Harness your experience with RPL

13 January 2022

Heidi McEntee, General Manager at Goulburn First National Real Estate, recently completed the Diploma of Property (Agency Management) qualification to obtain her Class 1 Real Estate Licence. Here’s how the REINSW Recognition of Prior Learning program made the process easy.

“I’ve been in the industry for more than 25 years and my husband and I have owned our agency for the last 17,” she explained. “Like so many agents, I’ve held a Certificate of Registration for my entire career and in 2018, knowing that changes to the licensing framework were looming, I decided it was time to obtain my Real Estate Licence.

“By the time the changes commenced in March 2020, I had held my Licence for almost two years and transitioned to a Class 2 Real Estate Licence. Unfortunately, because I didn’t meet the two-year threshold, I was unable to apply for a Class 1 Real Estate Licence.”

Turning point

Heidi decided it was time to obtain her Class 1 Real Estate Licence when it became clear that the agency might be exposed to unacceptable risk.

“My husband has always been our Licensee in charge and the only other holder of a Class 1 Real Estate Licence at the agency was looking to retire,” she explained. “This left us in a vulnerable position. What if my husband was away from the office for the day or we wanted to go on a holiday? There was no one who could step up.

“I knew this had to change.”

“Right from the start, the process with REINSW was so simple and straightforward – I’m kicking myself that I didn’t do it sooner!”
– Heidi McEntee, REINSW Head of Training

Simple and straightforward

It was when Heidi attended the REINSW Roadshow that she decided the Recognition of Prior Learning program was the best way forward to complete the Diploma of Property (Agency Management) qualification, so she could apply to NSW Fair Trading for her Class 1 Real Estate Licence.

“Both myself and Merissa Broderick, our Head of Property Management and New Business, have now completed the RPL program and have our Class 1 Real Estate Licences,” Heidi said. “Right from the start, the process with REINSW was so simple and straightforward – I’m kicking myself that I didn’t do it sooner!

“Jan Morrison, a Training Assessor at REINSW, worked closely with us and provided all the guidance we needed.”

From start to finish, the RPL process took six weeks.

“Merissa and I worked together two nights a week to gather all the evidence we needed to submit, be assessed and then complete additional training for the gaps Jan identified,” Heidi said. “At the outset, Jan spent a lot of time on the phone with us to understand our respective roles and responsibilities, and help us gather all the relevant documentation to evidence our skills, knowledge and experience.

“The support Jan provided was invaluable. If we had a question or needed clarification, she would always come back to us within 24 hours and point us in the right direction.

“Even though I have 25 years’ experience in the industry, at the outset I must admit that I felt a little daunted. But Jan put all my fears to rest and made the RPL process easy. Nothing was ever too much trouble.

Heidi said she can’t fault the REINSW Recognition of Prior Learning program.

“I would 100 per cent recommend it to other agents wanting to step up to their Class 1 Real Estate Licence,” she said.