NZQA external evaluation and review

“The ITO understands sector issues and uses effective stakeholder engagement to develop relevant unit standards and qualifications. Competenz supports workforce development by providing advice to industries and government.” NZQA

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It was time to celebrate our people, including staff, industry and learners in November 2018, when Competenz received the highest possible rating from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA).

In a review to ensure we are meeting the needs of industry, learners and government, we were awarded a Category 1 status. This is not only the top ranking, but also a step up from the Category 2 status received in the previous review in 2014.

The external evaluation and review (EER) found Competenz has a ‘comprehensive and considered approach’ and understands the training and workforce development needs of the 36 sectors we support.

NZQA rated Competenz as ‘highly confident’ in educational performance and ‘highly confident’ in its organisational self assessment, and approved accreditation for the next four years.

These ratings are awarded by NZQA, after a thorough consultation with the industry employers we work with and evaluation of our internal processes and learner achievements, based on six key evaluation questions.

  1. How well does the ITO understand and meet the needs of industry, trainees and government?
  2. What is the value of the outcomes for employers and their trainees?
  3. How well do trainees achieve?
  4. How effective is the training arranged by the ITO?
  5. What is the quality of the assessment being undertaken towards industry standards and qualifications?
  6. How does the ITO’s governance and management support the ITO to meet its statutory functions?

Key focus areas in this review were the fire protection, general manufacturing and forestry sectors. It also assessed Competenz management and governance.

NZQA acknowledged that Competenz does not have a onesize-fits-all approach and that our workforce development service enables a holistic approach to training and caters to a wide range of business needs. NZQA’s comments are an endorsement of the Competenz purpose to transform lives, every learner, every time.

The review also recognised the systems Competenz has in place to enable continuous improvement, which is vital for industry training moving forward. Our performance evaluation committee will keep driving improvement at a sector, qualification and programme level, in line with recommendations by the EER.

One of the recommended areas of improvement is the implementation of a more robust learner support framework for Māori and Pasifika priority learners, which sets up a work plan focus for the next four years.

This Category 1 milestone is further confirmation that Competenz is supporting Kiwi businesses by delivering valuable qualifications to upskill the workforce.