Seafood

From April 2023, we have been working with industry to review the suite of Seafood qualifications to ensure that they meet industry needs. We are taking a new approach based on partnering with industry, iwi Māori and vocational education providers to review and develop qualifications, standards, micro-credentials, in parallel with the programmes to deliver them.

Key steps: 

April 2023 - Expressions of Interest sent for industry, iwi Māori and vocational education provider representation.

May - June - Working and Steering groups are set up and meet online.

July - Seafood Qualification Review in person hui held in Nelson.

August - September - New qualification suite structures socialised with Working and Steering group members.

October - Consultation document and draft qualifications structures are developed and published.

November - Qualifications and Micro credentials and priority skill standards due to be submitted to NZQA.

December 2023 - January 2024 - NZQA publishes qualifications and micro-credentials and priority skill standards.

February - April 2024 - Skill standard development to replace existing unit standards as necessary.

 

Latest progress and next steps:

  • Three new micro-credentials at Level 2 have been submitted to NZQA. The purpose of these micro-credentials is to provide formal recognition of the entry level skills and knowledge required to enter a career in the commercial fishing, seafood processing or aquaculture sectors in New Zealand/Aotearoa. The micro-credentials provide a training framework for new or potential entrants into the Seafood industry, including seasonal workers, career changers and those not yet engaged in education, employment or training.
  • 280 existing Seafood-related unit standards have been rolled over (had their review date extended) to ensure that they continue to be available for assessment. This ensures that provision against the current qualifications can continue while we work on getting the new qualifications and related products online.
  • The Steering and Working Groups have reconvened to begin work in earnest on the micro-credentials and skill standards at Levels 3, 4 and 5. The micro-credentials will be designed so that they can stack within the proposed new qualifications, allowing for greater flexibility of delivery and allowing for different points of entry and exit for ākonga/learners. The skill standards will be designed to maximise skills transfer for learners, as well as clearly articulate the skills required of Seafood industry workers. The development of these products will rely heavily on Subject Matter Experts currently working in the industry.