Registration of Post-School Education and Training (PSET) providers is one of the quality assurance arrangements set out by the VQA to assure the quality of PSET in Vanuatu. In line with the VQA Act No.1 of 2014, the requirement to register applies to all providers of PSET services in Vanuatu.

Provider registration is an evaluation of the capability of that provider to offer and maintain a well-organised, sound and stable learning environment in all its sites and modes of delivery. Provider registration examines the organisation, confirms that it is established for educational purposes, has suitable management structures and systems in place, has the necessary financial resources, has established a Quality Management System (QMS), employs qualified staff, and has the equipment and materials to offer quality education and training courses in Vanuatu.

Initial registration process for Vanuatu Providers
The initial registration process applies to Vanuatu providers, who wish to register for the first time. Details of the registration process can be found in the PSET Provider Registration Procedures document. The process consists of two steps:

1. Notice of Intent to Register
2. Initial Registration

Amendment to scope of Registration
From time to time, a Registered Provider may want to change the scope of its registration, for example with regard to the types and levels of courses that it is allowed to offer, or the delivery sites or delivery modes it can use. In that case the provider must apply for an Amendment to Scope of Registration. You can find the process here: Amendment to Scope of Registration.

Cross-Border delivery by Registered Providers
Registered PSET providers wanting to enrol overseas learners, must first obtain Registration as a Provider for Overseas Learners. The process is found here: Registration as a Provider for Overseas Learners.

Registered Vanuatu providers wanting to establish themselves overseas, must apply for amendment to their scope of registration to include the overseas delivery site(s). The process is found here: Registration for Overseas Establishment.

Renewal of Registration
All registrations are for a fixed period and need to have been renewed when that period expires. To renew, the process is described in: Renewal of Registration.

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Learners will only be able to receive a VQA endorsed certificate of their qualification when this was achieved at a Registered Provider, having successfully completed an Accredited Course, for which the provider had Approval to Deliver.

• Approval to Deliver Guideline
• Approval to Deliver Documents

After a provider has gained approval for its Intention to Accredit, it can start with the development of the course and the application for course accreditation.

The purpose of the Course Accreditation process is to develop the details of the course, and to ensure that the developed course meets the standards of the Vanuatu Quality Assurance Framework (VQAF).

Guidance on the development of courses to help ensure that the VQAF standards are met is found in Handbook for the development of courses with supporting documents in course development documents.

For the details of the Course Accreditation process, see the relevant documentation as listed here. There are several different scenarios, so read the documentation carefully to know what you need to do. In case you have any doubts, contact VQA.

• PSET Course Accreditation Procedures, describes the complete accreditation process.
• Course Accreditation application documents, containing all the course accreditation related forms and templates, but excluding those regarding overseas courses.

A provider who wants to apply for accreditation of an overseas course is referred to Accreditation Overseas Courses.

Quality audit consists of a range of activities, carried out internally by a Registered Provider or externally by the VQA to ensure the ongoing quality of the provider's performance.

Quality Audit is one of the key quality assurance functions of the VQA, as mandated by the VQA Act No.1 of 2014.

The purpose of the Quality Audit process is to ensure that Registered PSET Providers:

1. continue to comply with the minimum Vanuatu Quality Assurance Framework (VQAF) standards for registration, and with the conditions for registration, and with the requirements of the accredited courses that the provider is delivering;
2. provide education and training services that meet the needs of their stakeholders; and,
3. continuously improve their outcomes and their performance.

The VQA policy on Quality Audit is found here: PSET Quality Audit Policy. Registered Providers must comply with this policy.

Registered Providers are required to participate in each of the following Quality Audit Activities:

Internal and External Post-Registration Monitoring

The purpose of the Internal and External Post-Registration Monitoring is, for a newly Registered Provider, to identify how well it is implementing its Quality Management System and Internal Monitoring Plan, and complying with the conditions for registration. Post-Registration monitoring is conducted within the first six months of a provider's initial registration. For further details, click on this link: Internal and External Post-Registration Monitoring.

Internal and External Annual Monitoring

Internal Monitoring is the ongoing process through which a provider identifies its own strengths, risks, areas for improvement and progress in providing quality education and training. External Annual Monitoring is for VQA to verify the ongoing quality of the provider's education and training services on the basis of the Registered Provider's Annual Internal Monitoring Report.

