ITP Quality

ITP Quality is an independent committee of ITP New Zealand Inc. and operates under formal delegated authority from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. The role of ITP Quality is to provide external quality assurance of courses offered in the ITP (Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics) sector. ITP Quality has well established procedures and guidelines for accreditation of institutions, and approval of courses.

ITP Quality uses a network of professional panel leaders and teams, who have had extensive experience in the ITP sector, to provide it with advice and guidance on matters to do with course quality.

ITP Quality sees its prime function as fostering a culture of continuous improvement in quality throughout the ITP sector in New Zealand.

Overview

ITP Quality is the body through which the government ensures that the education programmes delivered by the institutions legally known as Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics are of an acceptable standard.

ITP Quality is an independent standing committee of ITP New Zealand Inc., with its own secretariat. It operates under delegation from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA). ITP Quality operates the authority delegated to ITP New Zealand by NZQA under Section 260 of the Education Act 1989. ITP Quality was established in 1991 and has been operating the delegation since January 1993. It is responsible for approving ITP courses (under S258 of the Education Act) and accreditation (under S259) of ITPs to deliver courses and to assess against unit standards registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF).

ITP Quality has also been granted the authority from NZQA to audit ITPs and regularly audits all ITPs for compliance and effectiveness against 12 academic standards.

Relationship with NZQA

NZQA is the government agency responsible for, among other things, approving education courses and accrediting providers to deliver courses. Its jurisdiction covers all secondary schools and tertiary providers, whether public or private, with the exception of the universities, which come under a different authority. NZQA audits ITP Quality to ensure that it operates in an effective and appropriate manner.