'Recognition of Prior Learning Scheme' is sometimes mentioned in the news with reference to
Answer & explanation
Answer: (a) Certifying the skills acquired by construction workers through traditional channels.
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) gives a formal certificate to people who already have a skill learnt on the job or from family, without a formal course. Its first pilot was run for construction workers by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, and it later became a component of the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY).
- ✓ (a) The Ministry of Labour and Employment launched an RPL pilot in the construction sector to certify skills that informal workers had picked up through experience or other non-formal channels.
- ✗ (d) RPL is meant for people who were never formally trained; trainees who finish a formal skill course are assessed and certified under that course itself, not under 'prior learning'.
- ✗ (b) RPL has nothing to do with university admission or distance education; it assesses existing workplace skills against national occupational standards.
Remember · RPL = certifying skills already learnt informally (on the job, in the family). Piloted for construction workers; now a component of PMKVY under the Skill Development ministry.
Sources
- PIB, Skill development in construction sector (Ministry of Skill Development, 2014) ↗ “a pilot on Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) to provide certification of skills acquired by workers in informal/ unorganized sector, through experience or other non-formal learning channel has been launched for the construction sector by the Ministry of Labour & Employment.”
- MyGov, Inviting suggestions on Skill Certification under Recognition of Prior Learning (2016) ↗ “All they lack is a formal certification. The Recognition of Prior (RPL) learning under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) is an attempt to certify and lend credibility to the skills of these craftsmen.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2017, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·