Degree apprenticeships: What tertiary providers need to know

“Degree apprenticeships fuse the lecture theatre with the workplace. Apprentices are employees first and foremost. They earn a salary while working towards a degree, with much of their learning embedded in their day job.”

Summary. A degree apprenticeship is primarily an employment arrangement where the worker simultaneously completes a degree, with the bulk of learning occurring on the job rather than on campus.

Applicability. Use this when introducing stakeholders to the concept of degree apprenticeships or clarifying how they differ from traditional degrees with work placements.

“The key thing about degree apprenticeships isn't the name. It's the characteristics, which are: where the learning takes place (mainly in the workplace), what the learning involves (a mix of technical, professional and research skills), what the learner is doing (being in paid employment in their relevant profession or a related field).”

Summary. Three things define a degree apprenticeship: location of learning (workplace), nature of learning (technical, professional, and research skills), and learner status (paid employee). The name matters less than these qualities.

Applicability. Use this when assessing whether an existing programme qualifies as a degree apprenticeship or designing a new one from scratch.

“Don't think of degree apprenticeships as a bolt-on option. You need to make sure that they're treated as a mainstream delivery mode. Timetabling and assessment design can't be left to work around the dominant pattern of on-campus learning.”

Summary. 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.

Applicability. Use this when reviewing institutional readiness or governance endorsement, especially if the programme is being considered as a pilot add-on to existing degrees.

“You'll be more reliant on employer capacity than you might initially anticipate. Making sure you're prepared to help employers step up with high-quality placement design, mentorship, and supervision will be crucial.”

Summary. Employer capacity to provide quality placements, mentorship, and supervision is a central dependency for degree apprenticeship success, and providers typically underestimate this reliance at the outset.

Applicability. Use this when scoping employer engagement strategy or estimating provider resource requirements for supporting employers throughout delivery.

“Mission and distinctiveness: They deliver on access, equity and regional development priorities while clearly demonstrating that degrees create work-ready graduates. That's a clear differentiator in a crowded market.”

Summary. Degree apprenticeships strengthen a provider's strategic position by delivering on access, equity, and regional development — key priorities that also differentiate the institution in a competitive market.

Applicability. Use this when building the internal business case or seeking governing body endorsement for a degree apprenticeship initiative.

“New and diversified demand: You reach school-leavers who need income or might be reluctant to take on student debt, and learners that traditional on-campus, full-time delivery often misses.”

Summary. Degree apprenticeships open access to learner segments that full-time on-campus study typically excludes — including income-dependent school leavers and those averse to student debt — creating new enrolment pipelines.

Applicability. Use this when modelling the market opportunity or demonstrating equity benefits to funders and policymakers.

“Has your governing body formally endorsed degree apprenticeships as aligned with your organisational strategy? Degree apprenticeships can require significant organisational change. You might need to redesign existing processes and systems, and commit resources over an extended, multi-year period.”

Summary. Formal governing body endorsement is necessary because degree apprenticeships require sustained, multi-year institutional change including system redesign and resource commitment.

Applicability. Use this when assessing governance readiness before committing to programme development or investment planning.

“Do degree apprenticeships align with regional workforce needs, industry priorities, and your equity and Te Tiriti commitments? Degree apprenticeships succeed when they respond directly to employer demand and regional skills shortages.”

Summary. Programmes must align with real regional workforce needs and equity obligations, including Te Tiriti commitments for Māori, Pacific, women, and underrepresented groups.

Applicability. Use this when selecting priority sectors or geographies for a degree apprenticeship, or when conducting an equity impact assessment.

“Have you established employer demand and confirmed that sufficient apprenticeship opportunities exist to sustain a programme? Without enough employers offering apprenticeships, programmes risk being too small or unsustainable.”

Summary. Confirmed employer demand for apprenticeship placements is foundational; without critical mass, the programme will be too small to sustain operationally or financially.

Applicability. Use this when deciding whether to proceed to programme design, and when setting the minimum viable cohort size for funding viability.

“Does your organisation have staff with expertise in work-integrated and apprenticeship-style learning, or access to training advisors to support employers and learners? Degree apprenticeships are the most intensive form of work-integrated learning.”

Summary. Degree apprenticeships require specialist WIL expertise, either in-house or via contracted training advisors. Without this, providers will struggle to blend on-job and off-job learning effectively.

Applicability. Use this when auditing staffing capability or scoping the need for external partnerships with work-based learning specialists.

“Can your student management and academic support systems handle employer-driven recruitment, multiple start dates, flexible study patterns, and dual employee–student status? Traditional systems are often designed for full-time students on a single annual intake.”

Summary. Existing student management systems are typically built for single-intake, full-time students. Degree apprenticeships need systems that support rolling enrolments, employer-led recruitment, and dual employee–student status.

Applicability. Use this when conducting a technology readiness assessment or planning system upgrades for degree apprenticeship administration.

“Have you mapped the programme to NZQA approval requirements and ensured it meets professional body accreditation (where relevant)? Any degree apprenticeship must meet NZQA's approval standards for programme quality and graduate outcomes.”

Summary. Before launching, the programme must be mapped to NZQA approval requirements and, where applicable, professional body accreditation standards. This shapes curriculum design and assessment from the outset.

Applicability. Use this when beginning programme design or accreditation planning, especially in regulated professions such as nursing, social work, or engineering.

“Have you modelled funding arrangements (TEC eligibility, employer contributions, learner fees) and potential costs? Programmes leading to qualifications at level 5 and 6 on the NZQCF may attract the lower 'work-based' funding rate (no such distinction is applied to programmes at level 7).”

Summary. Providers must model the full funding mix — TEC subsidies, employer contributions, and learner fees — before committing to a degree apprenticeship. Level 5 and 6 programmes may attract a lower work-based funding rate than level 7.

Applicability. Use this when preparing a financial viability assessment or investment plan submission to TEC.

“Is your organisation prepared to invest staff time and resources to support apprentices and employers over the full programme duration? Apprenticeships typically span three to four years and require intensive relationship management.”

Summary. Degree apprenticeships run for three to four years and demand sustained staff capacity for employer and learner support throughout. Providers must plan this into their resourcing model from the start.

