Delivery component – DQ3-7

Wae whakarato – Unified Funding System

The delivery component is one of two funding components in the DQ3-7 fund for vocational education and training.

For information on the other component, see learner component.

How is funding calculated?

Funding is allocated for all education and training at Levels 3–7 (non-degree) and all industry training/work-based learning by subject, how delivery occurs (mode of delivery), and the amount of learning (common across all modes). See below for more information on these three key factors. For more information, see Funding, payments and learner fees – DQ3-7.

Subject

There are six subject-rate groupings, which apply to both provider-based and work-based learning. Different funding for different subjects for work-based learning recognises the different cost structures of different types of training. The groupings are:

humanities, business and social service vocations
trades, creative arts, information technology and health-related professions
agriculture, engineering, health sciences and science
pilot training and priority engineering
foreign-going nautical and specialist agriculture
te reo and tikanga Māori.

Mode of delivery

There are four modes of delivery that reflect where and how a learner is receiving learning. A programme can be made up of one or more modes. This is to allow learners and employers to access learning opportunities in the way that is best for them and to move seamlessly between ways of learning. The four modes are:

provider-based
provider-based: extramural
work-based
assessment and verification.

Between 2023 and 2025 there was a fifth delivery mode, pathway to work. This mode ceased to exist at the end of 2025.