NZQA has recently reorganised its operational units with the aim of improving our service to external clients.

Chief Executive Andrew West says the reorganisation meets the need of the Authority to adopt a more client-based focus.

"All clients should benefit from our reorganised administration of the National Qualifications Framework particularly secondary and tertiary providers and learners."

"NZQA has built up a reputation for excellent client service. The new operational design continues to focus on this and paves the way for us to be even more responsive to the requirements of learners and providers."

While the major operational units have been regrouped and renamed, the existing teams remain unchanged for the short term.

"This will provide continuity of service for clients, many of whom have built up strong one-to-one relationships with the various NZQA staff they work with," said West.

The new structure also strengthens our commitment to Māori and Pacific peoples with the new design that integrates services and support for these groups across all our resources.

The new design has five operational groups, including the existing Māori Provider Development and Support Group, which remains unchanged. The four groups are:

Secondary Education Group

This group brings together the team of staff that will complete the transition to NCEA, which is an essential focus for the Authority. All exams and moderation staff will now join forces in this one group. This will allow existing exams to run smoothly and for the transition to NCEA to occur in an uninterrupted manner.

Tertiary Education Group

This group brings together most of the Authority's responsibility for the tertiary education sector (other than qualifications development or approvals, accreditation and audit). Principal roles include maintaining and enhancing the NQF; implementing the Register; improving the Authority's working relationships with employers, unions, professions, ITOs and PTEs (other than Māori PTEs); providing learner information (entries, results and ROL); making the most in an operational sense from our major databases; and overseeing some tertiary exams and moderation.

Qualifications Development and Evaluation Group

This group brings together all qualification development with qualification evaluation services. It is responsible for all Māori and Pacific peoples qualification services, all national qualifications services and all qualifications evaluation. The development of a new Pacific Peoples Qualification Service will be set up as part of this new group.

Approvals, Accreditation and Audit Group

This group approves non-NQF qualifications, including degrees outside universities. It also accredits and audits private training establishments and Industry Training Organisations.

Māori Provider Development and Support

This group is unchanged and continues to build capacity among Māori providers. Eight regional facilitators work with Māori PTEs to improve quality management systems, programme development, assessment and moderation. Four corporate groups provide support and services within NZQA.

Strategy, Communications and Information

Headed by Deputy Chief Executive, Karen Van Rooyen this group includes policy and government liaison staff and all information technology services. Communications Manager, Bill Lennox, currently leads units dealing with internal and external communications, reception and call centre and NZQA's library (which also services Skill NZ and Career Services Rapuara).

Financial and Administration Services

Responsible for day-to-day financial services and long term financial planning, this group also arranges travel and administration services at NZQA's offices at 125 The Terrace.

Human Resources Services

As well as managing all recruitment, payroll, change management, and employment contracts, this group co-ordinates training and development for NZQA management and staff.

Board and Audit Services

This group services the NZQA Board, co-ordinates reporting to government and strategic planning, and is NZQA's internal auditor.

The managers of these groups, along with the Manager Communications, make up NZQA's Executive Management Committee.

Providers can now access their learners' individual Records of Learning on the NZQA website. This new service went live on November 16.

Providers will be able to locate NZQA identification numbers, check the payment status of their learners and view NQF results already recorded for learners.

This information is keenly sought each year at enrolment time and the new service will give providers faster, more efficient access to the information.

Providers simply need to click on the following link to view the Provider Log-in.

"We have the technology and we recognise the benefit providers will get from having instant access to this information," says Linda Forsyth, manager of Learner Information for the NZQA.

Privacy has been enhanced for learners by making the information accessible only with an NZQA password that will be sent to the head of each Provider organisation. This password must remain secure at all times.

The facility does not provide access to the Record of Learning database, but to a derivative file that holds the necessary data, that is names, dates of birth, NZQA ID numbers, payment status and unit standard results. The file will be updated on a fortnightly basis. The web version of the ROL can be printed out, but it is not an official transcript.

It is expected that learners will have access to the same information by March 2002. They will also be sent individual PIN numbers.

Learning on the job is giving record numbers of New Zealanders access to industry training qualifications on the National Qualifications Framework.

Figures released from a Skill New Zealand report into Industry Training earlier this year show trainee numbers grew from 56,000 in January 2000 to nearly 63,000 by the end of 2000, an increase of 11 percent.

Over 6000 trainees gained National Certificates last year and trainees achieved 1.5 million National Qualifications Framework (NQF) credits.

For providers and ITOs these figures are the best sort of indicator that the qualifications being offered through industry training are sought after by both trainees and employers.

The report also has some positive statistics about the people taking up the opportunity of workplace learning.