Applicability. Use this when calculating the ongoing operational cost of delivery, including account management and pastoral support roles over a multi-year horizon.

“Are you prepared to adapt your model if the government introduces new rules or funding settings for degree apprenticeships? Degree apprenticeships currently have no special legal status in New Zealand, but this may change.”

Summary. Degree apprenticeships have no dedicated legal framework in New Zealand yet. Providers must build in the capacity to adapt if new policy or funding settings are introduced, without disrupting enrolled learners.

Applicability. Use this when developing risk registers or governance frameworks for the programme, particularly for decision-making about programme launch timing.

“ALIGN: Ensure that increased work-integrated learning fits well with your organisational strategy and mission. Work with employers and system agencies to align standards, funding, and regulation with industry demand.”

Summary. In the Align phase, the provider's primary role is strategic: confirming that degree apprenticeships fit the institutional mission and engaging with employers and agencies to align standards, funding, and regulation.

Applicability. Use this when briefing senior leadership or the governing body on their responsibilities within a degree apprenticeship initiative.

“Recruit and onboard for the apprentice, and align policies, integrate existing training, and consider partnerships with other employers. Recruitment pipelines and workforce diversity/equity goals. Fit-for-purpose contracts, policies, and pay/progression pathways. Onboarding, pastoral support, and performance frameworks for learner-employees.”

Summary. HR teams bring workforce planning, equity goals, and policy expertise. Understanding their motivations — such as retention and diversity targets — helps providers frame degree apprenticeships as meeting employer operational needs, not just educational ones.

Applicability. Use this when preparing for initial employer engagement meetings or designing a stakeholder consultation process.

“Coach apprentices day to day, plan meaningful work, give feedback, and protect time for study. Reliable capacity on the floor and quality work output. Clear training plans, assessment timelines, and support from the provider. Time and recognition for coaching/mentoring. Simple processes for feedback and problem-solving.”

Summary. Workplace managers and supervisors are critical delivery partners. They need clear training plans, manageable administrative processes, and recognition for their mentoring role — without these, their buy-in will be fragile.

Applicability. Use this when designing supervisor onboarding, assessing workplace capacity, or planning how to reduce the administrative burden on day-to-day supervisors.

“You won't get every partnership right the first time. You'll need to test designs with employers, and refine timetables, assessment, and supervision until it works well. Working through professional bodies and industry associations will help you validate need and demand and amplify your impact on policymakers.”

Summary. Providers should expect iterative refinement of employer partnerships, timetabling, and assessment design. Using professional bodies and industry associations to validate the model accelerates this process and builds policy credibility.

Applicability. Use this when setting stakeholder expectations during the first cohort or pilot, particularly around programme iteration and quality improvement cycles.

“We will co-design the programme so that the curriculum, rotations, and projects reflect your workplace. Workplace evidence, including observed practice, supervisor sign-offs, client feedback and a jointly governed capstone, counts for credit alongside academic work, mapped to graduate outcomes and any registration.”

Summary. Providers should frame degree apprenticeships to employers as a co-designed programme where workplace evidence — not just academic work — counts for credit, directly mapped to graduate outcomes and professional registration.

Applicability. Use this when preparing an employer value proposition or drafting initial partnership communications for prospective employer partners.

“You will have a single front door: a named Employer Account Lead and training advisors who support mentors, with light-touch admin, e-portfolios and dashboards. Quality assurance is shared and auditable, aligned with NZQA and professional bodies, and backed by MoUs on release time, supervision and escalation.”

Summary. Employers need a single, named contact (Employer Account Lead) supported by training advisors, light admin, and clear QA frameworks. MoUs should confirm release time, supervision, and escalation arrangements.

Applicability. Use this when designing employer relationship management structures or drafting MoU terms with partner organisations.

“An earn-and-learn pathway where a person is employed and concurrently completes a recognised degree, with the majority of learning planned, supervised, assessed and credentialled in the workplace. Degree apprenticeships involve study from level 5 (including New Zealand Diplomas), undergraduate degrees (diplomas and bachelor's degrees) or postgraduate level (Honours and master's degrees).”

Summary. The Guide's own glossary definition: a degree apprenticeship is an earn-and-learn pathway where a person is in paid employment while completing a recognised degree at any level from 5 to postgraduate, with the majority of learning occurring and being assessed in the workplace.

Applicability. Use this when providing a precise, citable definition of degree apprenticeships in reports, policy submissions, or programme documentation.

“Degree apprenticeships are employment; apprentices must be paid at least the adult minimum wage. The training minimum wage doesn't apply to degree apprenticeships.”

Summary. Degree apprentices are employees and must receive at least the adult minimum wage — not the training minimum wage. This is a legally significant distinction that affects employer cost calculations and learner protections.

Applicability. Use this when advising employer partners on their pay obligations, or when ensuring that training agreement fee and pay clauses comply with employment law.

“You can talk to our degree apprenticeship champions to support your alignment conversations: Hana Cadzow, Principal Lecturer, Otago Polytechnic. Mike Crossan, Strategic Advisor, Open Polytechnic. Emmolina May, Academic Staff Member, Toi Ohomai. Brenden Mischewski, Managing Director, Mischewski Consulting.”

Summary. A network of Degree Apprenticeship Champions — from Otago Polytechnic, Open Polytechnic, Toi Ohomai, and consultancy — is available to support providers navigating the system and making the right connections with employers and agencies.

Applicability. Use this when a provider needs guidance on where to start, or when identifying peer institutions that have practical degree apprenticeship experience in New Zealand.

“Is the funding model sustainable? What is the mix of TEC funding, tuition, employer contributions, and learner costs, and how will you fund the start-up costs (new engagement and teaching and learning models)?”

Summary. Before committing to a degree apprenticeship, providers must stress-test the full funding mix — TEC subsidies, tuition, employer contributions, and learner costs — plus the start-up investment for new systems and engagement models.

Applicability. Use this when conducting the initial go/no-go assessment for a degree apprenticeship programme or preparing a business case for leadership.

“Can we meet our equity, Te Tiriti and learner support obligations? How will we enable access and retention for women, Māori, Pacific peoples and others, provide regional delivery, ensure academic and pastoral supports and measure progress and outcomes for continuous improvement?”

