RPL for ADF Members and Veterans
Turn your Army, Navy, RAAF or Reserve experience into a nationally recognised qualification, from Certificate IV to Graduate Diploma. Apply while you are serving, transitioning or years after discharge, fully online.
Recognise what you've done, then build what's next
Get your service recognised
Your military training, leadership and operational experience are assessed against nationally recognised qualifications. Gap training only where it's needed.
Build new skills, fully online
Study a full qualification online at your own pace with trainer support, ready for your next civilian role.
Which qualification fits your service?
As a guide, here's where ADF experience often lines up. It depends on what you've done, not your rank, and your course advisor will confirm the right level.
Certificate IV in Leadership and Management
For junior leaders who supervise a team day to day, such as section and detachment commanders and junior NCOs.
Advanced Diploma of Leadership and Management
For senior NCOs, warrant officers and officers who lead teams, manage resources and plan operations.
Graduate Diploma of Strategic Leadership
For senior officers and senior warrant officers working at a strategic level on policy, capability and organisational leadership.
Diploma of Project Management
For people who have planned and run projects, exercises, deployments or capability programs.
Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety
For safety, range and WHS roles, and anyone who has managed risk, hazards and incidents.
Certificate III in Supply Chain Operations
For logistics, supply, warehousing and movements roles.
Army, Navy, RAAF and Reserve experience can all count
You can apply while you are still serving, while you are transitioning, or years after discharge. What matters is the evidence of what you did, and service records, course reports, performance reports and references all help.
Army
Leading sections and platoons, training soldiers, planning and running exercises, and managing people, equipment and stores.
Navy
Leading divisions and departments at sea and ashore, managing maintenance, logistics and safety, and supervising watches and work teams.
RAAF
Managing aviation, maintenance, logistics and support teams in a compliance-heavy environment, plus planning and project work.
Reserve
Reserve service sits alongside your civilian career, so evidence from both can support the same application.
Read more for your service: RPL for Army, RPL for Navy, RPL for RAAF, or see our RPL guide by ADF rank.
Using CTT funding towards your qualification
Under the Defence Force Transition Program, eligible members can access up to $5,320 in Career Transition Training (CTT) funding towards approved training and education. It is generally available within two years of your transition date, and you apply through Defence.
Defence decides what it approves, so speak with your Transition Support Officer early. We can give you the qualification details and written fee information your application needs.
Why ADF members choose S2C
- Qualifications from Certificate IV up to Graduate Diploma
- Ex-serving people on our team who understand service records and military roles
- Fully online, so it fits around postings, shifts and a new civilian job
- Units you have already been awarded can count through credit transfer
What serving and ex-serving members say
The communication throughout the process was excellent - responsive, supportive, and proactive. Any questions I had were answered promptly, and I always felt informed about where my application was at.
What really stood out was their thoroughness. They carefully reviewed my background, asked the right questions to draw out relevant experience, and ensured that nothing was overlooked.
They took the time to clearly explain each step, outline what evidence was required, and ensure I understood how my prior service and experience aligned with the qualification outcomes.
Frequently Asked Questions.
Is S2C Training part of Defence or the ADF?
No. S2C Training (RTO 45605) is an independent Registered Training Organisation regulated by ASQA. It is not affiliated with the Department of Defence or the ADF.
If you use Career Transition Training (CTT), you apply through Defence and Defence decides what it approves. See our Career Transition Training page.
Can I use classified or sensitive Defence documents as RPL evidence?
No. Remove anything classified, commercially sensitive or containing other people's personal information before you upload it.
If you cannot share a document for this reason, tell your assessor. A third-party report from someone who saw your work, or your competency conversation, can cover that part of the unit instead.
How do I get a copy of my ADF service records for RPL?
Current and former ADF members can request their service records from Defence through ServiceConnect, or with the Defence personal information request form if they cannot use ServiceConnect.
You can start your RPL consultation while you wait. Your course advisor will tell you which records help most for your qualification.
How do ADF members and veterans start RPL with S2C Training?
Start with the free Skills Check. It is free and obligation-free, and covers your service history, training, qualifications and goals.
A course advisor then discusses suitable qualifications and the evidence you may have, such as service records and position descriptions, and a credentialled assessor checks your eligibility. You receive a written proposal with all fees before you enrol. No RPL outcome is promised before the formal assessment.
Why do veterans choose RPL?