For further details, click on this link: Internal and External Monitoring.

Self-Review and External Review

During a Self-Review the Registered Provider must evaluate, over the entire period of current registration, its outcomes and processes across all its operations. The Self-Review is conducted in preparation for the External Review.

During the External Review VQA evaluates the Registered Provider's outcomes and processes which results in the assignment of a Quality Assurance Status to the Provider.

For further details, click on this link: Self-Review and External Review.

Complaint Investigation Monitoring

Complaint Investigation Monitoring is conducted by the VQA when a complaint is raised about a Registered Provider by one or more of the provider's stakeholders. Providers will be advised if they are required to participate in a Complaint Investigation Monitoring activity.

External Follow-up Monitoring

The purpose of External Follow-up Monitoring is for the VQA to verify if the recommendations from a previous external audit activity have been implemented, or if the Registered Provider's Annual Internal Monitoring Report is a true and accurate reflection of its practices.

Special Focus Monitoring

Special Focus Monitoring is conducted by the VQA to evaluate how well a particular focus area that is important for the quality of PSET in Vanuatu, as identified by the VQA or the VQA Board, is implemented across Registered Providers or within one or more selected Registered Providers. Providers will be advised in a timely manner if they are required to participate in a Special Focus Monitoring activity.

A course is a structured sequence of education and training designed to meet the requirements of a qualification. 

Course development is expensive as it requires people’s time as well as the purchase or creation of facilities, equipment and other physical resources. To help providers with this process, VQA has created the Handbook for the Development of Courses, which guides providers through the different steps to take, with supporting documents in course development documents.

The Vanuatu Qualifications Authority (VQA) has a National Qualifications Development Officer (NQDO) to assist you with all areas of course development. One of the things s/he can help with, in case you are developing a National Qualification, is identifying the Units of Competency that you need for your course, of which some or all may already have been developed by VQA.

In fact, if you are developing a National Qualification, then you must contact the NQDO to assist you with this.

The VQA requires course developers in Vanuatu who are in the process of designing a course in preparation for accreditation to follow the course development process. One of the important steps in the process, once you have established the need for the course, is to apply for intention to accredit with VQA, to make sure that your course will be able to gain accreditation once development of the course is completed. For more information visit the Application for Intention to Accredit page.

Details of the steps to be taken in course development are found in the Handbook for the Development of the Courses

VQA has created a set of resources for providers to assist them with their work, and to help them achieve high quality Post-School Education and Training.

The following sets of resources exists:

• Policies and Procedures
  These documents support the formal aspects of achieving high quality PSET. There are documents regarding:
  • Provider Registration
  • Course Accreditation
  • Approval to Deliver an Accredited Course
  • Assessment and Moderation
  • Quality Audit
    
    
• Guidelines and Handbooks
  These documents are aimed at helping providers with different aspects of their work. The following documents are available:
  • Handbook for the Development of Courses
    
    
• General Documents
  These documents underpin the work of a PSET provider and of VQA. The following documents are available:
  • Vanuatu Quality Assurance Framework (VQAF)
  • Vanuatu Qualifications Framework (VQF)
  • VQF Credit Profile
  • VQA Act No 1 of 2014 (English)
  • VQA Act No 1 of 2014 (French)

To see all the information on this page, you need to be logged in as a provider. If you are a provider, and have a login, then click on the "Login" button at the top right of this page to login with your username and password.

If you do not have a login yet, then please contact VQA and we can create one for you.

When you are logged in, you will see, on the right side of this page, the list of all the courses you have approval to deliver for. You can click on a course, to download a document with the details of all the course components inside that course.

If you are logged in, and the only item you see in the list is "Course Components", then you do not have access to any of the course component details.

If you feel that there are some courses missing in the list, for which you should be able to download the course component details, because you have approval to deliver that course, then please contact VQA.

The Vanuatu Qualifications Registry, abbreviated as the VQR, is a website and database developed by the VQA, to record student learning in Vanuatu. All registered providers need to record all the learning their learners undertake when they are studying a unit of competency or other course component in an Accredited Course.

The system records:

• The Learners who are enrolled in Courses and Units of Competency / Course Components
• The Courses that the Learners are studying in
• The Units of Competency / Course Components the Learners have enrolled in and their result 
• The Providers who have approval to deliver accredited courses, so that they are able to enrol Learners in the Units of Competency / Course Components they are delivering
• The Trainers who are teaching the units / components, so that they can fill in the learners' results
• Whether a Learner has completed the Qualification they studied for; if so, the system is able to print their certificate.

