Understanding your tertiary qualifications is available as a print brochure from Customer Resources.

For information about your actual career options, contact Kiwi Careers.

Understanding your tertiary qualifications

What do you need to know about qualifications?
How do you know you're getting a quality education?
What are your education options?
What should you do next?
What if things go wrong?
What if you have a complaint?
What about government funding and student loans?
What is NZQA's role?
How do you know the level of your qualification?
Further information

An informed choice?

In New Zealand you can choose from a wide range of study options to earn qualifications. But how can you be certain you will receive quality training or earn a recognised qualification?

The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) is the primary body responsible for quality assurance in the tertiary sector.

What do you need to know about qualifications?

There are many options for where and how you can undertake study. You can do an approved course or workplace learning that will lead to relevant qualifications.

All quality assured qualifications are included on the New Zealand Register of Quality Assured Qualifications, known as KiwiQuals. All KiwiQuals are quality assured and approved and are delivered by an accredited education or training organisation.

Whatever option you are considering, you need to check that the course or qualification is what you need, is worth doing and that the provider is credible.

How do you know you're getting a quality education?

The primary responsibility for the quality of education rests with the organisation that provides those services (the polytechnics, universities, wānanga, and government and private training establishments).

However, quality assurance processes are in place to ensure government and individuals are investing time and money in quality education and training. NZQA is responsible for the quality assurance of all education and training outside universities. It delegates quality assurance in polytechnics to Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics Quality (ITPQ). Ask your course provider if they are registered and accredited, or look them up yourself.

Some key terms to understand

Registration means that a private training establishment is capable of delivering education and training in a sound and stable learning environment.

An approved course means it's a well-designed programme that is based on clear and consistent aims, content, learning outcomes and assessment practices.

Accreditation means that an educational organisation has the ability to deliver an approved course.

A National qualification is a qualification awarded by NZQA that is made up of National Qualifications Framework (NQF) standards.

What are your education options?

There are a number of different ways you can earn qualifications. Learning at an education or training provider is one option. Learning can lead to a national qualification or a provider-developed (local) qualification.

A national qualification is one that is registered on the National Qualifications Framework.

The National Qualifications Framework is designed to provide:

Nationally recognised, consistent standards and qualifications
Recognition and credit for standards-based knowledge and skills

The standards are nationally agreed, so your achievements will be nationally recognised. As you achieve standards, they will be listed on your Record of Achievement. You can accumulate standards over a number of years and from many providers or workplaces until you have completed a national qualification.

More information about the Framework.

Provider-developed (local) qualifications are also recognised as they have been quality assured and approved by NZQA. Many provider-developed qualifications are in areas where there are no national qualifications. These qualifications can be found on KiwiQuals.

Workplace learning is another option (including modern apprenticeships) where you may undertake on- and off-job training. Industry Training Organisations (ITOs) facilitate workplace learning for trainees in employment. ITOs set national skill standards for their industry, develop training and monitor quality.

What should you do next?

Once you've chosen your training pathway, when you enrol or sign up, make sure that you get full details such as dates, costs, refunds if you need to withdraw, information about resources, student support services and complaints procedures. Registered and accredited providers are required to have all of these provisions.

What if things go wrong?

Private training establishments must have adequate protection of student fees. If a provider is shut down and your course stops before its scheduled completion, you may get your fees reimbursed or be offered re-enrolment in a suitable alternative course to complete the qualification.

However, if you simply choose the wrong course, you may ﬁfind that when you withdraw you won't be able to get your money back. More about your rights as a student.

What if you have a complaint?

Having chosen wisely, your education experience should be positive. However, you should be able to discuss the course with staff and complain formally if necessary. All registered or recognised educational organisations are regularly audited to check they are delivering a good quality of education.

If you have a complaint regarding your course, raise the matter with the management of the provider. If the matter is not resolved satisfactorily, you may make an official complaint to NZQA.

What about government funding and student loans?

The Tertiary Education Commission is responsible for funding the government's contribution to tertiary education and training.

You may be eligible for a student loan and/or allowances for tertiary study.

What is NZQA's role?

NZQA:

Quality assures national qualifications and standards* for registering on the National Qualifications Framework
registers private training establishments
carries out regular quality audits of government training establishments, private training establishments, wānanga and industry training organisations
approves courses offered by these organisations
approves degrees outside universities
accredits providers and industry training organisations to assess against standards
accredits providers to run approved courses.

(*standards include: unit standards, achievement standards and coversheets for Australian units of competency )

How do you know the level of your qualification?

There are ten levels of qualifications on the Register of Quality Assured Qualiﬁcations (KiwiQuals). Every qualiﬁcation has an associated level.

Levels depend on the complexity of learning. 1 is the least complex and 10 the most. They do not equate to ‘years spent learning' but reﬂect the content of the qualiﬁcation. Levels 1-3 are broadly comparable to senior secondary education and basic trades training; Levels 4-6 to advanced trades, technical and business qualiﬁcations; and Levels 7 and above are for advanced qualiﬁcations of graduate and postgraduate standard.

There are set criteria which establish the minimum credit and level requirements for each type of qualiﬁcation. It is possible for a qualiﬁcation to include credit achieved at levels above and below the level of which the qualiﬁcation is registered.

Check the level of the qualiﬁcation you're interested in with your course provider.

Further information

You can check all national qualifications and standards. You can find educational organisations which provide training. You can see all the qualifications which are quality assured at KiwiQuals.

To contact Career Services rapuara for free course and training information:

Phone 0800 222 733
Email careers@careers.govt.nz

Page updated: 07 August 2007