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              E M P L O Y E R   N E W S L E T T E R   |   A P R I L   2 0 2 0    
In this Issue
Offices closed at Level 3, but support continues
Fees free - statutory declaration
Proof of ID during COVID-19 lockdown
Resources updated with latest COVID-19 info

Welcome to your Careerforce April update
Kia ora

I hope that things are going as well for you and your teams as possible as the fight against COVID-19 continues.

In this edition, we wish to share some temporary changes to Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) requirements, which will help to support the effective enrolment of learners into Careerforce programmes while COVID-19 lockdown restrictions are in effect. These changes provide flexibility around training agreement identification and trainee signature requirements, and statutory declaration requirements for fees free. These changes will apply until further notice.

The essential workers of New Zealand have the admiration and thanks of all New Zealanders during these testing times.

Careerforce remains dedicated to supporting you today, and into the future.


Ngā mihi nui

Andrew Saunders
General Manager, Employer Services

Careerforce offices will remain closed during
COVID-19 Level 3, but support continues
New Zealand is due to move from level 4 to level 3 lockdown next week. Careerforce offices will remain closed for the duration of level 3 lockdown, which at this stage is expected to be a further two weeks. As an organisation, we are fortunate to have the IT infrastructure in place to support very effective remote working. Your regular contacts all remain available via their usual contact details, albeit not via face to face means. If there is anything we can do to support the commencement or continuance of your staff training, please let us know.

We are pleased to advise that the sending out of graduation certificates and welcome packs will resume next week. These activities were temporarily put on hold during the level 4 lockdown to allow essential service providers to focus on essential activities.
This temporary suspension of graduation certificates provided a good opportunity to remind trainees that they can access their NZQA Record of Achievement (NZRoA) for confirmation of completion, and to remind employers that trainees can provide their NZRoA as evidence of their qualification.

Click here or on the image to the right to download instructions on how to access an NZQA Record of Achievement.

 
Fees Free – Trainee Statutory Declaration
We acknowledge that during the Covid-19 lockdown, trainees may not be able to get their statutory declaration signed by an eligible witness.

The Tertiary Education Commision (TEC) recommends that trainees hold onto their statutory declaration until we are out of the lockdown, and at that time complete the signing of it by an authorised witness as per our emailed instructions.
Once signed, they can then scan/photograph, and email it to the TEC at: feesfreecheck@tec.govt.nz
It is important to note that as long as we receive your statutory declaration this calendar year, it will be processed for fees free.
 
Careerforce Training Agreements
Proof of identification during COVID-19 lockdown
The TEC recognises that, as a result of the COVID-19 restrictions, many learners are not able to provide certified copies of documents in the usual way.

In response, the TEC is temporarily allowing some flexibility in how a learners identity may be verified

These amendments enable us to verify a trainee or apprentice’s identity if they provide us with an electronic copy (i.e. scanned or photographed) of the relevant document, accompanied by a declaration from the trainee/apprentice that it is a true copy of the original.  There is flexibility around how they do this. e.g. The following information could be hand-written on a piece of paper and scanned or photographed and emailed to us with the relevant documents. It is important that the exact statement and fields below are used in any such declaration.
I certify that the attached is a true copy of the original document.
Signed: [print name and signature]
Date: [insert]
In addition, trainees/apprentices can still provide certified copies that have been certified by an authorised person if they already had them completed, or can do so within the Government’s COVID-19 response guidelines.
 
Trainee/Apprentice signatures during COVID-19 lockdown
Careerforce is accepting training agreements without a trainee or apprentice signature until further notice. This also applies to Gateway training agreements.  However, please note – we do require the employer’s or Gateway co-ordinator's signature. Once the COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted, it is not our intention to gain a signature retrospectively from the trainee/apprentice/student.  This should be considered as an exception, and only in instances where it is difficult to include the trainee signature.
Iportal user guides update
We recently updated the user guides for assessors and employers using the Careerforce iportal (online tool for viewing and submitting trainee information).  

Below is a summary of the changes. The user guides are available on the iportal login page. https://iportal.careerforce.org.nz/

Admin/ Employer Admin User Guide Changes:
1)     Wording changes in help and General Administration
2)     New screenshots have been replaced as required
3)     New section 'Can’t sign into iportal'
4)     Wording changes to Terminology section
5)     Wording changes to Navigation on the iportal section
6)     Modifications to the reports section
7)     Contact us section has been updated
8)     Changing roles section has been updated

Assessor’s User Guide Changes:
1)     Wording changes in help and General Administration
2)     New screenshots have been replaced as required
3)     New section 'Can’t sign into iportal'
4)     Wording changes to Terminology section
5)     Wording changes to Navigation on the iportal section
6)     Modifications to Assessor scope & assessor guides section
7)     Contact us section has been updated
8)     Changing roles section has been updated
 
Win a morning tea worth $100 for your team (after lockdown!)
Simply complete three questions correctly to be in the draw to win. The quiz closes on
6 May 2020. To enter, follow the link below:

Congratulations to Jackie Long at HealthVision in Auckland who won a morning tea from the last issue! Healthvision has highly trained, specialist nurses, caregivers and rehabilitation specialists caring for people in their own home.

