Kia ora employers
Whatever industry you’re in — be it civil engineering, construction, or food and beverage — high-quality, recognised qualifications are the foundation of success for both your employees and your business.
This page contains practical information for employers, including:
- how the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF) works
- offering staff training and development
- how International Qualification Assessments (IQAs) work
- how you can verify a potential employee's credentials.
You can also find links to helpful and related content across our site.
You might interact with us when you need to offer employee training, verify New Zealand credentials, or have an international candidate's qualifications assessed.
On this page
Introductory articles
We've identified several topics that are of interest to New Zealand employers, and have created a series of short introductory articles with links to further information.
What do you need to know about?
Can't find what you're looking for on this page?
If there's something you'd like to see covered in future articles, please let us know.
Offering staff training and development
In most cases, you'll work with an NZQA-recognised provider to offer staff training.
If you want to provide Occupational Health and Safety training, for example, you can check which standards and OHS qualifications are available, and which providers offer those:
Explore standards and qualifications (external link)
Explore providers (external link)
In-house training
You might work with niche systems or tools that are specific to your organisation, or aren't represented on the NZQCF yet.
New Zealand's tertiary training system is nimble and well-suited to the needs of employers. This flexibility means you can develop your own micro-credential and ask us to evaluate its equivalency with other levels and credentials on the NZQCF.
Understanding secondary school qualifications
Knowing New Zealand's secondary school qualifications and awards can help you decide if school leavers and job applicants have the right skills for your vacancy.
The National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA)
The National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) is New Zealand's main qualification for school leavers. It has 3 levels that are usually sat in years 11 to 13 in school: NCEA Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3.
Vocational Pathways
A Vocational Pathways award shows that your candidate has earned NCEA Level 2, plus 60 credits from standards linked to specific sectors.
There are 6 sectors, including primary industries, manufacturing and technology, and construction and infrastructure
New Zealand Scholarship
Candidates who have earned a Scholarship award were recognised by NZQA for academic achievement.
Hiring international employees
If you need to hire someone from overseas, they may need an International Qualification Assessment (IQA).
An IQA is an official statement from NZQA. It evaluates an international qualification and identifies how it compares to qualifications on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework.
Learn more
Reviewing New Zealand Records of Achievement
You can use a prospective employee's New Zealand Record of Achievement (NZRoA) to check if they're suitable for your role.
An NZRoA lists all the standards and qualifications a person has earned in New Zealand.
New Zealand Records of Achievement
Check if an NZRoA is authentic
You can verify the authenticity of an NZRoA online:
The New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework
The New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF) is the heart of New Zealand's education and training system.
All NZQA-recognised qualifications align with a level on the NZQCF. These levels start at level 1 (early high school) and go up to level 10 (doctorate level).
The NZQCF also recognises micro-credentials, short courses that meet employer and industry need.
Learn more
Robust quality assurance processes
If a qualification is registered on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF), we are satisfied that it meets high standards for:
- robust assessment processes
- consistency of graduate outcomes
- its relevance to the needs of industry and society.
If someone presents an NZQCF-registered qualification, you know that it has been quality assured by us and carries value.