The Government’s vision for tertiary education

The Government’s vision set out in the Tertiary Education Strategy (TES) is for a relevant and efficient tertiary education sector that responds effectively to the needs of learners, the labour market, and the economy.  A proposed Plan should explain how a TEO will ensure high quality tertiary education that delivers on TES aspirations to:

• provide New Zealanders of all backgrounds with opportunities to gain world-class skills and knowledge
• raise the skills and knowledge of the current and future workforce to meet labour market demand and social needs
• produce high quality research to build on New Zealand’s knowledge base, respond to the needs of the economy and address environmental and social challenges
• enable Māori to achieve tertiary education success as Māori.

In assessing proposed Plans and agreeing funding to support tertiary education activities, the TEC will consider Plan’s individual and aggregate contribution to the TES.

The TES priorities

To achieve the Government’s vision, the TES sets out three areas of focus linked to seven national priorities for the tertiary education system over the medium term.  These areas of focus and priorities set clear expectations about the commitments expected in TEOs’ proposed Plans for 2012.

Areas of focus	TES priorities
Targetting priority groups	Increasing the number of young people (aged under 25) achieving qualifications at NZQF level four and above, particularly degrees Increasing the number of  Māori students enjoying success at higher levels Increasing the number of Pasifika students achieving at higher levels Increasing the number of young people moving successfully from school into tertiary education Improving literacy, language, and numeracy and skills outcomes from NZQF level one to three study
Improving system performance	Improving the educational and financial performance of providers
Supporting high-quality research that helps drive innovation	Strengthening research outcomes

TES Area of Focus

Targeting priority groups

TEOs meet the needs of diverse groups of learners in qualifications at all levels of the New Zealand Qualification Framework (NZQF), from Level 1 certificates through to Level 10 post-graduate research degrees.  In line with the TES priorities, the TEC will be looking for performance commitments and a mix of provision in proposed Plans that ensure improved educational results for young people, Māori, and Pacific peoples. 

• Younger learners
• Māori learners and Pacific learners
• Improving literacy, numeracy, and skills outcome.

Younger learners

The TES sets a clear expectation that TEOs will continue to build better transitions from secondary to tertiary education, contributing to a progressive increase in qualification completions at higher levels.  The Youth Guarantee will support the achievement of this TES priority.

For younger learners (under 25 years of age) who are well-prepared for successful tertiary study, particularly school-leavers who have achieved the necessary NCEA credits for university entrance, TEOs are expected to focus on improving qualification completions at NZQF Level 4 and above, particularly at degree level.  

For younger learners who are less well-prepared for successful tertiary study, and learners of all ages enrolled in NZQF Level 1-3 qualifications, TEOs are expected to focus on improving rates of progression to higher levels of study.  The embedding of literacy and numeracy in all NZQF Level 1-3 programmes will strengthen progression to higher levels of study.

Māori learners and Pasifika learners

The number of Māori learners and Pasifika learners in tertiary education has been increasing, but improving successful transitions from secondary to tertiary education for these learners is essential.  They are significantly under-represented at diploma, degree, and post-graduate levels of study and over-represented in rates for non-completion and non-continuation into a second year of study.

The Government expects all TEOs to improve transitions, achievement and outcomes for Māori and Pacific learners.  This is particularly important given the projected population growth for these two groups over the next 20 years.

Improving literacy, numeracy, and skills outcomes

Literacy and numeracy

Effective provision at NZQF Levels 1-3 prepares learners and trainees to succeed at higher levels of tertiary education and progress to higher skilled jobs. Provision at these levels will be expected to:

• be practical and vocationally focused
• strengthen learners’ literacy and numeracy skills
• be delivered face-to-face or, for wānanga, through a Māori paradigm
• result in increased progression to higher levels of study.

TEOs are expected to embed literacy and numeracy in an increasing proportion of NZQF Level 1-3 provision as part of ‘business as usual’.  This proportion will be monitored through the Single Data Return (SDR) and industry training data collection. 

From 2011, all NZQF Level 1-3 provision that includes literacy and numeracy will use the Literacy and Numeracy for Adults Assessment tool for those learners whose skills fall within the Learning Progressions.  Evidence of learners improving their literacy and numeracy skills as measured by the Literacy and Numeracy for Adults Assessment Tool may be considered as part of measuring performance.

Skills outcomes

TEOs need to ensure that they equip learners who are already in the workforce with relevant, work-focused skills to boost New Zealand’s economic productivity.  These learners include apprentices and industry trainees as well as those studying for higher-level trade, technical, or professional qualifications.

TES area of focus

Improving the educational and financial performance of providers

Sound financial performance by TEOs is vital to ensuring a sustainable tertiary education sector that can respond to the educational needs of learners.  Within a capped funding environment, and in a climate of financial constraint, all TEOs are expected to make more effective use of the funding they receive from Government. 

As set out in the TES, the Government’s focus during 2010-2015 is on improving performance in the tertiary education sector, increasing accountability for its investment, and ensuring students can make better-informed choices about their study. 

In developing their proposed Plans, TEOs need to focus on improving educational performance, as measured by the achievement of their students.  The indicators for student achievement are successful course and qualification completion, student retention, and progression [LINK to educational performance indicator definitions].  For TEIs, financial performance will be monitored through the TEC’s financial monitoring framework.

The TEC will be targeting the Government’s investment through Plans in response to the TES priorities and shifting funding from lower to higher value provision.  The value of provision will be determined based on individual TEOs’ educational performance.  Actual educational performance, as measured by the set of common performance indicators, will inform future funding decisions and the publication of performance information, which will help inform student choice. 

From 2011, a proportion of SAC and industry training funding will be linked to performance against up to four educational performance indicators, providing further incentives for TEOs to improve their educational performance.

TES area of focus

Supporting high quality research that helps to drive innovation

Through its research activities, the tertiary education sector makes a significant contribution to New Zealand’s economy, particularly through developing human capital, productivity improvements, and innovation.  The TES identifies the potential for TEOs to build on this contribution through the development of more partnerships with industry, which will create greater opportunities for companies to commercialise research.

In their proposed Plans, TEOs that undertake significant research activity, particularly universities, are expected to continue to focus on high quality research, on research-led teaching, and on working with business to ensure that research meets the needs of the economy.

ITPs and wānanga are also expected to contribute to this priority through research-informed educational practice.  Some ITPs undertake applied research that supports vocational learning and work with business and industry to transfer technology to the economy.  Wānanga provide sector leadership through the development of new knowledge and understanding in advancing mātauranga Māori.