Qualifications Register updated

A three-year project to update all provider-developed qualifications on the Register of Quality Assured qualifications has been completed. The Register is available online at Kiwiquals.

Deputy chief executive, Quality Assurance, Mike Willing said, "It’s been a huge undertaking by both tertiary organisations and quality assurance bodies to check all qualifications."

There are now just under 4,500 provider-developed qualifications that have been quality assured and comply with the Register qualification definitions.

All qualifications that are no longer current have been closed on the Register database.

As part of the ongoing improvement of the system, the definitions for graduate certificates and diplomas, postgraduate certificates and masters degrees have been amended (in September 2006).

Qualification owners and quality assurance bodies are working through the transition timeframes for these qualifications.

Mike Willing said the update was important for ongoing quality improvement for New Zealand qualifications.

"The Register is a single qualifications system where all qualifications are defined in the same way. People searching the database can have confidence that no matter who's developed a qualification or where it's delivered, it will have equivalent value across New Zealand."

"The next step is to raise the profile of the Register and educate people about its value and use," Mr Willing said.

The provider-developed qualifications now on the Register are in the following categories:

PTEs, GTEs and others - 1293
Polytechnics - 1860
Universities - 1140
Wānanga – 158

Also on the Register are National Certificates and Diplomas - 1032