Outdoor instructor qualifications explainer.

We get questions from people unsure about what we are doing and where we fit in the context of training and assessing for Outdoor Instructor Qualifications

The Level 4 and 5 Outdoor Instructor Strand Qualifications that AdventureWorks delivers are The National Qualifications owned by NZQA and formally managed by Skills Active.

There are a lot of changes that have happened in the last two years regarding the way vocational training and qualifications are managed, developed, monitored, reviewed and funded.

One of the biggest changes that will have a direct impact to workplace training and assessment has been the shift of responsibilities for qualification development, monitoring, moderation and review from Skills Active to Toi Mai.​

The qualifications we provide sit within a National Framework that involves key government organisations that oversee all aspects of these qualifications.

There are three main organisations that are involved ( brief description of these organisations below)

• Toi Mai, Workforce Development Council, 
• NZQA, Manages what qualifications are available and who can provide them 
• TEC, Prioritises qualifications and provides funding

Adventure Works meets the registration, compliance and auditing needs of all of these organisations. 

These Qualifications have been designed by our industry, for our industry. We are on a mission to provide solutions that work for the sort of businesses that need these qualifications. We know what works and what doesn’t work because we are an operational business subject to the Adventure Activity Regulations

We are looking for organisations that we can work with to help meet their training, qualifications and verification of competence needs.

We have developed this table that compares us with Skills Active and NZOIA

Download pdf comparison table

​Below is a brief description of the key organisations that we are accountable to for delivery of qualifications

Toi Mai 
Toi Mai took over a large portion of what skills active used to do earlier this year.All of the work that skills active did with developing qualifications, resources, moderation, unit standard and qualification reviews has been transferred to Toi Mai Which is one of six Workforce Development Council’s

WDCs work with their industries to develop and maintain a strategic view of the skills their industries require now and in the future. They translate these needs into expectations of what the vocational education system will deliver. Education and training providers – Te Pūkenga, Private Training Establishments (THATS ADVENTUREWORKS) and te Wānanga - will be expected to respond to these expectations.

WDCs will set standards, develop qualifications and help shape the curriculum of vocational education. They will moderate assessments against industry standards and, where appropriate, set and moderate capstone assessments at the end of a qualification. 
WDCs will endorse programmes that lead to industry qualifications prior to them being approved by NZQA. This includes programmes that are work-based (such as apprenticeships), on-campus or online.

NZQA
NZQA is responsible for the quality assurance of non-university tertiary training providers.
develop, register and support the New Zealand Qualifications Framework
- information about qualifications
- information about what knowledge and experience holders of qualifications can be expected to have
- information about what further education and/or employment opportunities the qualification leads to.
New Zealand qualifications framework
The objective of the NZQF is to provide assurance that all tertiary qualifications listed are of a quality that is recognised and trusted worldwide. The NZQF is maintained by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA).

Tertiary education commission
The TEC is responsible for funding all post-compulsory education and training offered by universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, wānanga, private training establishments, foundation education agencies, industry training organisations and adult and community education providers. The TEC will also oversee the implementation of the Tertiary Education Strategy and associated set of priorities.