The accreditation of prior learning (APL) is a key component of the current drive towards competence-based education and training. The author of this guide emphasizs that APL is now part of the continuum of learning, not a stand-alone assessment service. This second edition has been broadened to include the needs of APL for employers, including case studies, the contribution of the Access of Assessment Initiative in TECs, the Accreditation of Unpaid Work projects and other fundamental developments such as IiP and NVQs.