What Employers Want - Know Where Your Qualification Fits on the NZ Qualification Framework

Maximize your career potential with a clear understanding of the NZ Qualifications Framework (NZQF). Learn how it can help you make informed study choices, potentially save time and money, and position yourself advantageously in the job market. This guide walks you through the NZQF levels, their implications, and how they relate to your career progression.

Updated 29 May 2023

Summary:

Checking the NZ Qualifications Framework (NZQF) could save you time and your 'study money' because you'll be starting at the right place and could prevent you from 'over-studying'.
Our guide is published to help you understand the workings of the NZQF and its implications for your educational journey and career prospects.
We explain how to leverage the NZQF to streamline your career path, save time and money, increase your competitiveness in the job market, and understand the different NZQF qualification levels and how they correspond to various career stages and job requirements.
Our guide is designed to help you make an informed decision about your study, whether you're a Year 13 student, a school leaver, a university student, or a professional seeking a career shift.

NZQF Explained:

What is the NZQF?

The NZQF is a measurement system which benchmarks specific skills and knowledge so that everyone understands what skill set or knowledge a person with certain qualifications is likely to have developed. The NZQF is administered by our NZQA which explains how qualifications (Level 1 to Level 10) can be achieved in different settings including the workplace and education institutions where learners can achieve in ways most suited to their educational, work or cultural needs and aspirations. The levels on the NZQF explains what level you have been able to achieve in various settings, educational and industry.

The NZQF explains the difficulty, complexity and depth of diplomas or degrees at various Levels starting from;

Level 1 (most basic) - certificate L1 demonstrates very basic knowledge up to
Level 10 (most advanced) - for advanced doctorate or PhD students who would be making substantial, independent and original research.

The NZQF, monitored by NZQA, is fundamental to many levels of NZ’s education system and compares us to internationally recognised standards. The NZQF allows us to plan lifelong learning to increase our potential through professional development and acquiring qualifications.

Who Uses the NZQF

Employers and industries use the NZQF to find and filter potential candidates with skills and required qualifications for an advertised position or job vacancy. Employers might prefer certain levels of the NZQF.
The NZQF explains the levels of certificates, diplomas or degrees and also postgraduate study qualifications on the NZQF website (also, see other helpful links below).
Private training providers, Te Pūkenga, Te Wānanga and universities all deliver courses ranging from Levels 1 -10 from our NZQF. Recognising where these fit into the NZQF is important before enrolling in certificates, diplomas and also after getting a bachelor's degree at postgraduate level.
As an example, a Level 3 Certificates tend to be the final school year, entry vocational and tertiary pre-degree courses. The Uni or training provider websites show the NZQF level of qualification as a number from 1-10 so you will know where to start the qualification pathway at the correct entry point/level, and end up at achieving your ultimate career goal.
Now we look at how a Certificate qualification can vary:

Certificates - Did you know there are more than 4 levels of Certificate in our 10 level NZQF?

Researching our NZ Qualifications Framework explains how a Level 1 Certificate requires basic knowledge up to a Level 4 Certificate which requires students to apply and demonstrate skills and knowledge.
For example, some cooking certificate qualifications start at Level 2, others at Level 3 and then at Level 4.
After a Certificate, the next level up is a more specialised, detailed skill requirement of a Diploma. However, passing some Certificate courses at an institution could allow you to start a Bachelor’s degree at the same organisation. With the right entry requirements, you could start at the Diploma level as your entry point.

What about School Leavers?

School leavers can enter varying levels of Certificate or Diploma depending on how many NCEA subject credits earned at school. Certificate courses have entry requirements ranging from Open Entry (to anyone), to some courses needing NCEA level 1.
‘Entry requirements’ vary depending on the provider and you can check their website or make direct contact by email or phone. As a general rule, with NCEA Level 2 most school leavers can enter most Diploma courses. School leavers with a University Entrance qualification are eligible to start their study at Level 5 of our NZQF which equates to the first year of a bachelor's degree, unless a particular degree has higher specific requirements such as a BEng(Hons).
Many University students can graduate with a bachelor's degree after a minimum 3 year degree then generally try to find work in an area related to their degree. However, many graduates choose to continue studying post graduate qualifications at level 7, 8 or above.

What if I have no qualifications and left school a long time ago?

You can be included in the NZQF and in this case you need to talk to a Polytechnic, Te Pūkenga, Te Wānanga or Private Training Establishment (PTE). Universities have special programmes and foundation courses for students over 20 years of age wanting to return to University. Your work experience or any on-the-job training may favour your entry into courses, in some cases. Some courses can be offered online.

The diagram below shows the NZQF from StudyWith NZ .

Are you at University? Understanding NZQF during and after a Bachelor's degree

After graduating with a bachelor's degree at Level 7, if you want to undertake more study, have a look at the level of post-graduate courses on the NZQF and the Uni website. If you already have a degree but want a career change or want to work outside of the scope of your degree then post-graduate study might help get you into a career area you want.

Gaining a Certificate after graduating with your degree is possible. There are Certificate courses at Level 7 called Graduate Certificates and at Level 8 they are Postgraduate Certificates. The Careers Website explains these levels and also the even higher Postgraduate Honours and Diplomas (L8), Masters (L9) and Doctoral (L10) degrees.Many students work full or part-time while undertaking their postgraduate qualifications and some employers assist with time allowance or part/full payment of fees.