Summary. Providers must demonstrate how they will actively enable access for Māori, Pacific, women, and other underrepresented groups, including regional delivery and robust pastoral support, before launching a degree apprenticeship.

Applicability. Use this when designing the equity framework for a programme or reporting to TEC on equity commitments in an investment plan.

“Do we meet regulatory and accreditation requirements? How will the programme align with the standards of the relevant professional body, quality assurance standards and NZQA guidance on work-integrated learning?”

Summary. Regulatory and accreditation readiness must be assessed early: the programme must align with professional body standards, NZQA quality requirements, and WIL-specific guidance before design begins.

Applicability. Use this when scoping a degree apprenticeship in a regulated profession or preparing for NZQA programme approval submissions.

“Do we have sufficient workplace capacity and quality assurance? How many placements are available, what supervision/training-advisor model will we use, and how will we ensure safety, wellbeing, and consistent assessment across sites?”

Summary. Before proceeding, providers must know the number of available placements, their supervision model, and how consistent, safe assessment will be maintained across multiple employer sites.

Applicability. Use this when assessing whether employer partners can provide sufficient and quality-assured workplaces, or when planning the supervision and moderation model.

“Is curriculum and assessment designed 'from the job outward'? How are graduate profile outcomes mapped to real work, and can learning be modularised? How will RPL/RCC be handled, what is the on/off-job balance, and what will the capstone/portfolio assessment look like?”

Summary. Curriculum design must begin with real work tasks and map backward to graduate profile outcomes. The balance between on-job and off-job learning, RPL/RCC processes, and capstone design must all be resolved before delivery.

Applicability. Use this when beginning curriculum design workshops with employers, or when reviewing whether an existing programme can be adapted for a degree apprenticeship.

“Is there genuine employer demand? Which roles, how many apprentices over how many years, and which employers will commit (e.g., MoUs) to co-design, co-assessment, and supervision?”

Summary. Genuine employer demand requires specific commitments: which roles, how many apprentices, over what period, and formal commitment to co-design, co-assessment, and supervision — not just expressed interest.

Applicability. Use this when moving from preliminary employer conversations to formal partnership arrangements, requiring employers to specify their level of commitment.

“99% say that degree apprenticeships positively influence the performance of their businesses. 89% credit degree apprenticeships with improving staff retention. 84% say that degree apprenticeships contribute to diversifying their workforce.”

Summary. Survey evidence from employers shows near-universal agreement that degree apprenticeships improve business performance, with particularly strong results in staff retention and workforce diversity — making them a compelling business case for employer partners.

Applicability. Use this when making the employer value proposition or presenting to prospective employer partners who are weighing the business case for hosting apprentices.

“82% say that degree apprenticeships facilitate their career progression. 80% say that they are able to bring academic knowledge and skills into their workplace. 78% say that degree apprenticeships have been helpful in giving them the knowledge they need to excel at work.”

Summary. Apprentice survey data shows strong outcomes for career progression, workplace knowledge application, and career performance — evidence that the earn-and-learn model delivers tangible learner benefits.

Applicability. Use this when communicating programme value to prospective learners or when demonstrating learner outcomes to TEC or professional bodies.

“Have critical roles in the industry been identified that require both theoretical knowledge and practical experience? Degree apprenticeships are ideally suited to occupations that sit at the intersection of technical complexity and operational responsibility.”

Summary. Market validation should begin by identifying roles that genuinely require both deep theory and practical application — the intersection of technical complexity and operational responsibility — as these are the sweet spot for degree apprenticeships.

Applicability. Use this when scoping a new sector for degree apprenticeships and determining which specific occupational roles are the best fit for the model.

“Data from the 2018 Census shows that while construction managers are a growing occupational group, only around 20% hold qualifications at level 5 or above despite the increasing complexity of the roles they perform. This signals both a shortage of qualified professionals and a potential misalignment between job demands and workforce capability.”

Summary. In construction management, only 20% of workers hold qualifications at level 5 or above despite roles growing in complexity. This underqualification gap is exactly the type of evidence that justifies a degree apprenticeship pathway.

Applicability. Use this when building a market needs case for a degree apprenticeship in construction or infrastructure, or as a template for applying similar workforce data analysis to other sectors.

“Half of all jobs in New Zealand are with 2,200 businesses. Examples include Health NZ, KiwiRail, NZ Police, NZDF, Transpower, Air New Zealand Tech Ops, NZ Post, Fonterra, Watercare, Tier-1 contractors (Downer, Fulton Hogan, Fletcher).”

Summary. The strongest degree apprenticeship opportunities are in sectors dominated by a small number of large employers — such as health, defence, rail, energy, and Tier-1 construction contractors — because cohort numbers and commitment levels are more predictable.

Applicability. Use this when selecting priority employer partners for an initial degree apprenticeship, particularly when assessing the likelihood of sustaining a viable cohort.

“Stronger: regulated professions (Teaching Council – teachers; SWRB – social work; Nursing Council; HPCAA allied health, such as medical imaging, paramedicine, occupational therapy).”

Summary. Regulated professions with mandatory professional registration — teaching, social work, nursing, allied health — are strong candidates for degree apprenticeships because the degree is a de jure requirement, creating a clear business case for both employer and learner.

Applicability. Use this when assessing sector suitability for a degree apprenticeship, especially in health and social services where professional registration creates built-in demand for the qualification.

“A single undergraduate or graduate-level qualification. These are the most common types of degree apprenticeships, like the Bachelor of Construction Management and the Bachelor of Engineering Technology. A concurrent dual technical and undergraduate qualification. A foundation on-campus year or initial period of study that prepares degree apprentices with the critical technical skills they need to be productive once they start employment.”

Summary. Degree apprenticeships can be organised as a single degree, a concurrent dual qualification combining trades registration with a degree, or with an initial on-campus foundation year that builds core skills before work-integrated delivery begins.

Applicability. Use this when advising a provider on which qualification structure best suits their employer partners' needs and the entry skills of prospective apprentices.

“Degree apprenticeships offer a significant opportunity to address longstanding equity gaps in higher education by providing a more accessible, practical, and financially sustainable pathway to a degree. For many women, Māori, Pacific Peoples, disabled learners, and older adults, traditional full-time study presents barriers.”

