Eligibility and enrolment – EWLN
Eligibility and enrolment – EWLN
This page provides information on eligibility criteria and learner enrolment for Employer-led Workplace Literacy and Numeracy (EWLN) Fund funding.
This page provides information on eligibility criteria and learner enrolment for Employer-led Workplace Literacy and Numeracy (EWLN) Fund funding.
Eligibility
For details of tertiary education organisation (TEO) eligibility and programme eligibility please see the funding conditions for the relevant year.
For information about TEO-led Workplace Literacy and Numeracy (TEO-led WLN) funding, see the TEO-led WLN Fund Finder.
Programme eligibility
For programme eligibility requirements, please see the funding conditions from the relevant year.
There are a range of programmes we do not fund under EWLN funding, these include:
- leadership programmes,
- team engagement/collaboration programmes,
- time management programmes, and
- industry specific skills,
- staff professional development for the purposes of delivering an EWLN programme.
Changes to programme eligibility from 2025
EWLN must be delivered face-to-face (for example, not delivered online or via distance learning), unless you have received our prior written approval for another form of delivery due to exceptional circumstances.
For information on applying for an exemption to deliver EWLN extramurally, see Exemptions and exceptional circumstances.
Intensity of delivery
The intensity of literacy, numeracy, or literacy and numeracy, tuition received by each learner enrolled in a WLN programme must be 40 hours over any 10 to 40 week period (or portion of the period). Alongside that programme duration the delivery model is as agreed among the employer, employee and the TEO delivering the programme.
The reason for this approach (rather than a range of hours per week) is to provide flexibility to ensure the delivery model meets both employer and employee needs. Delivery could, for example, be weekly, or it could be in blocks with breaks of several weeks between.
Example:
Calculating time period for delivery for a 25-hour WLN programme:
25 hours/40 hours = 0.625 (proportion)
0.625 x 10 weeks = 6.25 weeks (shortest 25-hour programme duration)
0.625 x 40 weeks = 25 weeks (longest 25-hour programme duration)
The 25-hour programme must be delivered over at least 6.25 weeks (rounded up to the nearest whole day) and over no more than 25 weeks.
Learner eligibility
For the specific learner eligibility criteria please see the funding conditions for the relevant year.
For information on valid domestic enrolments, please check here:
Other valid domestic enrolments
EWLN is intended for individuals in the paid workforce. This includes employees as well as contractors and temporary staff working for the employer.
Employees who participate in the programme must have low literacy and/or numeracy skills. This may manifest as difficulties in:
- understanding written and/or verbal instructions,
- completing forms (such as health and safety forms),
- reporting verbally and/or in writing,
- understanding and/or completing basic calculations, and
- expressing literacy and numeracy through digital devices necessary for work.
These difficulties may be exacerbated by having English as a second language.
Changes to learner eligibility from 1 January 2024
For learners to be considered to have low skills in literacy, numeracy, or literacy and numeracy for the purposes of the Fund they must:
- present at Step 3 or lower on the Learning Progressions for reading, and/or step 4 or lower on the Learning Progressions for numeracy when assessed using the Literacy and Numeracy for Adults Assessment Tool (LNAAT); and
- either:
- have fewer than 121 credits on the NZQCF (or equivalent); or
- have more than 120 credits on the NZQCF (or equivalent), and have fewer than 31 credits in literacy and/or numeracy in unit standards and/or achievement standards (or equivalent); and
- not have an undergraduate, postgraduate, or Level 5 or above Qualification gained in New Zealand or that is listed on the NZQCF.
Learner eligibility requirements for literacy and numeracy provision were updated for 2024 onwards.
TEOs can only enrol learners with Level 5 or above qualifications in literacy and numeracy funds in exceptional circumstances, with prior written approval from us.
For information on how to apply for an exemption to enrol a learner with a Level 5 or above qualification due to exceptional circumstances, see Exemptions and exceptional circumstances.
Qualifications required of educators who teach EWLN
We require educators who teach EWLN to have appropriate qualifications. For further information on appropriate qualifications for tutors, including for EWLN programmes that have English Language Teaching (ELT) (formerly known as Specialised English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)) components see the information on the qualifications required of educators who teach foundation-level literacy and numeracy.
Qualifications required of educators who teach foundation-level literacy and numeracy
Literacy and Numeracy for Adults Assessment Tool (LNAAT)
The LNAAT is an online adaptive tool that provides robust and reliable information on the reading, writing and numeracy skills of adults.
Following Ministerial approval of the 2024 funding mechanism, the funding conditions were updated to require using the LNAAT to determine learner eligibility for the EWLN fund.
Learners must present at Step 3 or lower on the Learning Progressions for reading, and/or step 4 or lower on the Learning Progressions for numeracy when assessed using the LNAAT.
For more information about using the LNAAT see the 2024 LNAAT Guidelines.
Enrolment - EWLN
A learner may be enrolled and/or re-enrolled in an EWLN-funded programme as long as they continue to meet the learner eligibility condition criteria set out in the funding conditions for the relevant year.