Targeted Training and Apprenticeship Fund covers fees for training and assessment that occurs up to 31 December 2022.  We are unable to pay the full fees for programmes of study that will continue beyond this date. Find more information around fees that cover periods beyond this date.

The TEC will determine the TTAF and learner portions based on course start and end dates as recorded in the SDR, and course fees as recorded in STEO. Find more information around fees that cover periods beyond this date.

It is not possible to confirm the Fees Free eligibility for specific learners to TEOs until funding delegations from the Minister are signed. Find more information on determining a learner’s Fees Free eligibility after TTAF ends.

It is recommended TEOs don’t charge learners for fees relating to 2023 until they begin that study in 2023, or until they know they will not be eligible for Fees Free later in 2022. If this is not possible, TEOs may need to charge the learner upfront for 2023 and refund the learner if they discover they are entitled to Fees Free in 2023.

Targeted Training and Apprenticeship Fund covers fees for training and assessment that occurs up to 31 December 2022.  We are unable to pay the full fees for programmes of study that will continue beyond this date. For more information around fees that cover periods beyond this date, visit the Interactions with other Funds webpage.

It is not possible to confirm the Fees Free eligibility for specific learners to TEOs until funding delegations from the Minister are signed. For more information on determining a learner’s Fees Free eligibility after TTAF ends, visit the Interactions with other Funds webpage.

It is recommended TEOs don’t charge learners for fees relating to 2023 until they begin that study in 2023, or until they know they will not be eligible for Fees Free later in 2022. If this is not possible, TEOs may need to charge the learner upfront for 2023 and refund the learner if they discover they are entitled to Fees Free in 2023.

• If a learner withdraws from a TTAF approved programme within the refund period, there is no effect on their future study.
• If a learner withdraws from a TTAF approved programme after the withdrawal cut-off date, the learner can undertake other TTAF opportunities or retake the qualification they withdrew from.

If a learner fails a TTAF approved course/programme they don’t have to pay for it. The learner can retake that failed course/programme under TTAF or choose another TTAF approved programme to study.

For those studying eligible programmes at tertiary providers, TTAF will cover:  

• tuition fees 
• compulsory course costs, and 
• compulsory student services fees.  

For those within industry training and apprenticeships, TTAF will cover fees for training and assessment. 

We will calculate your TTAF allocation based on our funding allocation methodology, which has been published on the Funding and Payments page.

2021 TTAF payments will be made quarterly in advance in equal instalments.  Payments will be made in January (or within 10 working days of returning your signed funding agreement), April, July, and October.

Please note we cannot make any payments to you until we receive a signed copy of your funding agreement.

TTAF is intended to cover fees that were already in place prior to the introduction of TTAF, or, prior to the inclusion of new target areas. Fees can be introduced to previously zero fee courses or programmes only in limited circumstances. More information can be found on the funding and payments page under “Application for approval to increase, reinstate or start charging fees.”

TEC does not fund expired qualifications, and this includes TTAF funding for fees that would otherwise have been charged for learners.

Once the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) assigns an expiry date to a qualification, we will not fund any new students that you enrol after the last date for entry of that qualification (i.e. the last date a learner can be enrolled in a programme leading to this qualification).

These conditions apply if you are a wānanga, private training establishment, Te Pūkenga or, as of TEC’s 2021 base funding conditions, a transitional Industry Training Organisation (ITO).

A number of tertiary education organisations have qualifications that are closed off for new enrolments and about to expire. A number of other qualifications or programmes have last dates of enrolments that are approaching. It is important that you ensure a replacement programme is in place for any qualifications you are delivering that are nearing expiry.

For learners enrolled in eligible study or training, TTAF will cover fees from 1 July 2020* until 31 December 2022.

*For learners undertaking an eligible programme and enrolled at a Te Pūkenga subsidiary, Wānanga, Private Training Establishment or University, specific rules apply for courses that started before 1 July 2020 and continue after. For learners enrolled with a Transitional Industry Training Organisation the proportion of study that occurs after 1 July 2020 will be covered; some fees relating to training during this period that were paid before 1 July 2019 may not be covered.

The diagram below explains which fees are covered:

Which fees are covered? - Start date diagram for providers (PDF 172 KB)  (PDF, 172 Kb)

For more information on end dates, please see the following FAQ: 

When will fee payments under TTAF end?

TTAF will cover fees for eligible programmes until 31 December 2022. No fees for enrolments starting after 31 December 2022 will be covered by TTAF. TEC will work with TEOs to establish rules for study and training that starts before 31 December 2022 and continues into 2023 - in general, fees for study and training past 31 December 2022 are not covered.

No, New Zealand Apprenticeships (NZAs) and Managed Apprenticeships (MAs) are eligible for TTAF even if they are not within the targeted areas.

NZAs must have been an approved qualification as at 1 June 2020. MAs must have been reported as an MA qualification in the Single Data Return before 1 June 2020 by the TEO requesting funding under TTAF. New MA and NZA qualifications must be approved for TTAF funding by the TEC. 

TEOs must still seek TEC’s agreement to expanding Managed Apprenticeship programmes in 2020 beyond 2019 enrolment levels, prior to delivery commencing (as communicated in December 2019).

