Beware veneer, look for merit

When it comes to quality assurance, you can't base your tertiary selection on the provider with the best TV ad or jingle.

So how do you wade through tertiary marketing waffle to find the information you really need, particularly with the proliferation of providers and courses around?

Approach your tertiary decision as you would a decision about any consumer product, says Chris Winstanley, New Zealand Qualifications Authority group manager of approvals, accreditation and audit.

"Shop around and do your homework," she says. "There is a tremendous amount of information around if you take the time and trouble to look."

She suggests starting with public websites, such as KiwiCareers and KiwiQuals.

"They are good because they are not trying to sell you anything," she says.

When it comes to tertiary advertising, look carefully at the wording, she advises: "Nobody can guarantee you a job. You need to think carefully about whether it is what you need or is a glossy hard sell."

Glossy marketing is definitely a worry with tertiary courses, says New Zealand University Students' Association member Andrew Kirton.

The association annually tracks tertiary marketing expenditure through AC Neilsen and has seen huge increases in spending over the past five years, he says.

Kirtob says: "I don't believe institutions have proof it works but it is a matter of everyone else doing it, 'so I must too'."

He says a Ministry of Education report on how students make tertiary choices placed marketing low on a list of influences. Socio-economic status, parents, academic achievement, schools, costs and subjects all took precedence.

Kirton would like to see a moratorium on advertising and more money put into career services and school career advisers.

"Tertiary marketing is now about branding when it should be about learning outcomes and career opportunities," he says.

Massey University's external relations director Rachel Donald says the university, like others, advertises to raise awareness about their courses, including their reputation and quality. Massey research indicates students make decisions on three things; course, location and reputation, says Donald.

"Looking at those three components, we have to advertise our courses," she says.

Massey's marketing often emphasises areas of excellence, such as agricultural education, small and medium business enterprise and teacher upskilling.

She says by highlighting strengths "we substantiate claims about quality".

Massey also highlights external international accreditation, such as the American Vet Association accreditation of the vet school.

One of the most valuable sources of information is other people; current and ex students and the employers within the industry, says Winstanley.

"ITOs [the industry training organizations] also have websites with lots of detail about training regulations and what employers want," says the NZQA's Winstanley.

She also emphasizes the importance of researching. The 'job outlines' section of KiwiCareers provides information about the type and level of qualification required for careers, listing the majority of New Zealand providers that deliver the courses.

KiwiQuals only lists qualifications on the New Zealand Register of Quality Assured Qualifications. You type in a subject or level of course and the site lists all the quality assured courses available in New Zealand. It is a useful way to compare levels, credits and outcome statements for similar courses.

Students can also use it to compare two courses that might vary hugely in costs, to see if they are gaining any more from a more expensive course.

According to Winstanley, it is best to find a registered and accredited provider with approval to run your chosen course. Most providers will indicate this in their advertising - but sometimes a provider can be registered yet not approved and accredited for every course they offer. A good rule of thumb is to ensure that you can get a student loan and/or allowance for the course, says Winstanley.

"To be eligible for loans and allowances, a private provider has to be externally quality assured."

She recommends qualifications with 'New Zealand' or 'National' within the title because this shows national recognition.

However, international courses such as Microsoft and City & Guilds will not be New Zealand-approved courses, yet are of high quality.

If you're worried about whether a provider is sound, try reading their audit reports, says Winstanley. The NZQA website publishes audit reports on private providers, including information on financial viability. University audits are published on the Academic Audit Unit of the New Zealand vice chancellor's committee website while ITPQ, a branch of the NZQA, audits most polytechnics.

"Take a look at the length of the audit cycle. Providers on short audits are either new or have had substantial change of direction or there is a question about their operations. A three-year audit cycle indicates a stable institution," says Winstanley.