Summary. Degree apprenticeships can shift equity outcomes by creating community-embedded, earn-and-learn pathways that are financially accessible and practically orientated — particularly valuable for Māori, Pacific, disabled, and older learners.

Applicability. Use this when developing the equity rationale for a programme or demonstrating how a degree apprenticeship advances TEC's equity priorities.

“For the ConCOVE pilots, we established implementation groups that brought together employers, industry associations and tertiary education provider staff. These conversations help establish whether the degree apprenticeship model aligns with their business goals and operational realities.”

Summary. The ConCOVE pilots used joint implementation groups — combining employers, industry associations, and provider staff — to test whether the degree apprenticeship model matched industry needs before committing to full programme design.

Applicability. Use this when setting up co-design groups for a new degree apprenticeship sector or proposing a governance structure for a pilot programme.

“Most undergraduate students engage in some form of work. For those employed in relevant roles, the opportunity to use their experience on the job as part of their learning is likely to be very appealing.”

Summary. Most undergraduate students are already working, meaning a significant existing cohort is available for degree apprenticeship conversion if providers design pathways for transition into a work-integrated mode.

Applicability. Use this when identifying initial cohorts for a degree apprenticeship or making the case to an employer for upskilling current employees through the programme.

“In some cases, regulatory bodies may have rules that restrict learners from being in paid employment while training, particularly in fields where independence, impartiality, or supervision requirements are tightly controlled, such as architecture, healthcare, or law. These rules can conflict with the core degree apprenticeship principle of 'earn while you learn'.”

Summary. Some regulated professions — architecture, health, law — have rules that prohibit or restrict paid employment during training. Providers must engage regulators early to negotiate safeguards before committing to a degree apprenticeship in these sectors.

Applicability. Use this when scoping a degree apprenticeship in a regulated profession, particularly health, law, or architecture, to identify whether the earn-while-you-learn model is permissible.

“If you are an SME, we can broker rotations across your supply chain or sector to make hosting feasible.”

Summary. Small and medium employers that cannot provide sufficient breadth of experience alone can participate through provider-brokered rotations across the supply chain or sector — making degree apprenticeship hosting feasible for a much wider employer base.

Applicability. Use this when engaging SME employers who are interested but concerned about their capacity to provide a complete learning experience for an apprentice.

“Degree apprenticeship / WIL majority: The majority of learning at work, ~1 day/week off job or block release; tripartite agreement formalises roles. Employed throughout. Dual assessment (workplace and academic) against GPOs/standards; calibration is rigorous.”

Summary. Degree apprenticeships occupy the highest intensity position on the WIL spectrum: the majority of learning occurs at work, off-job study is approximately one day per week or equivalent block release, and dual assessment is rigorously calibrated against graduate profile outcomes.

Applicability. Use this when explaining to curriculum designers or academic staff how degree apprenticeships differ from internships, practicums, or co-op programmes, and what assessment rigour is required.

“Work with employers, industry associations and professional bodies to make sure that the graduate profile outcomes align with industry expectations of people in employment. Align the graduate profile outcomes with authentic workplace tasks. Define what evidence from work will demonstrate each outcome.”

Summary. Each graduate profile outcome must be mapped to specific, authentic workplace tasks, with explicit definitions of what evidence from work will demonstrate attainment — this is the foundation of the curriculum.

Applicability. Use this when running a GPO mapping workshop with employer partners, or when reviewing whether an existing programme's outcomes can support workplace-based assessment.

“Look to redesign your course structure so it's disaggregated by breaking courses into discrete modules, micro-credentials and assessment standards like industry competency frameworks and professional standards.”

Summary. Course structures should be broken into discrete, recognisable competency modules or micro-credentials, aligned to industry and professional standards, to make workplace-integrated assessment viable and transparent.

Applicability. Use this when redesigning course structures for a degree apprenticeship or evaluating whether existing courses need to be modularised to support incremental workplace evidence collection.

“Shift assessment to the workplace, making more use of portfolios, supervisor attestations, observations, professional conversations and capstone assessments. Involve workplace supervisors and industry experts in assessment and adapt your moderation plans accordingly.”

Summary. Assessment must shift substantially to the workplace, with portfolios, attestations, observations, and capstone projects. Supervisors and industry experts must be actively involved in assessment, requiring updated moderation plans.

Applicability. Use this when redesigning assessment frameworks for a degree apprenticeship or preparing moderation plans that incorporate workplace assessors.

“You'll need to consider dedicated account managers for employers, apprenticeship coordinators for the programme as a whole and academic advisors with portfolios of apprentices and workplace supervisors.”

Summary. Three distinct roles are required: employer-facing account managers, programme-level apprenticeship coordinators, and academic advisors who hold portfolios of individual apprentices and their supervisors.

Applicability. Use this when designing the staffing model for a degree apprenticeship or calculating the full-time equivalent (FTE) cost of delivery support roles.

“Look at what you can reasonably apply from the Code of Good Practice for Apprenticeships. This code also helps you navigate the interface with the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021.”

Summary. Providers should apply the Code of Good Practice for Apprenticeships to their degree apprenticeship model, and use it to navigate the interface with the Education (Pastoral Care) Code 2021 to ensure learner wellbeing obligations are met.

Applicability. Use this when developing the learner support and pastoral care framework, or conducting a compliance review of student wellbeing obligations for employed learners.

“Think about supervisor induction. Depending on your model, you might contract these staff as practitioner educators and/or offer specific professional development.”

Summary. Workplace supervisors need structured induction to their assessment and mentoring role. Depending on the model, providers may contract supervisors as practitioner educators and provide formal professional development.

Applicability. Use this when designing the employer onboarding process or deciding whether and how to formalise workplace supervisors as part of the academic assessment team.

“Degree apprenticeships are an opportunity to lift the engagement of employers, industry associations and professional bodies. Think about how your advisory group structure might evolve.”

Summary. Degree apprenticeships create an opportunity to deepen employer, industry association, and professional body engagement through an evolved advisory group structure that moves beyond traditional programme advisory committees.

Applicability. Use this when designing the governance structure for a degree apprenticeship programme or strengthening existing industry engagement mechanisms.

