been unconscious  Increased valuing of skill and expertise  Evolution of self-image from “just” a College graduate and worker to a competent University student  Confidence from becoming familiar with academic language and writing skills  Self evaluation skills increased  Motivation to achieve to potential increased  Intimidation of academic institutions decreased

Side effects of Portfolio Development Continued  Candidates have become involved in advocacy for increased/improved access to educational opportunities and PLA for their clients  Candidates have become involved in the Canadian Adult Learner Focused Institution (CanALFI) project Canada wide and in the local community

Portfolio Development: The key to unlocking potential  The potential which is unleashed is that of individuals, employers, the community and the institution  As learners who have been recognized for their prior learning access the BPA program, they will bring commitment, goals, and confidence along with rich learning from experience which will enrich their program