We allocate the Qualification Development Fund via an application process.

2020

Eligible organisations are invited to submit an application for funding.  

Please email your completed application form to the Customer Contact Group before 5pm, 17 November 2020.

Qualification Development Fund Application Form 2020 (Word, 541 Kb)

Questions

If you have any questions about the application process contact the Customer Contact Group.

Note:

• To be eligible, the qualifications must be at levels 1 to 6 of the NZQF, and reflect industry and community need.
• Only applications that meet eligibility requirements will be considered.
• Funding is capped at $389,000 for 2020. We may allocate all or some of this funding. We may also fund all or part of a project.
• We will also prioritise funding:
  • 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.

Qualification development

Funding is available to contribute to the costs of qualification development.

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

Funding is available to contribute to the costs of New Zealand qualification reviews that are scheduled for to commence in 2020. This includes qualifications that are due for review in 2020 where you can demonstrate a need to commence the review during 2020.

Funding is also 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 brought forward earlier than scheduled, and
• that an earlier review with all relevant stakeholders can take place.

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 late November 2020. 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 the Education Act 1989  (or the 2021 the Education and Training Act), and

• comply with any conditions specified in its funding confirmation letter.

Payment

We pay funding for successful applicants in two 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.