Is alignment right for you?

What is Alignment?

It’s an assessment model that aligns your staff’s roles and core tasks to a nationally recognised NZQA qualification. This happens by recognising the naturally occurring evidence of day-to-day skills and knowledge in the workplace.

What does the process involve?

The first step is to align staff roles and core tasks to a suitable NZQA qualification. The qualification sets the benchmark for what evidence is required from your workplace. An Alignment Specialist from Skills will conduct the alignment (or gap-analysis) to see how evidence in your workplace stacks up against the qualification requirements. If any evidence gaps are identified, we will discuss options to bridge the gaps so that the qualification can be awarded.

What’s in it for your workplace?

Organisations that have put their staff through an Alignment process with Skills have reported:

• Their staff value obtaining a nationally recognised qualification, simply by providing evidence for the tasks they do at work.
• Increased staff productivity and engagement levels.Cost-efficient training – staff spend less time away from their jobs.
• Staff earn while they learn.
• A stronger employer brand, leading to improved recruitment and retention of high-quality staff.

Can all workplaces sign up to Alignment?

Yes, although some workplaces are better suited to the process. Go through the quick checklist below to see if Alignment is right for your workplace.

How long will the Alignment process take?

Each workplace is unique, but on average, the process is likely to take about 2 months to complete from when we receive the material requested.

What do I need to provide during the Alignment?

Examples of what may be required are:

• Staff Job Descriptions
• Training materials (if available)
• Key Performance Indicators
• Workplace documents such as reports, emails, letters, performance management reports, etc.
• We maintain privacy throughout the process. Skills can sign a confidentiality agreement with you.

Will I need to make changes to my staff’s workplace documents or training?

That’s up to you. Some workplaces see value in addressing the evidence gaps identified during the Alignment process. However, if you prefer not to, we can discuss other ways of meeting the requirements of the qualification.

How much time off work does this mean for my staff?

• We aim to use naturally occurring evidence to show how your staff meets qualification requirements. This means that in most cases,
• he process will be integrated into your staff’s day-to-day tasks in a seamless way.
• Staff will require a little time to put together their portfolio of evidence for assessment.
• Team leaders / Managers (the verifiers) will need to verify their staff’s evidence.
• All learner evidence needs to be signed off by an assessor. The role of the assessor is to make the final decision to say that the learner has met the qualification requirements. Some workplaces prefer to appoint an in-house assessor to do this, but Skills can provide other assessment options if this doesn’t work for you.
• We will support your verifiers and assessors throughout the process.

What happens after staff have gained their qualification?

We offer pathways across many qualifications, depending on the best fit for your workplace.

Quick Check: Is Alignment right for your workplace?

Alignments are best suited to workplaces that:

• Have a strong training, mentoring or coaching culture
• Have an interest in building staff capability across the business
• Encourage career progression
• Value employee engagement, productivity, and retention.