While all this data is recorded for both the benefit of the Providers and the Learners, it also gives VQA the ability to generate reports on the number of learners that are undertaking Post School Education and Training, what courses they enrol in, and how well the learners and the providers are performing. This is useful information for VQA and the government of Vanuatu, to assist with planning and budgeting. The information can also be used to strengthen the capabilities of Providers, where difficulties exist.

To use the VQR, go to http://vqr.edu.vu.

A person or organisation intending to establish for the first time to offer post-school education and training in Vanuatu must apply for Notice of Intent to Register as the first step towards becoming a Registered Provider.

The purpose of this process is for the provider to explain its intentions to the VQA and for VQA to verify that there is a need for the proposed PSET provider and that the proposed provider has the elementary plans and structures in place to start applying for provider registration.

The procedure to follow is found in the following document: PSET Provider Registration Procedures.

All the documents related to this process can be found in:

• Notice of Intent to Register Documents

Overseas providers wishing to register in Vanuatu are referred to the documentation on Registration of Overseas Providers.

Provider registration is granted for a fixed period of time, normally five years. Before the registration expiry date, a provider must ensure that its registration has been renewed.

The process to prepare for renewal begins 18 months before the expiry date, with a Self-Review conducted by the provider, followed by an External Review carried out by VQA approximately one year before the registration expiry date. For more information about these processes, consult the Quality Audit page.

After the External Review the provider begins with making its application for Renewal of Registration, which must be received by VQA no later than six (6) months before the registration expiry date.

The documents related to the Renewal of Registration can be found here:

• Renewal of Registration

This page only applies to Vanuatu providers. Overseas providers wishing to register in Vanuatu are referred to  Registration of Overseas Providers.

To become a Registered PSET Provider in Vanuatu, a provider must first gain approval for Notice of Intent to Register.

The second and final step in the process is the application for initial registration. The purpose of this process is to ensure that the provider has the basic resources, the key people and the policies and procedures in place to provide quality post-school education and training. The application is judged against the Standards for Provider Registration in the Vanuatu Quality Assurance Framework.

To download the related documents and forms, click on the following link:

• Initial Registration Documents

When a course is accredited, an expiry date is set for the course. The purpose of an expiry date is to ensure timely review and revision of a course in order to retain the course's currency and relevance to its stakeholders.

To identify whether there is a need for renewal of accreditation, an outcomes and needs analysis must be conducted as described in the PSET Course Accreditation Procedures document.

For details of the process and related documents and forms, see:

• PSET Course Accreditation Procedures
• Renewal of Course Accreditation documents

VQA has developed a number of documents aimed at helping providers with different aspects of their work. Documents are available in the following areas:

• Course Development

If a Registered Provider wishes to deliver an overseas course in Vanuatu and have the qualification endorsed by VQA, this course must be accredited by the VQA. This applies to courses that are already accredited by an overseas quality assurance agency, as well as courses that are not accredited by any agency yet.

If the course is already accredited by an overseas quality assurance agency, the following process must be followed: Accreditation of Overseas Courses.

For all the documents related to this process see: Accreditation over Overseas Courses Documents.

If the course has no accreditation yet, the normal course accreditation process must be followed which is found in Course Accreditation Overview

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If you have lost your original statement of attainment, VQA may be able to provide confirmation of the studies you completed. This will only be the case if VQA issued the original document, or, if you did not receive a statement from your provider, when they recorded your results in the VQA Qualifications Registry.

Please be aware that

1. There is a fee to pay when submitting your application form for obtaining a copy of a statement of attainment.
2. The application form is available at the front office of the VQA or downloadable at this link.

Before you submit an application

1. Please check whether your original document came from VQA. If it did it will have had the VQA Logo or Seal on it on the bottom and it will have been signed by the VQA CEO. If not check with your provider if VQA holds your provider's records and they entered your results in the Vanuatu Qualifications Registry.
2. Fill in the application form. You can collect it from the office of the VQA or download it here. Make sure you submit it with the required documents listed in the form.

Submit your application

Submit your application form with the fees applicable at the front office of the VQA.

