In recognition of outstanding achievement in the field of prior learning assessment and recognition, a biennial New Brunswick PLAR Award will be presented for distinguished work in the field.
Award Criteria
The Award may be given to an individual, institution or organization for a recent outstanding, innovative, or creative achievement in the field of Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) in New Brunswick.
This award may also be given to individuals, institutions or organizations not directly involved in the above fields, including a business/corporation that has, over an extended period, been innovative in its support & contributions.
Eligibility
- The nominees are typically a New Brunswicker, an immigrant to NB, a New Brunswick institution or organization. In exceptional circumstances others may be considered, such as an individual, institution or organization from another province that has significantly contributed to the development of PLAR in NB.
- The achievement/contributions must reflect activities that occurred during the last two years.
Selection Process and Guiding Principles
The Award’s Committee will consider
- how the nominee demonstrated commitment to and promotion of PLAR
- the results achieved and the developmental nature of the work
- whether the achievement has had or may have some lasting benefit within the field of practice.
Who can nominate?
Nominators need not be directly involved with PLAR themselves, but need to clearly describe their Nominee’s PLAR involvement.
Awards Committee members may also submit nominations in accordance with these guidelines, in an effort to ensure no deserving recipient is overlooked.
Adjudication Process
To make effective and consistent evaluations, the following general criteria will apply in evaluating Nominees:
- Contribution: Nominees must have played a significant role in the development of PLAR in NB.
- Resources: The qualifications or worthiness of a Nominee will NOT be determined in any way by factors such as the size of a facility, institution, or organization, the number of employees or volunteers, budget, or the cost of a project or program. Evaluation will not be based upon a comparison of the resources of other possible Nominees, but on the relative accomplishment that may normally be expected of the resources available to the Nominee being considered.
- Quality of Achievement: Recognizing the Award objective of encouraging excellence in the field of PLAR, consideration should be given not only to what the Nominee has accomplished, but also to the excellence of the work relative to influencing the on-going development of PLAR.
- Accomplishment: Nominees will be evaluated on an actual achievement, not on an untried idea or concept. If no Nominee whose achievements meet the established criteria is forthcoming, an Award may not be given in that year.
How to Submit a Nomination
Submissions can be made through an Application Form asking to provide important information such as:
- The Nominee’s name
- The nominator’s contact information
- The nominator’s relationship to the nominee
- Information to support the nomination:
- Up to seven attachments to support the nomination, all of which must be documents in Word or PDF format.
- 1-3 reference letters for Award of Merit nominations.
All nominators should strive to provide a well-organized submission with careful consideration to what is meaningful and important. The nominator’s expression about why something has achieved excellence is closely read in the adjudication process.