Patricia
Bouchard
is
currently
going
through
the
Recognition
of
Acquired
Competencies
(RAC)
process.
The RAC
process
will
allow
Patricia
to
receive
official
recognition
for her
professional
competencies
as an
administrative
assistant.
Patricia
has over
20 years
of
experience
as an
administrative
professional.
During
her
career,
Patricia
has
worked
for
private
companies
and for
the
Lester
B.
Pearson
School
Board.
Her
résumé
highlights
a wide
variety
of
professional
activities
including
contract
preparation,
budget
and
project
management,
financial
reporting,
managing
and
evaluating
support
staff.
Her
education
is
equally
impressive.
She
holds
diplomas
in
Business
Administration
and
Child
Psychology,
as well
as a
Certificate
in
Medical
Terminology.
Professional
experience
not
enough
Yet in
spite of
her
professional
and
educational
background,
she
learned
that she
would
not be
considered
for more
advanced
jobs.
The lack
of
accredited
certification,
pertinent
to her
industry,
hampered
Patricia’s
career.
She was
passed
over for
jobs
that she
was
qualified
to do
because
of the
absence
of such
accreditation.
“I was
informed
that my
competencies,
skills
and
knowledge
acquired
through
my
decades
of
workplace
experience
were not
recognized
by a
competent
authority
and
were,
therefore,
simply
dismissed.
I was
completely
deflated.
My
sacrifices,
the
adversity
I
overcame,
my
successes
and the
time and
energy I
committed
to both
my
professional
and
personal
growth
were
never
even
considered.”
Action
plan
Not one
to be
deterred,
Patricia
set out
a
detailed
plan to
enhance
her
qualifications:
1.
Obtain a
P. Adm.
designation
(Professional
Administrator)
from the
Chartered
Governance
Institute
of
Canada
(CGI of
Canada).
2.
Undergo
the RAC
process
through
Business
Solutions.
3.
Obtain
an AEC
at
Vanier.
4.
Work
towards
an
undergraduate
certificate
offered
at
McGill.
The P.
Adm.
designation
involved
learning
4
competencies:
Corporate
Operations,
Legal,
Finance
and
Management.
The
learning
was
self-directed.
At the
end of
the
year,
there
was one
exam to
write.
The
whole
process
took one
year to
complete.
The
process
was
challenging.
Successfully
completing
it, gave
Patricia
the
boost
she
needed
to
continue
on her
professional
quest.
RAC:
official
recognition
for
professional
competencies
One day,
while at
work,
she saw
a
pamphlet
about
RAC: The
Recognition
of
Acquired
Competencies.
This
formal
process,
recognized
by the
Ministry
of
Education,
allows
candidates
to
obtain
official
recognition
for
their
professional
competencies.
As
someone
who is
committed
to
continued
professional
and
personal
development,
Patricia
knew
that she
wanted
to go
through
the RAC
process.
She was
thrilled
at the
prospect
of
obtaining
official
recognition
for her
professional
competencies.
Patricia’s
professional
path is
a
natural
fit for
the
Recognition
of
Acquired
Competencies
(RAC)
process.
RAC
process
At the
Lester
B.
Pearson
School
Board,
RAC is
offered
by the
Business
Solutions
team.
Starting
the
process
is
fairly
straight
forward.
Once a
candidate
calls to
enquire
about
RAC,
they are
emailed
a
self-assessment
form
that
they
need to
fill in
before
meeting
to open
their
file.
When
they
come to
the
meeting,
they
need to
bring
the
completed
self-assessment
form,
their
résumé
along
with and
ID. The
type of
ID
required
will
depend
on
whether
a
candidate
is born
in
Quebec
or is a
permanent
resident
or
Canadian
citizen.
There is
no fee
to open
a RAC
file.
Our RAC
counsellor
analyzes
the file
to
ensure
that the
candidate
is
eligible
for the
process.
Once
this
happens,
the
candidate
gets a
call to
book a
validation
interview
with the
RAC
counselor
and a
content
specialist.
This is
the
start of
the RAC
process.
The
candidate
begins
his/her
evaluations
and
missing
training,
if
required,
with the
content
specialist.
Some
parts of
the RAC
process
can be
done
online.
Support
and
flexibility
Patricia
is
thankful
to
content
specialist
Ms.
Vaillancourt
and RAC
counselor
Mr.
Auclair
for
their
encouragement
and
guidance.
She
mentioned
two
particular
advantages
of the
RAC
process:
-
Flexibility
–
candidates
can
work
at
their
own
pace
to
complete
the
process.
-
Content
specialist
–
our
content
specialists
provide
support,
knowledge
and
dedication
to
the
candidates
as
they
go
through
the
RAC
process.
By
setting
aside
specific
time on
weekends
to work
on her
assignments,
Patricia
found
that she
was able
to make
good
progress.
She
shared
her
progress
with her
family
who
continuously
encouraged
her, and
she is
grateful
to them
for
being an
integral
part of
her
journey.
Challenges
and
roadblocks
Life can
certainly
derail
even the
most
meticulous
plans.
Patricia’s
original
plan was
to have
the RAC
process
completed
by
October
2020.
This
spring,
the
pandemic
closed
all
businesses
and
schools
which
meant
that RAC
was on
hold.
Then, in
August
she
suffered
a
workplace
accident.
For now,
her RAC
process
is on
hold.
But, she
knows
that
when
she’s
ready,
she can
easily
pick up
where
she left
off and
complete
the
process.
For more
information
on the
RAC
process,
visit
http://www.lbpce.ca/Business-Solutions/RAC
If you
would
like to
set up
an
appointment
with the
RAC
counselor,
email
ssarena@lbpsb.qc.ca
For
information
on The
Chartered
Governance
Institute
of
Canada:
https://www.cgiofcanada.ca/about/