The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) and the Pacific Community (SPC) are pleased to announce the launch of the Pacific Qualifications Recognition Project, which aims to support strengthened qualifications, quality assurance, and qualifications recognition in the Pacific region.
National and regional qualifications systems and frameworks in the Pacific need support and development, so people can access relevant, quality-assured qualifications.
Quality qualifications support a country's economic development. They can also be recognised, so people holding these qualifications can gain skilled employment in other countries.
Improved recognition of Pacific qualifications would help other countries' governments and employers understand how Pacific peoples’ knowledge and skills - such as those recognised by the Pacific Qualifications Framework (PQF) -compare with graduates of their own education systems. This will remove barriers to Pacific people’s employment.
Over the next five years, NZQA will partner with SPC – a Pacific regional development organisation that is ‘home’ to the PQF. Together, they will work closely with the Pacific national agencies to establish strong, trusted relationships between the PQF and Pacific and New Zealand national qualifications frameworks and systems, enabled by quality assurance. This will, in time, enable new opportunities for Pacific peoples as the quality of education delivery in post-secondary education in the region continues to strengthen.
As part of this work, funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, NZQA and SPC are working with the quality assurance agencies and ministries of education in the nine Pacific countries that are party to the PACER Plus trade agreement.
We are grateful for the support of the:
- Cook Islands Ministry of Education
- Kiribati Ministry of Education
- Nauru Ministry of Education and Training
- Niue Department of Education
- Samoa Qualifications Authority
- Solomon Islands Tertiary Education and Skills Authority
- Tonga National Qualifications and Accreditation Board
- Tuvalu Ministry of Education, and the
- Vanuatu Qualifications Authority.
The launch of the project last week coincided with a regional workshop on qualifications framework referencing. Representatives from these countries worked with SPC and NZQA to build understanding of the purpose of ‘referencing’ qualifications frameworks to support qualifications recognition, and how to do referencing work.
Strengthening the Pacific Qualifications Framework will support higher quality education across the Pacific region and increase opportunities for Pacific people.
For more information on the Pacific Qualifications Recognition Project, please click here.