New Qualification Requirements

Last week I attended a workshop hosted by the Extractives Industry Training Organisation.  We spent two days discussing the meaning and implications of NZQA's new Requirements for listing and maintaining qualifications on the NZQF.  As well as industry representatives, ITO staff, and qualification designers such as myself, various NZQA staff also attended for parts of the workshop.

Here are some of my impressions and reflections:

• I am no more confident now than I was prior to the workshop that NZQA has considered all of the implications of the new listing requirements (particularly in the area of funding) , nor that they have all of the 'answers' ready to put in to practice.  They appear to be still developing policy and procedure for many of the details.
• I do feel confident that I am not the only person struggling to find answers to common questions.
• I like the possibilities that the new listing requirements open up for approaching qualification design with a whole new mindset.
• I can't reconcile the short (6-month) timeframe for mandatory qualification review that NZQA has imposed, with the likely-to-be lengthy process of bringing all stakeholders on the journey towards embracing the new requirements and recognising the positive possibilities for change that they could provide.
• NZQA's Service Delivery department is (by all accounts) already struggling with workload - the imminent influx of applications for qualifications to be approved for listing on the NZQF is not going to ease that situation.

That's enough for now!  Time to head to my daughter's school assembly...

Liz