Considerations for Tertiary Students before embarking on more study;

Will an honours (level 8) or master’s (L9) degree improve the chances of entering an organisation where you want to work or help you gain promotions?
Do you want to widen your skills and knowledge beyond your degree majors?
In a four year period, are you better to undertake a double/conjoint degree* or invest time and money in postgraduate study at a higher level in the NZQF, say postgraduate certificate/diploma (L8)? What about doing an honours degree (L8)?
Is doing one degree and then shaping up qualifications/curiosity/interests with a postgraduate course which polishes a skill set into a favoured industry preferable to a conjoint degree? Four years is required for a conjoint degree which is the same time as a bachelor’s degree and a one year postgraduate certificate.
Achieving a double or conjoint degree may involve taking extra papers in one year, even taking summer school papers which may affect your ability to work for money during the holiday break.
Microcredentials, free online courses can be undertaken as evidence of self-teaching and independent learning (even though they may not appear on our NZQF, these might be worthy of note).
Some Universities offer 4 year degrees which are combined but they still only go to Level 7 in the Qualifications framework BASc and so are similar to conjoints.
When a graduate has too many unrelated subject combinations, a potential employer, at their worst, might get the impression of a confused and indecisive job candidate, who loves being a Uni student. Of course, the job interview can explain a breadth of interests and advantages of dual skill sets from both degrees.

Do I really need to invest my time and money to study more? Are there other ways I can broaden my skill set during my study?

Many degrees are offering more flexibility in their requirements allowing for students to study outside of their main area of study (major). Let’s say you are studying a finance major; at some universities, it is possible to study a few papers, say in psychology as part of your 3 year degree. The demand for this kind of degree flexibility has increased to cater for students’ wanting more varied choices.
Victoria University website states, under “Degree requirements'' for a BCom, “at least 210 points out of 360 points must be from courses listed. This means over 3 years a minimum 60% of BCom degree is required from the Commerce list of subjects.( Note there are other requirements at 200 (2nd year) or 300 (3rd year) level). Similarly, AUT are offering more flexibility in some of their degrees now as you can see on their degree builders.
Both universities show how some degrees offer extra flexibility to combine subjects from different degrees/subjects into one 3 year degree. So, before embarking on a longer double or conjoint degree, perhaps consider whether the regulations at your chosen university could allow you to study outside of traditional subjects for that degree.
With this kind of degree flexibility, is a conjoint or double degree really necessary? (Some degrees such as medicine or engineering are more prescriptive and do not allow such flexibility)
Adding another language to your degree could broaden your skill set. University of Auckland has a Certificate or Diploma of Language you could study concurrently with your chosen main degree.
Would you be better broadening your experience at tertiary with an overseas exchange programme offered at most Universities?
Incorporating work experience/culture into a degree programme (capstone project) is offered in most degree courses' final year and at AUT’s Integrated Learning Study is a significant part of students’ final semester work. This type of work experience is popular with students, enriching students’ learning and increases employability.
Consider applying for internships in the Uni holidays - see the Careers and Employability Centre of your Uni or go to internships websites - Prosple, NxtStep, Faculty specific and also ones targeting equity groups such as Tuputoa and Tupu Tai. There are also international or online internships available.
Join Clubs and take on positions of responsibility.
Start your own personal sideline/website/project while you are studying. You could create your own job.
Volunteer - Go to Volunteering NZ. Valuable work experience, a sense of achievement, sharing interests can be noted on a CV.
Work part-time and you may already be a subscriber to SJS Student Job Search in your area (if you are a tertiary student you are probably already working).

How much more money will further study increase your likely income?

We often hear that more education will improve your earning potential. Careers NZ have developed a very effective tool called the “Compare Study Tool'' shows how income is affected by the level of qualification in various industries in NZ. This tool is based on statistics that come from the general population.

We all know that there are outliers who have the highest qualification who have low incomes and also people with no qualifications who are millionaires but these types of earners tend to be in the minority. Generally, the table below shows how higher qualifications improve your statistical chances of higher income.

An example below shows how a postgraduate qualification in Nursing and Information Systems improves income.

NZ Salary Data for Nursing and Information System Jobs

Bachelors and Postgraduate qualifications in Information Systems incomes

Careers NZ Compare Study Option Tool (from Careers NZ website)
Use the drop down menu to compare qualification and income in different Industry areas in NZ (2022 inflation adjusted, median incomes based on what 2019-2022 employed graduates earned and may include part-time workers).

Summary - Investing in Tertiary Education is Your Time, Money and Effort

Tertiary education has costly fees and students sacrifice valuable earning time while studying. Answers to issues raised are many and varied and depend on many factors, firstly - how much a student loves learning, what type of graduate or skill set the industry or organisation demands, and availability of funds, how much they want to borrow from Studylink or spend on tertiary education. Know the NZQF and what level to enter before enrolling so that you maximise your advantage.

If you are considering tertiary study, discuss these issues with your trusted people or careers advisor when planning to enrol for tertiary study. Tertiary study can change your life so make it work for you.

*Conjoint degrees are where you are studying two degrees at once where there is more overlap and subjects taken can be credited to both degrees. A double degree is where you study two complete degrees together but with only some overlap. Rules around the combined degrees vary at each University and can be found on their websites.