“Degree apprenticeships normally require full-time paid employment, which most student visa holders cannot meet (student visas generally allow up to 20 hours/week in term time). It may be possible for people who hold an Accredited Employer Work Visa to be enrolled in a degree apprenticeship; however, this study must be required by the employer as part of their employment.”

Summary. International students on standard student visas cannot participate in degree apprenticeships due to the full-time employment requirement. Only those on an Accredited Employer Work Visa may be eligible, and only if study is employer-required.

Applicability. Use this when assessing admission eligibility for prospective learners who may be on student visas, or when advising international employer partners about which of their employees can participate.

“Training agreements — A legally binding agreement between the employer, apprentice, and tertiary education provider that creates the apprenticeship relationship and sets the ground rules. It's like a terms and conditions document.”

Summary. The training agreement is a legally binding tripartite contract that creates the apprenticeship relationship and establishes the rights and obligations of the employer, learner, and provider. It is the foundation of the entire arrangement.

Applicability. Use this when drafting or reviewing the training agreement template, or when explaining to employer partners what they are committing to when signing.

“Training plan — A living document that maps the degree curriculum to real work, sets the rotation/learning schedule, evidence requirements, assessment tasks, and support arrangements. It maps out how you'll deliver the learning.”

Summary. The training plan is a living, updatable document that translates the curriculum into specific workplace tasks, rotations, evidence requirements, and assessment timelines. It must be updated as the apprenticeship progresses, not treated as a static schedule.

Applicability. Use this when developing the training plan template, or when reviewing an existing plan at a tripartite review to ensure it reflects the current learning trajectory.

“Typical contents: Parties and roles. Paid release time principle. Health, safety and wellbeing duties. Privacy/data-sharing. IP/confidentiality. Fees/costs. Misconduct and dispute resolution. Termination/withdrawal/variation clauses.”

Summary. The training agreement must address parties and roles, release time, health and safety, data privacy, IP, fees, and dispute resolution. Each element protects all three parties and creates a clear operational framework.

Applicability. Use this when developing or auditing a training agreement template to ensure all legally and operationally essential clauses are present.

“Typical contents: Learning outcomes mapping; on-the-job tasks/projects. Rotations/placements. Supervisor(s) and supervisory arrangements, including in vulnerable contexts. Off-the-job hours schedule. Assessment timeline. Evidence types (logs, observations, portfolios). RPL/RCC history and credit granted.”

Summary. The training plan must specify how graduate outcomes map to workplace tasks, rotations, supervisors (including for vulnerable contexts), off-job hours, assessment timelines, evidence types, and any RPL/RCC credits granted.

Applicability. Use this when building the training plan template or briefing supervisors and academic advisors on what a completed plan should contain.

“There are currently no minimum standards or requirements for a training agreement or training plan for a degree apprenticeship in New Zealand. You will have agreed the specification for each document with employers in advance, and you will each actively contribute to and sign off on these documents.”

Summary. Because New Zealand has no mandated minimum standards for degree apprenticeship training agreements or plans, providers bear full responsibility for defining these documents in collaboration with employers. This is both a risk and a design opportunity.

Applicability. Use this when advising providers on the importance of robust template development, and when explaining why peer benchmarking or sector-level standards are valuable even in the absence of regulation.

“The legally binding agreement between apprentice, employer and provider that establishes the apprenticeship relationship, roles, duties, data-sharing, fees/costs, and dispute/variation clauses.”

Summary. The training agreement is the legal contract that creates the apprenticeship relationship and governs all three parties' rights and responsibilities, including data sharing, fees, and dispute resolution.

Applicability. Use this when explaining to employer or learner partners what the training agreement is and why it is legally significant.

“Quality assurance steps that align judgments across assessors (provider and workplace) to ensure consistency and fairness.”

Summary. Calibration and moderation are the QA mechanisms that ensure assessment judgements are consistent and fair across both provider and workplace assessors — essential when assessment is distributed across many sites.

Applicability. Use this when designing the moderation plan for a degree apprenticeship, or when explaining to academic governance why additional QA steps are required for workplace-based assessment.

“CPL / RPL / RCC (Credit for Prior Learning / Recognition of Prior Learning / Recognition of Current Competency): Processes that credit existing knowledge and skills, so apprentices don't repeat learning they can already evidence.”

Summary. RPL/RCC processes credit what a learner already knows and can do, so they don't repeat learning unnecessarily. This is particularly important for degree apprenticeships where employer-nominated existing staff may hold significant prior competency.

Applicability. Use this when designing the RPL/RCC process for an existing-staff cohort, or when explaining to employers why RPL is a key part of the admissions process.

“Define what evidence from work will demonstrate each outcome. Work through the privacy and intellectual property implications for what information you seek to collect and how you use it.”

Summary. Before collecting workplace evidence, providers must resolve IP and privacy implications — including what can be redacted, how sensitive commercial information is stored, and whether employer permissions are needed — to protect all parties.

Applicability. Use this when drafting the IP and data-sharing clauses of the training agreement, or when designing the evidence submission process for the e-portfolio system.

“You need to be explicit about the work-based learning pedagogy you use and how you'll ensure the reliability of assessment and quality assurance of work-based learning.”

Summary. The reliability of workplace-based assessment is a primary quality risk: without explicit pedagogy, moderation plans, and assessor standards, judgements across different employer sites may be inconsistent and lack credibility.

Applicability. Use this when designing the QA framework for workplace assessment, or when addressing NZQA's quality assurance requirements in a programme approval submission.

“Regulated practicums / clinical / teaching placements: Mandatory supervised practice with specified hours/ratios and site standards. Not necessarily employed (often supernumerary). Competency checklists, logbooks, OSCEs/observations; external standards; strict moderation. Health, education, social work—where councils/authorities prescribe.”

Summary. Regulated practicums (e.g., nursing, teaching, social work) sit just below degree apprenticeships on the WIL intensity spectrum. Unlike apprenticeships, the learner is typically not employed (supernumerary) and assessment is governed by external professional authority requirements.

Applicability. Use this when explaining to academic staff or programme designers how degree apprenticeships differ from existing regulated practicums, and what additional assessment structures are needed.

