Decisions Decisions

There are now thousands of tertiary courses and qualifications on offer. How do you choose? Freelance writer Ian Carson looks at how to choose.

Girls top the sciences Girls topped all five of the science subjects in the 1998 Bursaries examinations. The Top Scholars in Agriculture and Horticulture, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Science were girls. Boys topped the two mathematics subjects. Eighteen of the subject winners are female and eleven male. In addition to the Top Scholars Awards, students who achieved scholarship results in five or six subjects will receive monetary awards. Those with scholarships in six subjects receive $1,000, while five scholarships earn $500. Scholarship results are awarded to the very high achievers in each subject, generally the top three to four percent of candidates. These awards are mailed to successful students in April.

Buying into a course is like buying a car – it pays to shop around and check out all the angles. It’s one of the biggest purchases you will ever make. You are about to part with lots of cash, invest months of your time and maybe build up a student loan. And despite rules and regulations that ensure minimum standards are met, you can still buy a lemon if you don’t take care.

Just how do you know if the course you are interested in will give you what you expect?

There are several things you can do as a consumer. Firstly, get all the documentation you can about the provider and the course. Universities, polytechnics, schools, colleges of education and wananga, and the 800 private training establishments registered with NZQA are deemed to meet certain education standards. Courses that are NZQA approved have been quality checked.

If it’s a course in a private training establishment, be wary if the documentation does not mention NZQA.

If a course is not NZQA-approved, it will not attract Government education subsidies and students will not qualify for Government loans or other assistance.

Look for National Certificate and National Diploma courses. The word “national” indicates the course is registered on the National Qualifications Framework. Other courses might give a successful student a useful certificate or diploma, but the qualification will only show that the student has completed the course. It will not necessarily be recognised nationally.

Most important of all, is the course what you actually want? The title of the qualification should reflect the content, but it might not be specific enough for your needs. For example, a textile design course might not be ideal if you want to learn how to create computer graphics for T-shirts.

Check with the likely employers of course graduates.

Is the course producing people who have the right skills in the industry? Are the skills relevant and up-to-date? Check also with the relevant industry training organisation. Has it been consulted about course content?

If possible, talk to former students. Did they enjoy the course, did they get what they expected, are their new skills valuable personally or marketable in the workplace? Did they get value for money?

If possible, visit the provider’s education facilities.

See if the facilities are adequate and the staff helpful.

Get a “feel” for the place and its staff – does it feel right?

Check the course against any comparable course at other institutions. Use the “shop around” philosophy, applying all of the above.

When you enrol, make sure that you are provided with full details: dates, all costs and refunds if you need to withdraw, information about resources, student support services, complaints procedures, etc.

And when you are on a course, remember that you are a consumer. You should be able to discuss the course with staff and complain formally if you feel the need to. You can complain to NZQA if you do not get satisfaction from private providers.

But ultimately, you are purchasing a service and have the same rights and protections under New Zealand’s consumer legislation as you do when you buy a car or a house, or employ a car mechanic or a doctor.