Māori and Pacific peoples now account for nearly a quarter of people participating in industry training. Their participation rate has nearly doubled in the past five years.

Industry training spans levels of learning from Levels 1 to 8 of the National Qualifications Framework. In the year 2000 fifty per cent of all participating trainees were in Level 4 industry training programmes. Over 70 per cent of Māori trainees were in Level 3 or higher programmes and over 40 per cent of Pacific peoples trainees were in Level 3 or higher programmes.

Participation by women has also increased from just 13 percent in 1996 to 22 percent in 2000.

There are now more than 800 National Certificate and National Diploma qualifications on the NZQA Framework. These qualifications can be gained in almost every industry in the economy with most industries offering multiple qualifications.

More than 22,000 employers across hundreds of industries were involved in industry training in 2000. It is also significant that industry met 30 per cent of the total cost of training contributing $27 million of the cash cost.

In a launch of the Skill New Zealand report earlier this year, Steve Maharey, Associate Education Minister (Tertiary Education) reiterated the Government's commitment to "ensuring access to quality, relevant industry training". ITOs have received a $15 million dollar (18 per cent) increase in funding for 2002.

A new pilot programme launched recently will likely continue to find ways in which secondary school students can gain access to further education, training, or a job through qualifications on the National Qualifications Framework.

Associate Education (Tertiary Education) Minister Steve Maharey launched the Destinations and Tracking Pilot in Porirua in October. The pilot is jointly funded and coordinated by Skill New Zealand and Career Services.

The Minister said too many young people fall into a 'black hole' once they're not at school, in training or work. The destinations and tracking pilot programme will help government agencies to 'get to know' young people better so that they intervene positively in their lives at the earliest opportunity.

"Helping young people make successful transitions in their lives from schooling, into the worlds of further education and employment is hampered by a lack of information about their aspirations and the barriers to achievement they perceive.

"Household Labour Force Survey results for June show that over 15 percent of people aged 15 to 19 are unemployed. Around 6,000 young people identified themselves as 'actively seeking work' but still at school.

"The Destinations and Tracking pilots being run in Porirua and Christchurch will close the information void on the barriers holding young people back so that more active support policies can be put in place.

"In Porirua the pilot will ask well over 900 senior students from the four local secondary schools about their plans for next year. A further 1,700 students will be surveyed from eight Christchurch secondary schools. CareerPoint (Career Services' career information and advice freephone service) will follow up with the students next year to ask them what they actually did and provide targeted career information and advice.

"These pilot programmes have been developed in partnership with the Mayors' Taskforce for Jobs. The Government continues to value the relationship we have with the Taskforce.

"Results from this project will be used in schools to enhance career education and will help to identify new ways to assist young people to move into work or further training. A report on the pilot project is due in June 2002 and consideration will be given to a nationwide expansion once this evaluation has been received," Steve Maharey said.

Where it all happens: The control room of Genesis thermal generators in Huntly. From left: training manager, Dean Smith, trainee, Paul Ruediger and workplace assessor Ian Thompson.	�

Genesis Power is generating more than electricity for the people of Huntly with its commitment to training and development of staff both present and future.

The electricity generating and retailing company is currently aligning all of its approximately 256-strong workforce to national qualifications on the National Qualifications Framework.

"Genesis' aim is to ensure we equip our people with the extra skills and experience required for future growth within the electricity generating and retailing industry," says Dean Smith, training and development manager.

Genesis has been working closely with the Electricity Supply ITO in developing new National Certificates in Electricity Supply Levels 3 & 4. There are now unit standards in almost every facet of the industry available on the National Qualifications Framework.

With seven power stations in the North Island including the Huntly Power Station, Tongariro Power Scheme, Waikaremoana Hydro Scheme, the Hau Nui wind farm and a number of co-generation plants Genesis provides good employment opportunities. And they like to see the jobs go to local people.

Construction of a new 400MW-generating unit is expected to begin by August 2002. In preparation for this construction, Genesis in partnership with Waahi Whaanui Trust, WINZ and Skill NZ is developing a training programme to ensure Huntly locals are trained in electricity and construction activities.

"A bit of forward planning like this will ensure the construction contractors have a locally based workforce for employment." says Dean Smith.

Currently there are three Modern Apprentices on staff with another seven to be signed on in the next 2-3 months.

Five Huntly College students are studying and working at the power station one day a week through the Gateways programme to gain their National Certificate in Computing Level 2.

In partnership with ESITO, Genesis is also sponsoring 33 students at Te Wharekura o Rakaumanga, Huntly, to participate in the National Certificate in Computing Level 2. The company provides training and assessment guidelines to the school free of charge.

