The Qualification Development Fund subsidises costs associated with levels 1 to 6 qualification development and review activities, including, but not limited to:

• undertaking evaluations
• collaborating with stakeholders
• conducting needs analyses, and
• assessing industry/community impact.

Limited funding is available to contribute to the cost of:

• developing new New Zealand qualifications
• reviewing New Zealand qualifications that are scheduled for review beginning in:
• 2021, and
• 2022, where the need to commence the review in 2021 can be demonstrated.

Organisation eligibility

To be eligible for Qualification Development Fund funding, the applicant organisation must be approved by NZQA as a qualification developer. In practise, this includes Te Pukenga, Workforce Development Councils, Private Training Establishments, and some other industry bodies and organisations.

Qualification development projects

Funding is available to contribute to the costs of qualification development. For qualification development projects the organisation must have received ‘approval to develop’ from NZQA for the proposed qualification(s).

Applicants need to clearly outline how the proposed project for new qualifications will result in qualification(s) that will meet New Zealand Qualification Authority (NZQA) requirements for listing on the NZQF.

This requires showing how you will ensure that:

• there is a genuine need and stakeholder support for the proposed qualification(s), and
• the proposed qualification(s)’ strategic purpose and outcomes will meet the needs of learners, industry and communities.

Qualification review projects

Funding is available to contribute to the costs of New Zealand qualification reviews that are scheduled for to commence in 2022. This includes qualifications that are due for review in 2023 where you can demonstrate a need to commence the review during 2022.

For qualification review projects:

• the qualification must be scheduled for review in the calendar year for which funding is sought, or
• there must be valid reasons for an earlier review.

Funding may also be available to contribute to the costs of New Zealand qualification reviews that are scheduled for a later date. In these instances, applicants will need to demonstrate:

• why the review should be earlier than scheduled, and
• that an earlier review with all relevant stakeholders can take place.

The development of micro-credentials at any NZQF level that reflect industry or community need can now be partially funded through QDF. To be eligible for funding, the micro-credential developer must continue to be quality assured by NZQA or by the New Zealand Vice-Chancellors committee for the length of the funding period.

A micro-credential certifies achievement of a set of skills and knowledge. It must meet the requirements of a training scheme as well as the following additional requirements:

• have demonstrable evidence of need from employers, industry and/or community
• typically it does not duplicate current quality-assured learning approved by NZQA
• be reviewed annually to confirm the micro-credential continues to meet its intended purpose
• be 5–40 credits in size.

An industry training micro-credential consists of one or more assessment standards listed on the Directory of Assessment Standards which certifies the achievement of a specific set of skills and knowledge in workplace training. It must also meet the additional requirements above.

All micro-credentials must include appropriate assessment activities to provide confidence the learner has achieved the learning outcomes at the appropriate NZQF level.

To be eligible for funding, any projects relating the development of micro-credentials must demonstrate broad industry or community need and wide-ranging stakeholder support.

We allocate the Qualification Development Fund via an application process.

Eligible organisations are invited to submit an application for funding, using the applicable application form below.

Application form – the development or review of qualifications (Word, 541 Kb)

Application form – the development of micro-credentials (Word, 537 Kb)

Please email your completed application form to the Customer Contact Group before 5pm, Friday 18 February 2022.

Please Note:

• Only applications that meet eligibility requirements will be considered.
• We may allocate all or some of this funding. We may also fund all or part of a project.
• We may run further 2022 funding application rounds if available funding is not fully allocated.
• We will also prioritise funding:
  • for the development of micro-credentials where
• towards New Zealand qualifications that need early review (for example, the qualification is not meeting industry needs), and
• to where the need for a contribution to the cost of New Zealand qualification(s) development or review is greatest.
• Funding is not available for the development and review of programmes leading to New Zealand qualifications, only for development and review of the New Zealand qualifications themselves.

Questions

If you have any questions about the application process contact the Customer Contact Group at: CustomerService@tec.govt.nz.

Funding decisions

Funding is limited, and we will assess each application against the assessment criteria outlined in the application form.  We may choose to part fund an application.

We will notify applicants of our funding decisions in writing by mid to late March 2022. We may negotiate funding with successful applicants.

We will then provide successful applicants with a funding confirmation letter stating the amount of Qualification Development Fund funding allocated and the conditions of funding.

Organisation eligibility

To be eligible for Qualification Development Fund funding, the applicant organisation must be approved by NZQA as a qualification developer.

This can be achieved in one of two ways. The applicant organisation must have:

• developed one or more New Zealand qualifications listed at levels 1 to 6 on the NZQF (as the developing organisation has an on-going responsibility to review its New Zealand qualifications to ensure they remain relevant, fit for purpose, and retain industry and/or community support), or
• received ‘approval to develop’ from NZQA for the proposed new qualification(s) in the application.

Project eligibility

A project may cover a single qualification or a suite of qualifications.

However, to be eligible for Qualification Development Fund funding, the qualification(s) covered by the proposed project must be at levels 1 to 6 on the NZQF.

Qualification development

For qualification development projects:

• the organisation must have received ‘approval to develop’ from NZQA for the proposed qualification(s).

Qualification review

For qualification review projects:

• the qualification must be scheduled for review in the calendar year for which funding is sought, or
• there must be valid reasons for an earlier review.

Funding

An organisation that receives Qualification Development Fund funding is required to:

• comply with the requirements of Education and Training Act 2021 and
• comply with any conditions specified in its funding confirmation letter.

Payment

We pay funding for successful applicants in instalments, as specified in the funding confirmation letter. We only pay funding after the funding confirmation letter has been signed and returned to us.

We pay the first instalment at the start of the project, and we pay subsequent instalments on the receipt of agreed progress or completion reports. See reporting under Monitoring and Reporting below.

Funding recovery

Funding must only be used for the activities specified in the funding confirmation letter.

If the funded organisation receives funding that was greater than it should have been, or that it was not entitled to receive, we will recover the extra funding.

This may include:

• using less funding than the amount paid for the activities
• using funding for activities not agreed in the funding confirmation letter, or
• non-compliance with the conditions of funding.

Reporting

Organisations receiving funding from the Qualification Development Fund must provide us with the following information.

• Any progress reporting as stated in the funding letter
• A final written report on the project outlining:
  • the activities undertaken
  • the stakeholder consultation process, findings and actions resulting
  • issues identified in the project, and their resolution
  • a full itemisation of how funding was spent
  • resulting qualification(s), describing:
    • there is a genuine need and stakeholder support for the proposed qualification(s), and
    • the proposed qualification(s)’ strategic purpose and outcomes will meet the needs of learners, industry and communities, and
    • whether the resulting qualification(s) have been listed by NZQA on the NZQF, i.e. whether they are New Zealand qualification(s).
• Any other reporting requested in the funding confirmation letter provided to the successful applicant.

Monitoring

We monitor the performance of funded organisations through the information and reports provided to us.