Registration of private training establishments

Together, the Guidelines for Registration of PTEs and the Policies and Criteria for Ongoing Registration of PTEs replace Quality Assurance Standard One and became effective on 1 September 2009.

The Guidelines for the Registration of Private Training Establishments (opposite) detail the initial quality assurance process required to ensure PTEs can offer education and training to the public.

The Policies and Criteria for the Ongoing Registration of Private Training Establishments (opposite) explain how NZQA ensures that registered PTEs continue to provide a sound and stable learning environment after their initial registration. This document also replaces QA Standard One for quality audits of PTEs from 1 September 2009.

Once a PTE has been registered it must show that it continues to comply with statutory policies and criteria for ongoing registration.

The benefits of registration

The purpose of these guidelines is to assist PTEs to apply for initial registration. The guidelines apply to all new applications for registration. The information can also be found in the Guidelines for the Registration of Private Training Establishments (opposite).

NZQA has the statutory responsibility to grant initial registration according to the requirements of the Education Act 1989 (sections 234, 235, and 236).

NZQA uses the registration process to ensure that only PTEs that are likely to continue to meet the statutory registration requirements and provide good educational outcomes are registered.

A private company does not have to be registered before it can provide education and training. However, here are some of the significant benefits that flow to a PTE as a result of registration.

• A PTE may enrol international students, providing it has NZQA approval for its courses (section 258 of the Education Act) and accreditation to provide the approved courses (section 259 of the Education Act). Please note that to enrol international students, a PTE also needs to be a signatory to the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students.
• A PTE must be registered to apply for course approval and accreditation, and only a registered PTE can be accredited to assess against standards on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF).
• Registration provides potential financial benefits to the PTE. Course approval and accreditation, and NQF accreditation, are prerequisites for a PTE's eligibility for government funding, usually but not exclusively through the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC).
• Student loans and allowances are available only to students doing approved and accredited courses that receive student component funding through TEC.
• Many PTEs choose to be registered because NZQA registration is perceived as a mark of quality.

Level of evidence

NZQA makes its decision on whether to grant an application for registration on a case-by-case basis. This involves a thorough assessment of the particular PTE to determine whether it has satisfied, or will satisfy, the statutory requirements.

Each applicant is responsible for providing sufficient and appropriate evidence to demonstrate it meets the statutory criteria for registration. These guidelines have been prepared to ensure applicants for registration understand fully what NZQA will be considering when determining whether a PTE can be registered (Section 236(1) of the Education Act 1989). They also show applicants what evidence must be produced.

To grant registration, NZQA must be satisfied an applicant has met all the statutory requirements and is a suitable body for registration.

It is the applicant's responsibility to meet the statutory requirements and provide any information that is critical to NZQA's decision. NZQA can only grant registration when it believes the applicant has provided sufficient proof that the requirements have been, or will be, met.

NZQA will ensure there are no unnecessary barriers to registration and will not impose unnecessary burdens of time and cost for those PTEs who wish to become registered.

Meeting statutory requirements

NZQA considers whether to grant PTE registration under sections 234-236 of the Education Act 1989. This recognises that a PTE that is in the process of development may not have met all the requirements at the time registration is sought.

Registration requires, however, that all requirements must be met within an agreed timeframe. Therefore, in many cases achievement of requirements within a specified time will be a condition of registration. The deadline for meeting statutory requirements will differ, depending on the requirement. To grant registration, NZQA must have a high degree of certainty that the statutory requirements will be met by the relevant time.

When making decisions that relate to PTE registration, NZQA must also take into account the objectives of the provisions relating to the government's Tertiary Education Strategy, which are set out in section 159AAA(1) of the Education Act.

NZQA needs to be certain that a PTE's governance and management functions will be undertaken with integrity and that they support the provision of high quality education and a sound and stable learning environment.

Diversity of the PTE sector

The PTE sector is very diverse. Providers range from small community organisations with a single educational focus to larger, more complex, commercially-based organisations providing multiple courses. NZQA expects that all applicants, irrespective of the nature of their provision or organisational structure, can offer quality education that meets their goals and objectives.

Each PTE will have unique characteristics, goals and objectives. The diversity of the sector will be one of the factors NZQA takes into account in its decision-making but it will not influence the level of proof required to grant registration.

Page updated: 01 September 2009