Yes, TEOs will receive TTAF funding for all eligible enrolments, and this will mean making fee refunds or processing student loan reversals.   

Government agencies will work with TEOs that have already received the fee payments for study or training that will now be covered by TTAF. This will include putting in place arrangements for fee-refunds, or student loan reversals where learners have already borrowed fees through the student loan scheme.  

The TEC has recently announced the additional target areas for 2021. These changes were made by drawing on updated labour market information, involving industry groups, and considering TEO suggestions to ensure that the right skills are targeted.

Yes, if a learner has enrolled in a programme determined to be eligible for funding between 1 July 2020 and 31 December 2020, TTAF will continue to pay fee costs until the end of 2022 (or until their study or training ends, whichever is earliest). Fees will be covered even if the areas targeted by TTAF change, resulting in an initially eligible programme becoming ineligible for future enrolments from 1 January 2021. 

Adding further programmes (non-apprenticeship) to the list

A process has been developed for TEOs to apply to have study or training included on the list as an eligible programme, where it meets the programme eligibility criteria but isn’t currently on the list.

Please send the following details of your programme to either your relationship manager at the TEC, or our Customer Contact Group:

• EDUMIS number
• NZSCED code
• Qualification code
• Programme title
• Programme level
• How the programme meets the target areas

We are actively working to update the list and consider other qualifications and programmes that meet the eligibility criteria. Given the number of programmes, this is taking some time. We will provide more information as soon as we are able. Thank you for your patience as we work through this.

We are aware there may also be programmes that are within the target areas, but not within the published NZSCED code areas. These programmes are being considered on a case-by-case basis.

Adding new apprenticeship qualifications to the list

New apprenticeship qualifications (that haven’t previously been reported to the TEC) must be approved for TTAF funding by the TEC.

As communicated by the TEC in December 2019, TEOs must still seek TEC’s agreement to expanding Managed Apprenticeship programmes in 2020 beyond 2019 enrolment levels, prior to delivery commencing.

Yes, learners can access eligible programmes starting from 1 July 2020 for free through TTAF, this does not impact on or use up their entitlement to the existing first year Fees Free funding.

Learners can access TTAF regardless of prior study they have done, including any study through the existing first year Fees Free funding. 

SAC funded TEOs:

Learners in courses that started before 1 July 2020 will need to continue to be reported in Fees Free each month for the remainder of 2020 (even if the learner is covered by TTAF from 1 July). Please report the learner’s full fees and EFTS in your Fees Free report, even if the course is partially covered by TTAF. We’ll exclude any TTAF fees for you based on the transition rules.

Learners in courses that start from 1 July 2020 and are covered by TTAF are not required to be reported each month in Fees Free.

Transitional ITOs:

From 1 July 2020, only trainees not covered by TTAF are required to be reported each month.

What if I have missed a learner off in a previous reporting round?

If a learner is not included in reporting before 1 July 2020 but should have been, then they should be included in your next Fees Free reporting round. 

This FAQ is relevant for Transitional ITOs.

Fees paid directly to training and assessment providers are eligible for TTAF funding, provided you can answer yes to all of the following questions (and assuming all other requirements for the fund are met):

• Is the fee for training and/or assessment activity? and
• Is the activity undertaken as part of a TTAF eligible programme? and
• Has the fee been paid by a trainee, apprentice or employer? and
• Has the fee been paid to a Transitional ITO, or directly to a provider of training and assessment? and
• Is the fee related to an individual trainee*?

*Where an individual is undertaking training as part of a group, this training is still considered to be related to an individual.

Example:

An employer has contracted an assessor that has been registered with the transitional ITO to assess trainees against the relevant skills standards. The payment has been made directly from the employer to the registered assessor .

In this instance these fees would be covered by TTAF where the assessment relates to an eligible programme. The TEC will pay these fees to the Transitional ITO, who is then responsible for reimbursing the employer.

• We don’t expect these types of arrangements to make up the majority of programmes, or, the majority of training or assessment within a programme.
• Only existing arrangements are covered by this agreement. New training arrangements and payments should be made directly by the Transitional ITO.
• The TEC will pay the eligible training and assessment fees to the Transitional ITO, who is then responsible for reimbursing the employer.
• Transitional ITO obligations under the Education and Training Act include developing and maintaining arrangements for the delivery of industry training. Transitional ITOs must carry out activities that provide them with assurance that training directly paid for by employers and trainees, does enable trainees to achieve standards. This includes an awareness of the fees that are being charged, and a responsibility to ensure fees are reasonable. The TEC will not pay for fees that are considered to be unreasonable and will seek advice from Transitional ITOs on this.

Learners do not need to complete a Statutory Declaration to be covered by TTAF, as they do not need to declare eligibility. 

Only learners who are not covered by TTAF will need to submit a Statutory Declaration to access the existing Fees Free (if they are not automatically eligible).

No, fees related to the recognition of prior learning are not covered under TTAF.

This includes recognition of current competency assessments, recognised prior learning, and assessment of prior learning. As TTAF’s focus is on funding the formal teaching and learning activities that lead to qualifications, TTAF only covers fees for training and assessment funded through the Industry Training Fund.