Qualification Review update
As the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) appointed qualification developer for Health & Wellbeing qualifications, we are undergoing a major review of a number of qualifications. This is a requirement of the NZQA for all qualifications listed within the New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF), but is also good practice to ensure they remain fit for purpose.

1. Qual Review Social and Community Services L4 – Face-to-face meetings completed
Two of the three hui have been held: Auckland 12 March and Christchurch 19 March. The Wellington Hui scheduled for 25 March was converted into a video conference meeting due to the Covid-19 alert restrictions. Thank you to all who made time to attend the meetings. We’ll now start our analysis and develop recommendations.
2. Qual Review Cleaning L2 and L3 – Qualifications approved
We have received approval from NZQA for the revised qualifications. They are now published on the NZQF.

The credit values for Cleaning Level 2 remains the same while Cleaning Level 3 has increased from 40-50 credits to 45-50 credits. These qualifications have strengthened communications as a competency for cleaners, a feedback that came through strongly from stakeholders.

3. Qual Review Rehabilitation Support L4 – Preparing for NZQA submission
We have gathered attestations in support of the revised qualification. We are now preparing for NZQA submission.

4. Qual Review Peer Support L4 – NZQA submission completed
The documents were submitted to NZQA on 10 March. We shall update stakeholders once we hear back from NZQA.

5. Qual Review Addiction Studies L6 – Preparing for NZQA submission
We have gathered attestations in support of the revised qualification. We are now preparing for NZQA submission.

6. Qual Review Primary Care Practice Assistance L4 – Analysis and recommendation
We are collating all feedback and we’ll share the summary and recommendations for any changes required to the qualification. We’ll seek your feedback and attestation of support before submitting to NZQA.

7. Qual Review Public Health L5 – Preparing for NZQA submission
We have gathered attestations in support of the revised qualification. We are now preparing for NZQA submission.

Keep up to date! Visit the Careerforce website for more information about the Qualification Review.

Resources updated with latest information about COVID-19
Last month we developed some hand hygiene and infection prevention learning resources and made them available on our website for everyone to access.

These modules have now been updated following recent collaboration with the Ministry of Health. Hand hygiene has two great new videos - one graphically shows how soap and water breaks down and destroys the COVID-19 virus, and the other is about using gloves to prevent COVID-19 being transmitted. The Infection Prevention module has been updated with the latest information about COVID-19 and how it spreads. All the methods by which infections are spread are covered in this resource.

Enliven East Coast look after extremely vulnerable elderly in the community. Their Quality and Risk Co-ordinator expressed her thanks for our resources.

How fab the online learning tool is for handwashing and infection control. I am getting all 73 of our support workers to complete the resources to reinforce their training and skills.”
“A number of our support workers are training their elderly clients in the “proper” way to wash your hands.”

We encourage you and your staff to take time to work through the modules. Good hand hygiene and effective infection control are regarded as essential to preventing the spread of COVID-19.  Click on the image above or 'read more' to access the modules.
Careerforce to no longer request ‘progress’ literacy and numeracy assessments
Currently, if trainees score below the threshold on their ‘initial’ literacy and numeracy assessments (Step 3 and below for literacy/Step 4 and below for numeracy), they are required to complete ‘progress’ assessments at the end of their training programme. This was a TEC requirement, designed to identify any literacy or numeracy gain over the training period as a result of teaching practice. 

In discussion with TEC, they acknowledge that progress assessments are just one way to evaluate the success of your teaching practice on trainees’ literacy and numeracy.   

So, we will no longer send reminder emails or login codes for the progress literacy and numeracy assessments. 

However, if you wish to have particular trainees re-assessed for literacy or numeracy at the end of the training programme, please contact:

Cushla Wilson,
Literacy and Numeracy Advisor
04 550 2426 | 027 838 9512 | 0800 277 486

Initial assessment criteria for literacy and numeracy assessment remains the same:
All trainees who do not already have a tertiary qualification at Level 3 or above, achieved in the English language, must complete a literacy and numeracy assessment at the beginning of their training programme.

Pay equity related enquiries
Qualification related enquiries (for purposes of pay equity) were due to be transitioned to the Ministry of Health from 1 April 2020.  However, due to the impact that Covid-19 is having at the Ministry of Health, and the subsequent diverting of resources, their service centre is not in a position to absorb these enquiries at this time.

Careerforce will continue to respond to pay equity enquiries until further notice.

While no new qualifications are being accepted for equivalency assessment, care and support workers can still qualify for pay equity via their qualifications. Your employees can either review the qualifications assessed as equivalent (listed here on the Careerforce website), or complete the Health & Wellbeing Level 2, 3 and 4 qualifications via a provider of their choice. Please advise your staff of their options.

We will continue to keep you up to date with any changes, or visit our website for details.
 
Popular links
Find out more about:
  • Careerforce Qualification Programmes >> More
  • Pay Equity Qualification Equivalencies >>More
  • Gateway and Vocational Pathways >>More
  • How to contact your local Careerforce Workplace Advisor >>More
 
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