RPL under Australian Immigration program stands for “ Recognition of Prior Learning”.
As a MARA Agent (Australia), sometimes, I find a client who has the experience in a nominated occupation but no relevant qualification.
Example: Someone completed B.Tech (Mechanical) in 2005 but working as a Software Engineer since 2005. This man has roughly 12 + years experience in IT field as a Software Engineer but he is not having qualification related to IT. This guy can apply for ACS Skill Assessment under RPL pathway. Under normal pathway, someone holding IT qualification equivalent to Australian Bachelor, ACS deducts 2 years of employment experience. Under RPL Pathway for the above-given example, ACS will deduct 6 years of employment experience.
https://www.quora.com/What-is-RPL-for-Australian-immigration