STA/NZQA
National
Certificate
in
First Line Management (Level 4)

(Overview)

See Unit Standards list for this Certificate

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See Unit Standards list for this Certificate

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Feb-Jun
or
Jul-Dec

Brookfield's
Motivational Factors for Adult Learning:

Participation in learning is Voluntary

Facilitation is Collaborative

Needs to be dynamic with much Activity

Should cause a spirit of Critical Reflection

The objective is self-directed and empowered people

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish and you feed him for life"

Who’s it for?
Whether you’re CEO of the World Bank, a Manager of an accounts team in a mid-size NZ manufacturing enterprise, or a Team Leader at the local Freezing Works, the core skills required to manage the activities of other people are effectively the same. If you get your results through other people, then this qualification is for you.

What’s different about it?
STA trainers come from line management backgrounds. We continually work in today’s workplaces (business or private sector) – not just in academic institutions, and these days we’re interested in what you can do – competence, not just knowledge. The assessment process (leading to the qualification) is all about demonstrated competence. This National Certificate was created & written by trainers with a 25 - year track record in the commercial sector including many years in hands-on management. In fact, all STA trainers must have a business & line-management background prior to joining STA, in order to preserve that work-place reality. While overseas texts and research material is also used, it is checked for accuracy against NZ legal requirements and our own local context prior to being included. Since half our time is spent training on-site in NZ organisations, STA trainers are constantly confronting the real needs of today’s workplace, and adjusting the programme accordingly - which we’ve been doing since 1990.

How long does it take?

NZQA has a guideline that each credit is approximately 10 hours of learning time. This means STA’s version of the National Certificate, which has 44 credits, is around 440 hours of learning time. This is made up of 9 days workshop time (9am to 4pm), spread through the year, with the rest of the time spent on workplace projects, gathering evidence to be assessed, researching materials and extra reading. Even discussions or attending meetings with a senior manager, business owner or colleagues can count as learning time. The National Certificate is designed to allow for implementation of key learning points in the workplace, and discussion of the result at each subsequent session.  

Do I have to attend all the workshops and successfully complete all the assessment activities?
Yes, if you want to receive the National Certificate. There is an unavoidable element of inter-linking and back-reference to previous sessions when it comes to the Unit Standards and the assessment process.

What is Assessment?
Assessment of competency is a process where you need to provide evidence that you are able to use certain skills and/or knowledge. Simply put, if we've taught you how to do a Performance Review (or if you already know) then you will be asked to provide evidence that you are using the knowledges and skills required. We will show you the different types of evidence that can be used, but an obvious one is what we call 'naturally occurring evidence' - samples of the Review documents, statements from your staff with whom you have completed reviews, having an observer (your boss or a peer-group colleague) sit in with you while you do a couple of reviews - these are all forms of acceptable evidence. You will collect this evidence over time and submit it. We will show you how. It is not hard - it just takes effort and time.

Can I fail?
No. Not in the accepted sense. Maybe you might 'not complete', but there is no such thing as fail. Either you can 'do it' in which case your evidence will show that (result = Competent), or you haven't given us quite enough or the right sort of evidence (result = Further Evidence Required) or you still have work to do to demonstrate competence (result = Not Yet Competent). It's that little word 'Yet' that is important - instead of 'fail', you just have more work to do.

Is there an exam?
No. We are not interested in what you can remember and 'spit out' in an exam, we're interested in whether or not you can 'do it' (and are doing it), and whether you can give us the evidence to support that. When you give us the evidence to the standard required, you gain that part of the qualification. When you've gained all the parts, you get the Qualification.

What’s the Investment?
It varies a little, but after the Government funding (slightly less than 50%) has been applied through our relationship with Tai Poutini Polytech, your part of the fee for the complete programme varies between $NZ1200 - $NZ1300 per participant +GST

Who decided which Unit Standards would be used?
We did. There are many Units that can be chosen (with restrictions), and together the units chosen must add up to 40 or more credits (see the table). After 16 years of successfully running STA’s Team Leader Series both in-house and to EMA’s clients, we’ve picked units that closely match the content of that programme.

What’s a ‘Level’?
The level is the degree of complexity or difficulty. Level 1 Units could be done by secondary school pupils. Levels 3-5 are National Certificate level. Level 6 and 7 are National Diploma-level. 8 & 9 are at Bachelors Degree level. Level 10+ units are at Masters Degree/PhD (Doctorate).

What’s a ‘Credit’?
We need some guide as to how much effort and time is required to achieve a particular unit. While not intended to be accurate, you can use the formula: 1 credit = 10 hours total study time, which includes workshop attendance, self-study, reading, researching, workplace projects and activities, and preparation of Assessment documents and portfolios.

See Unit Standards list for this Certificate

Page updated 2nd September 2006

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