1. Targeted Review of Qualifications: A Brief Primer

2. Targeted Review of Qualifications (TRoQ)
Aim is to significantly reduce the number of qualifications on the New Zealand Qualifications Frame work (NZQF); and to ensure they are useful and relevant
Focuses on certificates and diplomas at Levels 1-6 (excluding NCEA and university qualifications)
Intended to simplify the qualifications system; and reduce duplication and proliferation of qualifications
All existing qualifications will ultimately be replaced by a suite of new NZ qualifications
The review was initiated in response to concerns raised by employers, employees and unions about the clarity and relevance of qualifications, particularly vocational qualifications.
Many of the concerns about the usefulness of the current qualifications system focussed on the large number of qualifications in some areas, the difficulty of identifying the similarities and differences between qualifications (which made distinguishing between qualifications and identifying education/career pathways difficult ), and the relevance of qualifications for employers.
We had a situation where over 6000 quality assured qualifications were listed on the framework. Of these, there were over 270 ESOL qualifications, over 90 in hairdressing and a similar number in travel and tourism. There are many factors that contributed to this situation, however there is consensus that rationalisation is required and the wider sector needs to work collaboratively to complete this.

3. Proposals under TRoQ: Qualifications and programmes are separated
more than one programme can lead to the qualification
All qualifications are in the public domain
programmes leading to the qualifications are owned by developer
SSBs and education providers are compulsory stakeholders in each other’s qualification development
encourage collaboration and collective approach to qualification development
Have a single set of flexible qualification design rules
There is a new design format for qualifications which will ensure that:
• different programmes can lead to the award of the same qualification, enabling variation between different providers and industry training programmes
• NZQA will keep a tighter control on the registration of new qualifications, with a tougher process, to avoid proliferation in future
There will be a clear distinction between the qualification and the course (programme of study) at levels 1 to 6 on the NZQF. This means there will be greater choice for learners in terms of the programme of study or training pathway leading to each qualification. There may also be more than one provider accredited to provide a single programme of study leading to the qualification.
Qualifications will be in the public domain. All qualifications that meet the requirements for the NZQF will be nationally recognised, whether they are developed by industry training organisations, other standard setting bodies or education providers.
This means that qualification developers will own the training pathway and/or programmes of study they develop leading to the qualification, but not the qualification itself.
Local components will be included in the programme of study or training pathway rather than in the qualification.
There will be an emphasis on collaboration between industry training organisations, standard setting bodies and tertiary education organisations in developing qualifications and programmes of study. The system will allow qualifications to be put forward individually, but will also encourage combinations of standard setting bodies and education providers.

4. Seven changes under TRoQ
Develop a unified NZQF
Require the use of existing quality-assured qualifications, and change the design rules for National and New Zealand qualifications
Require mandatory periodic reviews of qualifications
Strengthen and standardise qualification outcome statement requirements
Introduce a mandatory pre-development assessment stage for qualifications development
Strengthen recognised industry involvement in qualifications development
Provide the public with clear information about whether a qualification is active, inactive or closed
NZQA initially consulted on a package of seven proposed changes and received sufficient support from wider stakeholders to progress the changes.
Change 1 has occurred through the unification of the National Qualifications Framework and the New Zealand Register of Quality Assured Qualifications into the NZQF.
Changes 2, 3, and 4 requiring the use of existing quality-assurance qualifications, changes to qualifications design rules; mandatory periodic reviews ; and, the strengthening of qualifications outcome statements, are currently in effect.
Changes 5 and 6 requiring the introduction of a pre-development assessment stage, and strengthening industry involvement in quals development, are viewed as a key tool in engaging with stakeholders early in the development phase, prior to them committing time and resources to a development that duplicates an existing qualification.
Change 7 has seen the classification of all existing qualifications as either active, inactive or closed. The redesign of the NZQA website includes an upgraded filter function on qualifications searches which enables the public to search for current offerings of programmes, as well as find closed programmes they may have completed previously.
So what does this all of this mean? It means qualifications will be registered using common criteria, removing the current system where course approval results in the automatic registration of provider-developed qualifications. It means qualifications will be nationally recognised and it means qualifications will be outcomes-based, allowing for the development of different programmes of study or training leading to the award of a qualification.
Qualifications will no longer prescribe groups of unit standards or other assessment components that will be required for award, and instead will contain broader outcome statements. Providers will be able to develop programmes to meet the outcomes using assessments that may be based on standards, or may be provider developed, but the programmes must be quality assured by NZQA.

5. Separation of the qualification from the programme
Separate approvals will be needed for each new qualification, and for the programmes of study and training pathways leading to the award of the qualification.
The course approval processes managed by the quality assurance bodies will take a direct role in determining the extent to which potential new programmes of study are genuinely new and relevant or provide for a type of delivery that is not currently available within the sector.
Consistency of qualifications will be improved through the application of on-going quality assurance processes. Collaborative qualification development is likely to require more external moderation.
The programme of study is the equivalent of the what we used to call a ‘course’ and comprises the specific learning activities required to achieve the graduate profile.
A training pathway is the collection of learning and training experiences required to meet the graduate profile. It will specify the unit standards to be assessed and the specific nature of relevant workplace experience.

6. Mandatory reviews Reviews would be conducted in two stages:
an initial review, initiated by NZQA usually, but possible for a qualification developer or industry to initiate
on-going, periodic reviews designed to ensure qualifications remain fit for purpose
In the initial identification and prioritisation of qualifications for review will be based on an analysis of all qualifications with a status of “current” listed on the NZQF. The analysis involves the following two step process:
Identifying groups of qualifications where there is duplication and/or proliferation.
2. Prioritising groups of qualifications for review
Groups of qualification will be prioritised using the following factors:
- the degree of proliferation and duplication
- areas of economic and strategic importance

7. Qualification design rules
Statement of strategic purpose
use, relevance, point of difference
Outcome statement
skills, knowledge, application, education or employment pathways (work or community)
Specification
requirements and guidance for programme developers
pre-requisites; credit transfer, rpl, apl, rcc arrangements; entry requirements; consistency of outcomes
Key aspects of the design rules that were consulted on included:
A qualification has requirements for certification established by a recognised standard setting body, other recognised body, group of providers or an education provider. It is defined by its title, qualification type, six digit NZSCED code, level, credit value and strategic purpose. It includes the qualification outcome statement and the specification.
A qualification outcome statement describes the range of functions and/or scope of practice the graduate is able to perform in relation to the level of the qualification. The outcome statement indicates the minimum achievement expected from a qualification and must include:
graduate profiles that identify the expected learning outcomes of a qualification. This is captured in notions of what a learner will know, understand, do, and/or be when they achieve the qualification
education pathways that identify other qualifications that a graduate could enrol into after completing this qualification. Where qualifications are standalone, and do not prepare graduates for further study, the outcome statement should make this clear
employment pathways or contributions to the community that identify the areas in which a graduate may be qualified to work, or the contribution they may make to their community.
A qualification specification specifies the regulations and requirements for the award of the qualification (including any strands/specialities) and subject area, which may include the number of credits required at each level.
A specification will be part of each qualification to ensure consistency between the programmes of study and training pathways that lead to the qualification.