“Stages: Discover and Apply, Screening, Dual admissions, Agreements and Plan, Onboarding (week 1–2), Early ramp (week 3–6), Week 6 fit check, Term cycles (10–12 weeks), Breadth and rotations, Capstone assessment, Completion and progression.”

Summary. The swim lane maps what each party — apprentice, employer, and provider — does at each stage of the apprenticeship journey, from initial discovery through to completion and professional registration. It provides a shared operational picture for all stakeholders.

Applicability. Use this when designing or reviewing the end-to-end operational model for a degree apprenticeship, or when onboarding new employer partners who need to understand the full journey.

“Week 6 fit check: Learner: Reflect on progress. Employer: Suggest changes. Adjust workload and rotations. Provider: Confirm supports.”

Summary. A structured three-way check at week 6 identifies early problems with workload, rotations, or support arrangements before they become serious, allowing adjustments to the training plan without affecting momentum.

Applicability. Use this when designing the monitoring and early intervention schedule, or when setting expectations with supervisors and apprentices about when the first formal review will occur.

“Degree apprenticeships require the apprentice to hold both a job and a place in a degree programme. A good recruitment and application process supports this dual requirement, ensuring that candidates are selected through fair, transparent, and coordinated procedures.”

Summary. Admission to a degree apprenticeship is a dual decision — the employer offers a job and the provider offers an academic place — and both must be coordinated to ensure the selection process is fair and transparent for candidates.

Applicability. Use this when designing the recruitment and admissions process, or when explaining to prospective apprentices why they must apply to both the employer and the provider.

“Group Training Scheme: Handles initial recruitment, assessment and matching with host employers before passing candidates on to the tertiary education provider. A centralised model that ensures consistency and streamlines the experience for learners and employers, making it well-suited for people new to the industry.”

Summary. A Group Training Scheme acts as a centralised broker, recruiting and assessing candidates first, then matching them with host employers before handing over to the provider. This model works especially well for school leavers and those new to the industry.

Applicability. Use this when designing the recruitment model for an industry sector with multiple small-to-medium employers, or when considering how to reduce individual employer recruitment burden.

“Go it alone: Employers can nominate their own staff to develop their careers and qualifications through degree apprenticeships. This works well for existing employees who are already embedded in the organisation and ready to upskill into higher-level technical or professional roles. It also reduces recruitment effort, ensures cultural fit, and supports workforce development goals within the business, but it may require sound systems for recognising current competency.”

Summary. Employers can use degree apprenticeships as an internal workforce development tool by nominating existing staff, reducing recruitment effort but requiring robust RPL/RCC systems to recognise prior competency.

Applicability. Use this when advising an employer partner who wants to upskill their existing workforce rather than recruit new entrants, and when planning RPL assessment processes for experienced workers.

“How it runs: Four days per week on the job, one day per week off-job. Learning is organised around work, and evidence is captured as it is developed.”

Summary. The standard delivery pattern for a degree apprenticeship is four days per week in the workplace and one day per week in off-job learning. Evidence is captured continuously during work rather than accumulated at assessment points.

Applicability. Use this when advising employers on how much protected study time they must provide, or when explaining the on/off-job ratio to timetabling staff and curriculum designers.

“It is essential to start with an understanding of the competencies that need to be demonstrated. It is preferable to define these competencies with a higher level of resolution than the graduate profile outcomes required for qualifications normally allow.”

Summary. Effective degree apprenticeship assessment starts with granular competency definitions that go beyond the standard resolution of NZQA graduate profile outcomes, often by referencing UK-style knowledge, skills and behaviours frameworks or professional registration standards.

Applicability. Use this when developing the assessment framework, or when explaining to academic staff why standard GPOs may need supplementary competency descriptors for workplace evidence to be reliable.

“Some examples include: Oral and Discussion-Based Assessments, Simulation and Practical Task Assessments, Work-Based Evidence and Portfolio Assessments, Knowledge and Scenario-Based Testing.”

Summary. Degree apprenticeship assessment draws from four broad categories — oral/discussion, simulation, work-based portfolios, and knowledge testing — each of which can be adapted to integrate workplace evidence.

Applicability. Use this when selecting assessment methods for specific graduate profile outcomes, ensuring the chosen methods are practicable for employed learners and acceptable to academic governance.

“Work-based report: A work-based project is a capstone-style assessment where the apprentice undertakes a significant, authentic project in their workplace towards the end of the apprenticeship.”

Summary. The capstone work-based report is a culminating authentic project conducted in the workplace, demonstrating the integrated achievement of programme outcomes. It is typically completed near the end of the apprenticeship and assessed against graduate outcomes.

Applicability. Use this when designing the capstone assessment for a degree apprenticeship, or when briefing employer partners on the release time and project scope they need to support for the final assessment.

“Direct Workplace Observation: A trained assessor (from the provider or workplace) visits the apprentice in their working environment to observe them performing real tasks in real time.”

Summary. Direct workplace observation by a trained assessor — either from the provider or the employer — is a formal assessment method that captures authentic performance in real working conditions, providing high validity for competency demonstration.

Applicability. Use this when planning site visits for assessment purposes, or when establishing the credentials and training required for workplace assessors who conduct observations.

“Academic Staff (Provider): Universities and training providers typically assign academic tutors or coordinators to oversee the apprentice's progress and ensure academic requirements are met. In some models 'work-based academic tutors are the keystone of successful degree apprenticeship delivery'.”

Summary. Academic tutors or coordinators are the central connective role in degree apprenticeship delivery — linking the provider's academic requirements with the apprentice's workplace learning and supporting both the learner and the workplace supervisor.

Applicability. Use this when designing the academic advising model or scoping the FTE requirement for academic tutors with work-based learning responsibilities.

“Workplace Supervisors (Employer): Employers designate experienced employees to mentor apprentices on the job. The workplace mentor's role is to provide daily guidance, ensure the apprentice learns requisite practical skills, and foster the apprentice's professional development within the company.”

Summary. The workplace supervisor is the employer's designated experienced employee who provides daily mentoring, ensures practical skill development, and supports the apprentice's professional growth within the company.

Applicability. Use this when defining the supervisor role in training agreements, or when designing the supervisor preparation programme.