Genesis is currently involved with an e-learning project with the University of Waikato and Skill NZ. This provides complete learning packages about each operational sector of the plant via any on-site computer. The learning material is multi-sensory, with animated diagrams, video clips and voice recordings, covering such things as plant function and operation, emergency procedures, indicators of plant efficiency etc.

Partnerships with community organisations and schools help to maintain a local pool of skilled and interested employees for the Huntly power complex.

A busy high-tech firm has found that work-based training on the National Qualifications Framework doesn't have to eat into profits through time away from production.

Buckley Systems Ltd (BSL) is the world's leading manufacturer of medium current ion implant equipment. Based in Mt Wellington, Auckland, the precision electromagnets, ion-beam physics hardware and high vacuum equipment manufactured are used world wide in the semi-conductor, ion-implant industry and laboratory research.

Concern that staff training towards national qualifications would mean extra time away from the job for training and assessment meant that BSL were initially reluctant to sign up to the National Qualifications Framework.

The staff are highly qualified in a wide variety of technical disciplines, but have been trained using the company's own technical procedures rather than gaining nationally recognised qualifications.

"The profitability of the company meant that production had to come before assessment," said Qualifications Authority ITO Liaison, Mike Gorinski.

"Once it was clear that the competencies inherent in the BSL Technical Procedures were very closely aligned to the competencies contained in unit standards and that all assessment could take place on-the-job by qualified workplace assessors, BSL's initial reluctance disappeared,"

Gorinski said. The company has recently started staff training towards national qualifications with five adult trainees and eight trainees signed up to the Modern Apprenticeship Programme.

The training manager of BSL, Dimitrios Aloupis, will use the assessment process of Recognition of Current Competence (RCC). RCC is the process that determines what a person knows and can do, and is formally acknowledged by the award of unit standards and/or whole national qualifications.

"It is an exciting prospect for us to have staff assessed for their current skills, and at the same time gain credit towards national qualifications while working and performing on-the-job," says Aloupis.

Photograph: taken inside an industrial abrasive blasting chamber Dave Campbell managing director CW Rudolph & Son Ltd Peter Johnson, Steve Carter, Paki Jones - trainees undertaking training towards the National Certificate in Abrasive Blasting Levels 2 & 3 Krystyna Campbell managing director CW Rudolph & Son Ltd Kneeling: Reg Oliver, Drew Mita trainees as above.

A new industry sector to engage in the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) is the abrasive blasting industry, which has recently registered two National Certificates on the NQF.

CW Rudolph and Son Ltd (CWR) from Ruakaka, Northland is an abrasive blasting company that has been heavily involved in working with the Gas and Petrochemical ITO to develop the unit standards and qualifications.

CWR provide abrasive blasting services to the oil companies located at Marsden Point Oil Refinery.

Currently they have 15 staff signed on to the NQF and working towards the National Certificate in Blaster Coating Level 2 and seven staff working towards the National Certificate in Blaster Coating Level 3.

The company has always been keen on work-place training, but prior to their involvement with the framework there was no qualification that staff could undertake that would give them formal recognition for the skills and competencies they held.

Qualified work place assessor for CWR, Krystyna Campbell says there are big benefits to having staff working towards national qualifications in the workplace.

"We don't have any time lost in training off-the-job, our staff are more capable and better able to provide top service to our clients and they are more motivated and satisfied in their work," she says.

"It is a good way of increasing quality assurance for our clients as well".

Assessment is done on-the-job by a qualified assessor, and those assessment decisions are moderated by an independent organisation, the Gas & Petrochemical ITO.

Campbell said they hoped to see other companies in the industry offering work-based training because of the long-term benefits to the industry as a whole.

In an effort to bring new blood into the engineering industry a Taranaki consortium has taken it upon itself to build up the pool of skilled engineering staff in the region.

The Engineering Taranaki Consortium (ETC), a cluster of 10 engineering companies in the region, has arranged for 13 young apprentices to be taken on by local firms through the Modern Apprenticeship Programme. All apprentices work towards National Certificates on the National Qualifications Framework.

Business Development Manager for ETC, Brian Souness said the future for engineering was looking better than it had in a while. A downturn in business over the last two years, combined with an ageing workforce had engineering firms looking around for skilled engineers for upcoming projects.

The Modern Apprenticeship Programme had made it far easier for employers to take on trainees. "It used to be quagmire for employers to take on apprentices, now it is a far more attractive proposition for them," he said.

He said trainee engineers had access to structured, nationally recognised qualifications that could take them right through to degree level if they wished. There were a wide range of apprenticeship options available, depending on where a person's interests and skills are.

"They can come out of a four-year programme with an NZQA qualification which can also cross-credit towards a polytech engineering diploma or even a university degree qualification if that's what they want to do," he said.

