ABSTRACT
The case for the assessment of prior experiential learning in further education was and is the same as elsewhere; that many men and women who appear as older applicants may well bring with them accumulated knowledge and skill for which there is no formal evidence but which may well be academically significant. One of the most telling developments in non-advanced further education has been the emergence of open college federations. They have been powerful advocates of APEL. In their different ways the Manchester Open College Federation (MOCF) and the Sheffield Open College led the field in these initiatives. MOCF undertook a project funded by the DES through the Unit for the Development of Adult and Continuing Education to spread the news and stimulate similar developments throughout the country. Colleagues in colleges got interested and began to develop their own approaches to APEL.