“Account managers: Business to business marketing and engagement are a critical element of degree apprenticeships. It isn't something that you can leave to chance because it is a foundation of an environment that supports the apprentice's success.”

Summary. Account managers are responsible for the ongoing B2B relationship with each employer partner. This role is essential — not optional — because the quality of the employer relationship directly shapes the environment in which apprentices succeed or struggle.

Applicability. Use this when designing the employer relationship management structure, or when justifying the resourcing of a dedicated account management function to senior leadership.

“Industry Advisors: In some cases, additional support roles bridge the gap between academia and industry, and can act as effective intermediaries. Industry training advisors (common in New Zealand's traditional apprenticeship system) or sector-specific mentors can provide an outside perspective to ensure the apprenticeship delivers industry-relevant experience.”

Summary. Industry training advisors — familiar from New Zealand's traditional apprenticeship system — can act as effective intermediaries between providers and employers, providing sector expertise and an independent perspective on apprenticeship quality.

Applicability. Use this when considering whether to engage industry training advisors as part of the delivery model, particularly in sectors where the provider lacks deep industry relationships.

“Term cycles (10–12 weeks): Attend tripartite reviews, do–learn–reflect and submit assessments. Employer: Provide tasks mapped to outcomes. Sign off, verify and assess evidence. Provider: Teach and assess, run reviews and monitor progress.”

Summary. Every 10–12 weeks, a tripartite review brings together the apprentice, employer, and provider to check progress, submit and sign off evidence, and ensure tasks continue to map to learning outcomes.

Applicability. Use this when designing the ongoing monitoring cadence or setting expectations with employers and apprentices about the review schedule.

“Adopting employer and apprentice-friendly calendars. Time your off-job learning opportunities, so they take place in regularly scheduled blocks or provide for a day-release (a regular day each week) arrangement.”

Summary. Off-job learning must be scheduled in predictable, regular blocks or consistent day-release patterns so that employers can plan rosters and apprentices can protect their study time without operational disruption.

Applicability. Use this when working with academic scheduling teams to redesign the academic calendar for degree apprenticeship delivery, or when negotiating release time arrangements with employer partners.

“Vetting employers and workplaces for minimum standards relating to exposure to a range of learning opportunities, supervision, apprentice support and health and safety.”

Summary. Providers must actively vet employer workplaces against minimum standards for learning breadth, supervision quality, apprentice support, and health and safety — not just accept any employer who expresses interest.

Applicability. Use this when developing the employer due diligence process or designing the employer readiness checklist that precedes formal MoU signing.

“Regular apprentice–employer–provider meetings to monitor progress, adjust the training plan and resolve issues early.”

Summary. Tripartite reviews are the primary governance mechanism for monitoring apprentice progress, keeping the training plan current, and catching issues early — all three parties must attend.

Applicability. Use this when setting up the tripartite review schedule or explaining to stakeholders why all three parties must be present at progress reviews.

“A culminating, workplace-anchored piece of work that demonstrates the integrated achievement of programme outcomes.”

Summary. The capstone is the culminating workplace-based assessment that demonstrates integrated achievement across all programme outcomes. It is typically completed near the end of the apprenticeship.

Applicability. Use this when explaining the capstone assessment to employer partners or academic staff who are unfamiliar with how it differs from a traditional final exam.

“Two linked decisions: the employer hires (or nominates) the apprentice AND the provider admits them to the degree, with both decisions coordinated in time and consistent in selection criteria.”

Summary. Dual admissions means the employer hiring decision and the provider's academic admission decision are linked, coordinated, and consistent — both parties assess the candidate against complementary but aligned criteria.

Applicability. Use this when designing the recruitment and admissions process, or when explaining to HR teams at employer partners why their hiring decision must be coordinated with the provider's admissions timeline.

“As part of recruitment, the training provider may check what skills or knowledge the candidate already has from past work or study. If they can prove it, they won't need to repeat that part of the degree.”

Summary. RPL/RCC assessment should be built into the recruitment and admissions process — not added on later — so the training plan can be accurately calibrated to the apprentice's actual starting point from day one.

Applicability. Use this when designing the screening and diagnostic assessment process for degree apprenticeship recruitment, especially for experienced-worker cohorts.

“The government saves around $4,700 each year for each degree apprentice compared to an on-campus student, and benefits from more people in employment contributing to the tax base and avoiding the costs of time out of the labour market.”

Summary. Each degree apprentice saves the government approximately $4,700 per year compared to a traditional on-campus student, through reduced direct costs and increased tax contributions from employed learners — a compelling argument for public investment.

Applicability. Use this when making the funding case to government or TEC, or when building a return-on-investment argument for degree apprenticeships in a policy submission.

“Businesses: Degree apprenticeships are associated with higher staff retention and higher productivity, because staff are applying new skills that they've largely developed on the job to actual problems in businesses.”

Summary. The employer-side case for degree apprenticeships is built on measurable outcomes: higher staff retention and productivity. Providers should systematically collect this data to sustain employer engagement and funding arguments.

Applicability. Use this when designing the programme evaluation framework or negotiating the reporting commitments that employer partners will make in MoUs.

“Learners: Degree apprenticeships increase access, particularly for older learners who are much less likely to enrol in higher-level programmes, people who live in areas without easy access to a campus and for whom taking on student loan debt is a disincentive.”

Summary. Degree apprenticeships significantly expand access for older learners, regional learners, and those deterred by student debt — three groups that traditional higher education consistently fails to reach.

Applicability. Use this when designing access and participation metrics for the programme, or when reporting to TEC on equity and access outcomes.

“Tertiary education providers: Degree apprenticeships increase resilience and strengthen connections to industry. This means that providers can hedge against changes in the economic cycle by offering options for people in employment and those out of the workforce.”

Summary. Degree apprenticeships create countercyclical enrolment options: when the economy contracts, employed learners may remain enrolled even as traditional student enrolments fall, providing revenue and mission stability.

Applicability. Use this when making the strategic case for degree apprenticeships to a governing body, particularly in institutions at risk of demand volatility.

“Access: Completion rate: percentage of apprentices completing each year. Age: Participation by age group. Regional development: Participation by learners in areas away from main campuses. Opening doors: Participation by people with no prior tertiary achievement. Pathways: Participation by people with lower-level qualifications.”

