Our secondary school qualifications system
Understanding the secondary school qualifications system in New Zealand can help you decide if school leavers and job applicants have the right skills for your job vacancy.
The National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA)
The National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) is New Zealand's main secondary qualification.
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Robust quality assurance processes
NCEA is registered on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF). This means NZQA is satisfied that it meets certain standards for robustness of assessment processes, consistency of standards, rigour of reviews, and relevance to the needs of all sectors of New Zealand society.
As a consequence, employers can be assured it is quality assured, and that when someone presents an NCEA as their qualification, it has integrity, meaning and value.
New Zealand Record of Achievement (NZRoA)
The NZRoA is a valuable tool for evaluating prospective employees for a job, because it is comprehensive and detailed, and shows what students can do.
Any prospective employee that has sat NCEA and gained credits on the NZQF has a New Zealand Record of Achievement (NZRoA). This lists all of their achievements to date.
Employees will add to their NZRoA as they complete other training for qualifications or credentials listed on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework. Training could be done on the job, or through an education provider such as wānanga and Te Pūkenga.
Find out more about the New Zealand Record of Achievement
Find out more about the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF)