Aotearoa New Zealand
Degree apprenticeships in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Four companion guides and a self-assessment tool. Pick the door that fits you.
New to the model? Read the plain-English overview first.
About the model
What is a degree apprenticeship?
A degree apprenticeship fuses the lecture theatre with the workplace. Apprentices are employees first. They earn a salary, and most of their learning is planned, supervised and assessed in the day job (Guide, p. 14).
The degree still meets NZQCF requirements. What changes is where the learning happens, who supervises it, and how it’s assessed (Guide, p. 14).
Providers must treat degree apprenticeships as a core delivery mode, redesigning timetables and assessment specifically for employed learners rather than adapting existing on-campus structures as an afterthought. (Guide, p. 15).
This site is
- • An independent home for the four ConCOVE guides.
- • A self-assessment you can use to see where your current model sits.
- • Free to read, free to use, no account needed.
This site is not
- • An accreditation, approval or funding decision.
- • An official government channel.
- • A substitute for advice specific to your organisation.
Four companion documents
Choose your doorway.
One guide per audience. Start with yours. The others are there when you need to look over the fence.
Degree apprenticeships: What tertiary education providers need to know
Universities, institutes of technology, polytechnics and PTEs.
A guide for tertiary education providers setting out how to design, accredit, and deliver degree apprenticeship programmes in partnership with employers. Covers the six-phase lifecycle (Align through Partner), including how to structure work-integrated assessment, manage employer relationships, support diverse learners, and build sustainable programme models. Full structured content is available in the readiness-builder guide library.
Read the guideDegree apprenticeships: What employers need to know
Business owners, HR managers, team leaders and training coordinators.
A comprehensive guide for employers covering how to assess organisational readiness, design a degree apprenticeship role, manage the dual admissions and recruitment process, set up training agreements and plans, support apprentices through delivery, track outcomes, and expand impact. Includes readiness self-assessment checklists, recruitment models, and partnership guidance across six phases.
Read the guideDegree apprenticeships: What learners need to know
School leavers and existing employees exploring an earn-and-learn degree pathway.
A practical, phase-by-phase guide covering everything a prospective or current degree apprentice needs to know — from deciding whether the model suits them, through to navigating the dual responsibilities of work and study, collecting workplace evidence, and contributing to the improvement of the programme for those who follow. Covers six phases: Align, Explore, Design, Deliver, Sustain, and Partner.
Read the guideDegree-level apprenticeships enabling framework
TEC, NZQA, Ministry of Education, Industry Skills Boards, professional bodies.
A systems-change analysis identifying the policy, practice, funding, relational, governance, and cultural conditions required to make degree apprenticeships mainstream in New Zealand. For each of six conditions it diagnoses current gaps, proposes quick wins, and outlines bolder reform steps. Draws on pilot experience and international comparisons (UK, Germany, Austria, France, Netherlands, Australia).
Read the guideSelf-assessment
See where your current model sits.
Answer a set of questions about your existing work-integrated learning. The tool shows you where you already meet the Code of Good Practice for Apprenticeships, where you don’t, and what a sensible next step might look like. It isn’t a go/no-go test, and it doesn’t score you.
- • Useful whether you’re curious or already committed
- • 10–15 minutes
- • Printable report at the end
- • No account needed
Provenance
Who wrote what.
The four source documents were written by Brenden Mischewski and published by ConCOVE Tūhura in 2025 under CC BY 4.0.
This website and the self-assessment tool are an independent adaptation of that work by Brenden Mischewski (Mischewski Consulting) and Eve Price (Solutionary).