Summary. Providers should track completion rates, age distribution, regional participation, first-in-family access, and progression from lower-level qualifications — these metrics demonstrate the equity and access value of degree apprenticeships.

Applicability. Use this when designing the data collection and reporting framework for a degree apprenticeship programme, or when setting performance commitments in an investment plan.

“Achievements: Collating data on employer results: retention rates, examples of productivity improvements or innovation.”

Summary. Collecting employer-side outcome data — including retention rates, productivity improvements, and innovation examples — builds the evidence base needed to sustain and grow employer partnerships.

Applicability. Use this when designing the employer reporting framework or annual review process for existing degree apprenticeship partners.

“Presenting at industry conferences about the work that you're doing. Joining the local and international networks we've identified earlier in the document. Establishing internal communities of practice or establishing national ones either on a discipline, sub-sector or national basis. Developing a programme of research that'll help you rigorously interrogate and interpret the evidence you're collecting about what works.”

Summary. Once a degree apprenticeship is running, providers should actively grow its impact through conference presentations, communities of practice, policy engagement, and research — building sector leadership and influencing system design.

Applicability. Use this when planning the second year of a degree apprenticeship programme or developing a growth and dissemination strategy.

“Finances: Savings to the Government: Tracking the cost efficiency of the option. Earnings: Monitoring the earnings of degree apprentices. Resilience: Calculating the contribution to your bottom line of provision that is 'countercyclical'.”

Summary. Financial sustainability tracking should include government cost savings, apprentice earnings trends, and the countercyclical contribution to the provider's revenue — building a comprehensive financial case for continued investment.

Applicability. Use this when preparing an annual financial review of a degree apprenticeship programme, or when reporting to funders on the programme's value for money.

“Mā te huruhuru ka rere te manu — Adorn the bird with feathers and it will fly. Co-design the kaupapa: ensure degree apprenticeships are grounded in Māori aspirations, values, and models of success. Create pathways into iwi-led industries: degree apprenticeships can strengthen succession in sectors such as infrastructure, trades, environmental management, and hauora.”

Summary. Iwi partnerships should ground degree apprenticeships in Māori aspirations and create explicit pathways into iwi-led industries like infrastructure, trades, environmental management, and hauora — not simply increase Māori enrolment numbers.

Applicability. Use this when engaging iwi partners in programme co-design or when designing cultural safety and Māori success frameworks for a degree apprenticeship.

“O le ala i le pule o le tautua — The pathway to leadership is through service. Design for relationality: build learning journeys that reflect Pacific values—family, community, respect, and service. Strengthen cultural safety: ensure providers and employers understand Pacific learners' contexts and embed inclusive practices.”

Summary. Degree apprenticeships for Pacific learners must be designed around Pacific values — relationality, family, community, and service — not simply adapted from existing programmes. Cultural safety requires active embedding, not assumption.

Applicability. Use this when co-designing a degree apprenticeship with Pacific community organisations, or when reviewing the cultural safety provisions in an existing programme.

“Nothing about us, without us. Apply the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to both curriculum and workplace learning. Co-design with disabled learners and advocates—not just 'consult'. Ensure accessibility of systems—application, enrolment, course materials, workplace environments.”

Summary. UDL principles must be applied to both the educational and workplace components of a degree apprenticeship, and disabled learners and advocates must be genuine co-designers — not passive consultees — of the programme.

Applicability. Use this when conducting an accessibility audit of a degree apprenticeship programme or when designing the disability support provisions in a training agreement.

“Shift from learner deficit to institutional accountability—the burden of inclusion should not rest on the learner. Partner with iwi and Māori organisations to ensure Te Tiriti is upheld through governance, pedagogy, and learner support.”

Summary. Inclusion in degree apprenticeships must be driven by institutional systems and accountability — not by placing the burden of navigating barriers on learners. Te Tiriti obligations must be embedded in governance, pedagogy, and support, not just stated in policy.

Applicability. Use this when reviewing equity and inclusion frameworks, or when preparing governance documents that articulate the provider's Te Tiriti obligations.

“Employers: Co-educate, don't just employ. Train supervisors and managers in cultural safety, disability awareness, and inclusive supervision. Co-create work experiences that reflect diverse worldviews and accommodate different learning styles.”

Summary. Employers must go beyond simply providing jobs — they must actively train supervisors in cultural safety and disability awareness, and co-create work experiences that reflect diverse worldviews and learning styles.

Applicability. Use this when setting expectations for employer partners in MoUs, or when designing the supervisor preparation and professional development programme.

“Industry Skills Boards, Professional Bodies, and Industry Associations: Equity in access and outcomes: are Māori, Pacific peoples, and disabled peoples represented and supported throughout the programme? System-level insights: are there policy, regulatory, or funding settings that need adjustment to support inclusive degree apprenticeship delivery?”

Summary. Industry Skills Boards and professional bodies should actively monitor equity in access and outcomes across degree apprenticeship programmes, and use their system-level position to advocate for policy, regulatory, or funding changes that support inclusive delivery.

Applicability. Use this when engaging with ISBs or professional bodies as governance partners, or when designing the terms of reference for a programme advisory committee.

“Engagement principles: Engage early and maintain regular communication. Observe appropriate tikanga Māori (protocols). Think about reciprocity. Treat engagement as part of a long-term relationship. Tailor your approach.”

Summary. Effective partnership engagement requires five principles: early and regular communication, respect for tikanga Māori, reciprocity, a long-term relationship orientation, and a tailored approach for each partner.

Applicability. Use this when designing the partnership engagement framework or preparing staff for initial community and iwi engagement conversations.

“Learners and whānau: Your voice isn't an add-on. It's a source of design insight, quality assurance, and leadership. Ask questions about cultural safety and accessibility when considering a degree apprenticeship programme or employer.”

Summary. Learner and whānau input is not a consultation formality — it is a substantive source of design insight and quality assurance data. Cultural safety and accessibility must be tested from the learner's perspective, not just designed by institutions.

Applicability. Use this when designing learner feedback mechanisms, quality assurance processes, or cultural safety reviews for a degree apprenticeship programme.