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Future Qualifications

Careerforce is undertaking a very busy programme of qualifications development, in response to the wide needs of our rapidly changing health and disability sector.

Qualifications are being designed to provide a range of pathways for trainees who are developing their careers in the health and disability sector

Qualifications Currently Under Development

 

 Advocacy (Level 5)

The National Certificate in Health, Disability, and Aged Support (Advocacy) (Level 5) has been registered with NZQA

It is aimed at advocates working under contract to the Health & Disability Commissioner’s Office, as well as managers of consumer advocacy agencies.

Click here to read more about this qualification.

Careerforce is currently finalising the delivery arrangements for this qualification. 

Health Assistants (Level 3)

The National Certificate in Health, Disability, and Aged Support (Health Assistants) (Level 3) with strands in Dietitian Assistance, Dental Assistance, Healthcare Assistance, and Rehabilitation Assistance has been registered by NZQA.

The qualification is designed to recognise the knowledge and skills required of health assistants working in a health, disability, or community setting. It has four strands:

  • Dietitian Assistance Strand
  • Dental Assistance Strand
  • Healthcare Assistance Strand
  • Rehabilitation Assistance Strand

The compulsory section of the qualification includes skills and knowledge relating to body structures and functions, changing health status, inter-disciplinary practice, lifespan stages, assistive equipment, cultural considerations, delivery models and quality systems.

The elective section of the qualification will enable trainees to select specific standards that support the requirements of their own work environment.

Click here to view the Health Assistants national qualification. 

 

Mental Health and Addiction qualification pathway

Careerforce has completed its review of the National Certificate in Mental Health Support Work (Level 4), and has successfully registered a new and improved qualification - the National Certificate in Mental Health and Addiction (Level 4) with optional strands in Addiction, Family/Whanau, and Kaupapa Maori. For more information on this qualification, click here. We are currently reviewing the review of the National Diploma in Mental Health Support Work (Level 6). 

As well as the new level 4 national certificate, Careerforce has revised the Foundation Skills and Core Competencies qualifications so they better met the needs of various sectors. This has resulted in the addition of three mental health and addiction elective unit standards. 

The revisions of these two qualifications, together with a new National Certificate and future changes to the National Diploma, will result in a meaningful and real career pathway that makes it easier for those unfamiliar with study to enter the sector, and enables those already in the sector to progress. 

National Diploma review

Since August 2010 Careerforce has been undertaking a review of the National Diploma in Mental Health (Mental Health Support Work) (Level 6), with assistance from an External Reference Group and a Polytechnics (ITP) Working Group.

During this review, sector feedback has indicated that a number of core topics/competencies are essential for experienced support workers and team leaders working within the mental health and addiction (MHA) sector.  Some of these competencies include advanced communication skills, research skills and cross-cultural competence, as well as knowledge of human development.  The polytechnic working group has indicated that they would be willing to recognize such topics for credit recognition purposes, to the extent of awarding one year off their various degrees; this would provide a clear pathway into degree study at ITPs, as well as giving more status and credibility to the Diploma.

In the course of 2011 other groups, such as the refugee and migrant and intellectual disability (ID) sectors, have communicated that they would also like to be included in the proposed diploma development.  They have indicated that the essential, or core diploma topics apply just as much to their senior workers and managers as to those in the MHA sector.  The various elective options within the Diploma could then meet their particular specialist skills and knowledge.

As a result of these developments, Careerforce now envisions a diploma model that is wider than just mental health and addiction; the so-called Core Diploma could include other streams, for example refugees and migrants, ID and disability.

In the next few months Careerforce will need to consult effectively with other  sector representatives to explore the feasibility of including them in the Core Diploma model.  If their particular needs can be met, then the result will be a flexible qualification with a range of pathways for the students/trainees. 

Orderlies

The National Certificate in Health, Disability, and Aged Support (Orderlies) (Level 3) has been registered by NZQA.

This National Certificate has been designed to recognise the knowledge and skills required by orderlies in the health, disability, and aged support sector.  The qualification covers skills required by orderlies to assist medical staff and managers; and transport patients, medical equipment, and supplies to and from wards and departments in medical facilities.

Click here to view the Orderlies national qualification.

 

 

Public Health Practice (Level 4)

This is a new proposed qualification for Public Health workers, and is based on the generic public health competencies developed by the Ministry of Health.

An electronic survey on the proposed qualification took palce in April and May 2010.

public health picClick here for a pictorial representation of the proposed National Certificate in Public Health Practice (Level 4)

public health findingsClick here to download a summary of the survey's findings

 

Senior Support (Level 4) and Team Management (Level 5)

The National Certificate in Health, Disability, and Aged Support (Team Management) (Level 5) and the National Certificate in Health, Disability, and Aged Support (Senior Support) (Level 4) have been registered by NZQA.

The development of these new qualifications resulted from sector requests for more tangible career pathways. Sector panels, originally from the Aged Care, Disability, and Home and Community sectors, worked with Careerforce to develop the core competencies required of supervisors and team leaders. The competencies have been converted into draft unit standards and qualifications, which recent e-Consults have supported.

Click here to view the Team Management national qualification.

Click here to view the Senior Support national qualification.

 

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