To be eligible for fees support through the TTAF, New Zealand Apprenticeships must be:

• a sub-degree programme;
• approved by the NZQA;
• approved by the TEC and funded through the Industry Training Fund (ITF); and
• a registered apprenticeship programme as at 1 June 2020, or have otherwise been determined by the TEC to be an eligible programme.

You can find out how to obtain approval from TEC for funding of a new New Zealand Apprenticeship on the TEC website page New Zealand Apprenticeships.

To be eligible for fees support through the TTAF, industry training programmes (excluding apprenticeships) must be:

• training that falls within one of the areas on the Target Areas List;
• sub-degree training;
• approved by the TEC and funded through the ITF; and
• not otherwise excluded from eligibility where the TEC has discretion.

To be eligible for fees support through the TTAF, MAs must:

• meet the MAs definition in the Single Data Return (SDR) Manual;
• be a sub-degree programme;
• be approved and funded through the SAC level 3 and above fund by the TEC; and
• have been delivered and reported as MAs delivery in the SDR before 1 June 2020, or have been determined by the TEC to be an eligible programme.

New MA qualifications must be approved for TTAF funding by the TEC. TEOs must still seek TEC’s agreement to expanding MA programmes in 2020 beyond 2019 enrolment levels, prior to delivery commencing (as communicated in December 2019).

To be eligible for fees support through the TTAF, SAC Level 3 and above qualifications or programmes (that are not Managed Apprenticeships) must be:

• study that falls within one of the areas on the Target Areas List;
• a sub-degree qualification or programme;
• at level 3-7 on the NZQF;
• approved and funded through the SAC level 3 and above fund by the TEC; and
• not otherwise excluded from eligibility where the TEC has discretion

The start date of education or training also determines whether it is eligible for TTAF.

For SAC 3+ funded programmes that were eligible from 1 July 2020 in the initial target areas, the diagrams below explain which fees are covered, depending on start date, with one version created for TEOs and another for learners:

Which fees are covered? - Start date diagram for providers (PDF, 103 Kb)

Which fees are covered? - Start date diagram for learners (PDF, 103 Kb)

For SAC 3+ funded programmes that are eligibile from 1 January 2021 as a result of the new target areas, the TTAF will cover courses in eligible programmes and qualifications that start on or after 1 January 2021. This is the case even where the qualification or programme started before 1 January 2021, but there are courses that start on or after.

The TTAF will cover 100% of the fees for courses in newly eligible programmes for 2021 that:

• start in November or December 2020 where one third or more of the course occurs after 1 January 2021; or
• start between 1 July and 31 October 2020 where at least 75% of the course occurs after 1 January 2021.

The TTAF will also cover 50% of the fees for courses in newly eligible programmes for 2021 that start between 1 July and 31 October 2020 where at least 50% but less than 75% of the course occurs after 1 January 2021.

Start date of coverage for Industry Training Fund funded training in new target areas for 2021: As with the initial target areas, the TTAF will cover training that occurs from 1 January 2021.

If you notice that a qualification or programme you deliver is already included in the TTAF list of qualifications and programmes on the website but you have not yet been approved by TEC to deliver this qualification under TTAF, you must complete and return the Template for TEO TTAF Requests (XLSX, 19 KB) (XLS, 19 Kb) spreadsheet.

If there are further programmes that you believe should be considered for TTAF that are not currently on the list, you must complete and return the Template for TEO TTAF Requests (XLSX, 19 KB) spreadsheet (XLS, 19 Kb).

Please return this spreadsheet to the customerservice@tec.govt.nz email address or your Relationship Manager.

When returning the spreadsheet, ensure that it has been saved with the naming convention: [EDUMIS] – [TEO Name] TTAF Eligibility Review – YYYY-MM-DD.

Please note:

• For SCP and LCP TTAF applications, please ensure total fee information has been included in Column K of the spreadsheet.
• For SCP, LCP, Micro-credential and Training Scheme applications, please ensure the unit standards included in these programmes have been entered in Column L of the spreadsheet.

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.

Please note, the TEC does not have discretion to add to the target areas. Requests to add to the target areas (for example, if there is industry demand for an area not currently covered) instead need to be considered by the Education, Employment and Training Ministers. The new target areas for the 2021 academic year have now been announced.

For more information see the FAQ:

Will the targeted areas change in the future?

New apprenticeship qualifications (that haven’t previously been reported to the TEC) must be approved for TTAF funding by the TEC. This TTAF approval is done concurrently with the approval processes for New Zealand Apprenticeships and Managed Apprenticeships; you do not need to submit a separate application for TTAF.

 While apprenticeships are being supported and promoted through a number of initiatives, the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) does not want providers to increase the number of Managed Apprenticeships they are delivering in 2020 and planned for 2021, beyond the number they have already committed to.

Micro-credentials in the targeted areas (at sub-degree levels 3-7) that meet the programme eligibility criteria are eligible for TTAF.

The TEC has discretion to include short programmes (i.e. training schemes, limited credit programmes, supplementary credit programmes and training arrangements) where they are in the targeted areas (at sub-degree levels 3-7 or as part of industry training) under TTAF.

The TEC has discretion to include industry training at level 2, which meets the programme eligibility criteria, under TTAF.

Graduate Certificates and Diplomas (including those in targeted areas at Level 7) are not covered by TTAF as they are not considered to be sub-degree study.

Graduate Certificates and Diplomas are intended for graduates to undertake study at an advanced under-graduate level.

For provider-based study, all domestic students eligible for government tuition subsidies are eligible to access TTAF. This includes all New Zealand citizens or residence visa holders studying in New Zealand.   

For industry training at a workplace, anyone legally entitled to reside and work in New Zealand can access TTAF.

This means that people of all ages, regardless of their prior study, can access study or training opportunities through TTAF without having to pay fees.