Student loan criteria questioned

By ADAM GIFFORD

The way courses qualify for student loan funding is being challenged by the manager of IT training company New Horizons, Mark Douglas.

The Ministry of Education will not approve students loans unless a course passes quality assurance criteria set by the Qualifications Authority (NZQA).

Mr Douglas says the ministry and authority do not seem to recognise that the way IT qualifications are being gained is a world away from the traditional degree structure.

Many of the people coming through New Horizons are older people who want extra training or a career shift.

They want an intense burst of training which will give them sufficient qualifications such as A+, Microsoft-certified systems engineer (McSE) or certified internet webmaster (CIW), to get a well-paid job, he says.

They continue learning through on-the-job training or further short courses.

"Rather than spending three to four years at a university, these people keep learning and adding to their qualifications," Mr Douglas says.

People may pick a training provider based on whether they can get a student loan for the course and so may spend unnecessary time and money on courses padded out to meet the criteria.

Mr Douglas says one example is A+, a qualification developed by the United States-based Computer Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) to certify someone has entry-level IT skills.

New Horizons offers an intensive one-week course, after which candidates sit the internationally-standard exam.

There are, however, computer courses that are spread over longer periods and meet NZQA criteria that qualify for loans.

"My argument is we sell global certification, so if we can teach a person in five days what they need to get A+, they should be able to get a loan.

The Government would get four people qualified for what they're spending on one," Mr Douglas says.

He says people should be allowed to apply for a student loan if they gain the certification - in effect refinancing what they have paid for their studies at a lower rate.

NZQA communications manager Bill Lennox says the authority measures courses against set criteria, including whether they are well resourced and meet their stated aims and needs of stakeholders.

It is then up to the ministry to determine the size of loan it is prepared to make available for each course.

"We don't apologise for how stringent our criteria are - they're set by statute."

Mr Douglas says between NZQA and the ministry there is too much red tape.

"I had two people full-time trying to keep up with the paperwork. It's added cost without value."

New Horizons abandoned attempts to get NZQA approval for its CIW course, which is built around courseware from US company Prosoft.

"Being internet-based, things change very quickly.

"Every four months the courseware is revised and every 12 months it is fully rewritten," Mr Douglas says.