› A Foundation For Progression: Graduate Profiles for Level 1 and 2 Qualifications

PROJECT

A Foundation For Progression: Graduate Profiles for Level 1 and 2 Qualifications

Supporting learners, Learner access and pathways, Educational outcomes, Strategic Leadership and Change Foundation and Bridging Education

Completed

Completed: 1 December 2014

A project completed in 2014 to develop graduate profiles for qualifications at Levels 1 and 2 of the New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF). A collaboration of Ako Aotearoa, Marlborough Community College, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, Bay of Plenty Polytechnic, CareerForce, He Toa Sports and Adult Literacy Practitioners Association.

Aims:

The aim of the project was to draw on existing good practice to ensure the needs of all foundation learners are met by the qualifications system to develop foundation graduate profiles.

The aims of the profiles were to:

ensure all learners requiring study at this level are well served by the available qualifications
generate a graduate profile matrix that considers both the needs of different types of learners needs and the purposes of different types of foundation provision
ensure graduate profiles are reflective of good practice and realistic for foundation-level learners.

Methodology:

The methodology of the project included:

a desk review of graduate outcomes in existing qualifications
a scan of relevant New Zealand and international literature
development of a discussion document for consultation
discussion questions (what are the common skills, knowledge, capabilities or dispositions expected from foundation-level graduates? How do these differ at Levels 1 and 2? How well does the proposed matrix capture the breadth of learners and purposes of foundation qualifications? What is missing? How well do the graduate profiles recognise the position of tikanga Māori and enabling Māori to succeed as Māori?)
a consultation process to ensure the graduate profiles appropriately reflected the range of learners and types of qualifications in foundation education.

Dr Peter Coolbear

Ako Aotearoa

Virginia Archer

Marlborough Community College

Janet Calder

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa

Anthony Campbell

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa

Lisa Maurice-Takerei

Bay of Plenty Polytechnic (now Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology)

Dr Nicky Murray

Careerforce

Martin Stirling

He Toa Sports

Margot Syder

Adult Literacy Practitioners Association

Completed

$56,925.00 (excl GST)

$56,925.00 Ako Aotearoa Contribution

Next section: Insights and Impacts

Key Findings

Four generic graduate profiles could be used as references for Level 1 and 2 qualifications.
The profiles could be built around three concepts: the primary purpose of education at these levels is to enable successful progression for learners; there are core capabilities all learners need to progress; there is a difference between ‘general’ and more ‘occupational’ forms of readiness, but both need to enable learners to progress along flexible career and learning pathways.
To be ready, level 1 graduates should be able to apply core capabilities necessary to participate in their communities (work, study, and other) and are ready to progress to level 2 qualifications.
To be work ready, level 1 graduates should be able to apply core capabilities and occupational capability necessary to participate in a linked set of occupations, and are ready to progress along a career path that includes level 2 qualifications.
To be ready, level 2 graduates should be confident in applying core capabilities necessary to participate in their communities (work, study, and other) and are ready to progress to level 3 qualifications.
To be work ready, level 2 graduates should be able to apply core capabilities and occupational capability necessary to participate in a linked set of occupations, and are ready to progress along a career path that includes level 2 qualifications.
The core capabilities common to all qualifications should be numeracy, learning, work, community and cultural and progression.
In addition, qualifications designed to support progression within a particular industry should provide learners with some occupational capability related to that industry.
Importantly, such qualifications should allow learners to progress to different careers, rather than only to one specific job.

Key Recommendations

Develop common graduate profiles for Level 1 and 2 qualifications to ensure that educational stakeholders have a common understanding of what graduates from these levels should know, do, and be.
Encourage people to use them as a guide to how such capabilities can be expressed in a qualification, while maintaining the flexibility of providers to design and deliver programmes that respond to the specific learner needs.

Next section: Outputs