We will be leading the consultation, design and development of a new qualification that will fulfil the requirements.

Through our engagement with Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service, we have identified an opportunity to respond to industry needs for a qualification to recognise business, leadership and communication skills at a higher level and to provide a stepping-stone for employees wishing to move from technically focused roles into supervision and leadership. It will sit between the current level 4 and level 6 offerings in the NZQA framework.

Having a robust qualification at Level 5 in Forestry will enable long-term learner success and career progression.

We will be leading the consultation, design and development of a new qualification that will fulfil the requirements.

Te Uru Rākau has conducted some initial engagement with industry and believe this would support the aims of increased retention and productivity, and improved education and employment pathways for forestry employees.

Their work to date suggests that a Level 5 qualification could include:

• Leadership and team building
• Health and safety
• Computer literacy
• Te Ao Māori
• Forest management
• The forestry value chain
• New innovations in technologies for forestry
• Land use classification/land use assessment

In addition, the focus of the design will be to facilitate work-based learning, online and bite sized learning as much as possible.

In order to develop a new qualification in the suite of existing qualifications, the key steps in the process are as follows:

• Identify the strategic need for the qualification – this is essentially the explanation of how the role fits into the industry, and the impact on industry of not having this role/skill set credentialled
• Undertake a skills profile analysis – this involves a workshop with subject matter experts to elicit what’s needed for the graduate outcomes - the Know, Do and Be of the role holder
• Confirm support of the qualification from industry stakeholders
• Identify whether there are existing standards that can be used to support a programme leading to the qualification, and/or if we should look at developing new standards
• Assemble the paperwork to get the approval process underway with NZQA.

The objective of the review and the proposed qualification solution is to ensure that the forestry qualification suite and delivery programmes are fit for purpose for the industry and meet regulatory requirements. A strong New Zealand Qualification suite is key to supporting high standards of conduct and professionalism across the industry and plays an important role in lifting public confidence in forestry professionals.

We are pleased to present for industry and public feedback proposed changes through a consultation document to be published on 10 October 2022.

For more information contact [email protected]