"The message we are trying to get out to young people considering a future in engineering is that it is a career choice. It's not just about going to work and bashing a piece of steel with a hammer. Engineers are involved in every single industry in the world in some shape or form, Mr Souness said.

"Much of what is being done in Taranaki is at the very cutting edge of technology. Our engineering workers are learning skills and techniques that make them attractive to employers all over the world".

The National Certificate in Call Centre Operations is a recent addition to the list of qualifications managed through ETITO and one that is proving popular for trainees and employers in a fast paced and growing industry.

ASB Bank's Auckland based call centre answers approximately 11,000 calls a day with general banking, insurance, lending and investment enquiries.

Twenty-three of the 185 ASB Bank's Customer Service Representatives are well on their way to achieving their level 3 National Certificates, with 7 having already fully completed. Other staff will be added to the training programme in batches to allow for easy management and monitoring of progress.

"We aim to retain experienced staff longer as they work towards completing their National Certificates," says Stuart McKinnon, ASB Bank's Customer Service Manager.

"If we retain the CSR's, even for an additional three months while they complete their National Certificate, our customers are benefiting from their experience and the high quality of their customer service."

"The outcome is high performing, nationally qualified staff."

Stuart points out to staff that although they gain this qualification in a call centre environment, it recognises generic skills that have value in a variety of other customer service roles.

Major catalogue retailer, EziBuy, has an 80 seat contact centre based in Palmerston North where 200 customer service representatives respond to calls from more than 400,000 customers in New Zealand and Australia.

Lynette Humphrey, EziBuy's contact centre training manager says the opportunity to pursue their qualification during a normal working day has proved at attractive incentive for staff. More than 60 of the Customer Service Representatives have taken up training for the National Call Centre Qualification.

"The national qualifications are setting industry-wide benchmarks and enhancing the professional image of the industry," she said.

An Authority on the Outdoors

With easy access to the great outdoors Cromwell College in Central Otago is well placed to offer its student a unique training course.

Each year the school runs two specialist academies for year 12 and 13 students. The academies challenge students to improve their skills in windsurfing, sailing, kayaking, mountain biking, tramping, skiing, snowboarding and rock-climbing. Qualified instructors tutor students in these and other skills at weekends and students can gain Qualifications Authority unit standards in many of the disciplines.

NZ Herald - Regional Edition, 22 May 2001

First Class Ambulance Service

Lake Tekapo Order of St John Officers offer the highest level of care available in the voluntary ambulance service. Team Leader Andy Green is now an Intermediate Care Officer after completing a qualification that took 600 hours to gain, starting with the National Certificate in Ambulance and qualifications in cardiac care. His colleague Debbi-Kay Gardner has earned her cardiac qualification which took 400 hours of work.

Timaru Herald, 16 February 2001

Dunedin Christian College Proves Popular

A Dunedin Ministry Training College that opened earlier this year is proving popular with more than double the number of students required for the course to run. Twenty-eight students have enrolled to work towards the National Certificate in Christian Ministry, a New Zealand Qualifications Authority accredited programme. Set up by the Dunedin City Elim Church, the college is part of the Ministry Training College of New Zealand, which offers courses for students wanting to become Ministers or take a greater role in church ministry.

Otago Daily Times, 01 February 2001

Fletcher's Sends Staff To School

Taupo based Fletcher Wood Panels recently contracted local secondary school, Tauhara College to train 60 of their shift workers in computer skills.

The course was designed so the panel employees could complete the computing component of their engineering national certificate. Training co-ordinators Roy Goddard and Faye Lewis designed the course which gave the staff general computing skills training over 13 months. The course was held at the college.

Taupo Times, 18 September 2001

Former centre trainee Jason Kainui catches up with Bluff Marine Training Centre manager Graham Denny. The training centre is having no trouble sending their trainees to sea. - Southland Times

Bluff's Marine Training Centre is sending Southland's young men to sea faster than they can enrol in its courses. The New Zealand Qualifications Authority accredited course was having trouble finding enough people for the jobs available in the fishing industry. Owner-manager Graham Denny said most of the trainees have their first deep-sea experience within weeks of starting and can be in employment soon after that. Last year more than half of the trainees found work and the classroom was already emptying this year to meet the demand for workers. (pic with Jason Kainui)

Southland Times, 10 February 2001

The Timaru Maritime Centre, at the Port of Timaru, is also helping to satisfy demand for new hands in its local fishing fleet. The cadet course, which has been running for a year, offers NZQA accredited National Certificate in fishing, level three and most of the graduates are already at sea in the local fishing fleet.

Timaru Herald, 10 January 2001