RPL lets veterans have the skills and knowledge they gained in service assessed against a nationally recognised qualification, so they do not repeat learning they have already done.
It suits people whose experience is recent enough to show current skills and who can provide evidence. An S2C Training assessor decides the outcome after reviewing your evidence against every unit. The outcome is not guaranteed, and gap training may be needed.
Can I get RPL if I left the ADF many years ago?
Possibly. RPL requires evidence of your current skills, so older service on its own may not be enough.
Recent civilian work, volunteering or study can show your skills are current, alongside your service records. Where experience is not recent, your assessor tests currency through the competency conversation or a practical task. If currency is not shown, gap training may be offered. A course advisor can talk through your situation first.
Can ADF Reserve service count towards RPL?
Yes, it can. Reserve service may count towards RPL where it is relevant to the qualification, in the same way as full-time service or civilian work.
Your assessor looks at what you did, not how you served, and checks your evidence against every unit. You can combine Reserve, full-time and civilian experience. The outcome depends on that assessment, and gap training may be needed.
Will a qualification help me get a civilian job after the ADF?
It can help, but no qualification guarantees a job. A nationally recognised qualification gives civilian employers a familiar way to see skills you used in service.
It can support job applications and selection criteria alongside your service record and references. See the RPL by ADF rank guide for where ADF experience often lines up with qualifications such as BSB40520 Certificate IV in Leadership and Management.
What support does S2C Training give transitioning ADF members?
S2C Training (RTO 45605) supports you from your first enquiry to certification. It starts with a free Skills Check and a course advisor consultation, then a written proposal with all fees.
During RPL your assessor explains what each unit needs and helps you find and organise evidence. That help is support, not an indication of the outcome. Our course advisors reply to new enquiries within one business day, and we can refer you to veteran support services, including Open Arms on 1800 011 046. Start with the free Skills Check.
Can Defence training count towards a qualification?
Yes, in two ways. Nationally recognised units you completed in Defence can be granted by credit transfer, free of charge, if they are in the qualification or can be counted towards it under its rules. Other Defence courses can support an RPL application.
For RPL, course records help your assessor understand your background but are not enough on their own. You also provide work samples, a third-party report and a competency conversation. Your USI transcript shows any nationally recognised units you hold.
Can Defence leadership experience be recognised through RPL?
Yes, it may be. Leadership experience from Defence service can count towards qualifications such as BSB40520 Certificate IV in Leadership and Management or BSB60420 Advanced Diploma of Leadership and Management.
Your assessor looks for evidence that you led people, managed resources and planned activities, across every unit. The outcome depends on that assessment of your evidence, not your rank, and gap training may be needed. See the RPL by ADF rank guide.
Can I use my ADF service records as RPL evidence?
Yes, as supporting evidence. Your PMKeyS service history, statement of service, performance appraisals, course reports and position descriptions help your assessor understand your roles.
On their own they do not show you can do the work in each unit. You also provide work samples, a third-party report and a competency conversation. Remove any classified or sensitive information before you upload. S2C Training may verify records with the Defence records custodian.
Can I start RPL while still serving in the ADF?
Yes. You do not need to wait until you discharge or transfer. You can do the free Skills Check and start gathering evidence while you are still serving.
Starting early gives you time to collect service records and third-party reports while your supervisors are easy to reach. If you plan to use Career Transition Training (CTT), you apply through Defence and Defence decides what it approves; S2C Training does not decide eligibility. See our Career Transition Training page.
Which civilian qualifications match ADF experience?
It depends on what you did, not your rank alone. Common matches include BSB40520 Certificate IV in Leadership and Management, BSB60420 Advanced Diploma of Leadership and Management and BSB80320 Graduate Diploma of Strategic Leadership.
Others are BSB50820 Diploma of Project Management, BSB41419 Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety and TLI30325 Certificate III in Supply Chain Operations. A course advisor suggests a level and an assessor confirms it against your evidence. See the RPL by ADF rank guide.
Can military service be recognised through RPL?
Yes, it can count. Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) lets an S2C Training assessor assess your ADF experience against a nationally recognised qualification.
Leadership, planning, logistics, WHS and administration are common areas of evidence. Your assessor checks your evidence against every unit. The outcome depends on that assessment and is not guaranteed, and gap training may be needed. Start with the free Skills Check.
Leaving the ADF? See how your service can count
Two short videos on civilian career pathways for veterans and how Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) works for ADF experience. RPL outcomes depend on your evidence and are not guaranteed.