After submitting your application

VQA will contact you when the copy is ready to be collected. Please put the address below on the envelope when submitting your application:

Vanuatu Qualifications Authority
P.O Box 153
Port-Vila
Vanuatu
Re: Application form for copy of statement of attainment

The VQF is divided into 10 levels from basic study at level 1 all the way up to Master's and PhD degrees at levels 9 and 10. The more complex the study and the more skilled the learner will be, the higher the level.

Levels 1 to 3 are equivalent to years 11 to 13 of secondary school. This means that most of the time, before you can enrol in a course for a qualification at level 1, you will need to have completed year 10 at secondary school.

There are a lot of study opportunities in Vanuatu at level 1 to level 2, for which often completion of year 10 is sufficient. So even if you did not complete year 11 or higher, then you still have plenty of courses to choose from.

It is also possible, to first complete a lower level qualification, for example a Certificate II in Tourism, and then continue with study at a higher level, like a Certificate III in Tourism. This is what is called a Pathway. If you are not yet able to enrol at the level that you really would like to, then you can set out a Path for yourself on how to get there, starting with a qualification at a lower level.

The levels of the VQF are:

Levels	Sectors
	School	TVET	Higher Education
10			Doctorate
9			Masters
8			Post Graduate Diploma Post Graduate Certificate Bachelor with Honour
7			Bachelor Degree Graduate Diploma Graduate Certificate
6		Advanced Diploma	Diploma
5		Diploma
4	Vanuatu Form Seven Certificate / SPFSC	Certificate IV	University Foundation
3	Vanuatu Senior Secondary Certificate	Certificate III
2		Certificate II
1	Vanuatu Junior Secondary Certificate	Certificate I

For a more detailed description of each Level, see the VQF Level Descriptors document.

Find out more about what Credits are, so you know how much work you need to do, by reading VQF Credit Values.

From time to time it may be necessary to make changes to an accredited course before the course is due for renewal of accreditation, for example as a result of feedback from industry or other stakeholders. To ensure that the changed course will continue to meet the VQAF standards for accredited courses, a formal application process for making changes needs to be followed.

For the process to follow in these cases, see the following documentation:

• Changes to Accredited Courses

When the change is for an overseas course, see the documentation regarding overseas courses:

• Accreditation of Overseas Courses

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VQA is the national regulator for the post-school education and training (PSET) providers and courses provided by these providers.

Learners will only be able to receive a VQA endorsed certificate of their qualification when this was achieved at a Registered Provider, having successfully completed an Accredited Course, for which the provider had Approval to Deliver.

Course accreditation is the process of assessment and official approval of a course plus its associated qualification, to indicate that the course meets particular requirements defined by the VQA. The Course Accreditation process ensures that the design and the rules and regulations of a course meet quality standards. An application for accreditation is judged against the Standards for course accreditation in the Vanuatu Quality Assurance Framework.

Providers must be registered before they can apply for course accreditation.

Having a course accredited does not mean that the provider can deliver the course. A provider can only deliver an accredited course if it has Approval to Deliver this course. Accreditation is applied for by a registered provider, but an accredited course can in principle be delivered by any provider, as long as this provider has the appropriate resources.

The application process for course accreditation consists of two steps:

• Application for Intention to Accredit
• Application for Course Accreditation

To apply for accreditation of an overseas course, go to: Accreditation of Overseas Courses.

Once a course is accredited, the provider still needs to apply for Approval to Deliver the course, if they want to deliver the course as well. This is not part of the Course Accreditation process. For information on this process, see:

• Applying for Approval to Deliver

Also after a number of years, the Course Accreditation will expire and will need to be renewed. For more information, see:

• Renewal of Course Accreditation

The purpose of the Internal and External Post-Registration Monitoring is, for a newly Registered Provider, to identify how well it is implementing its Quality Management System and Internal Monitoring Plan, and complying with the conditions for registration.

The process is built on the key audit principle that the provider is responsible for its own quality. Therefore, the provider must first develop an internal monitoring plan, and subsequently implement this plan. A report on its progress must be submitted to the VQA no later than six months after the registration date.

During the External Post-Registration Monitoring activity, the VQA will verify the provider's report, and identify any issues for which the provider may require support.

Providers must read the documents listed below in detail before they engage in Internal Post-Registration Monitoring.

Relevant documents are found in the Internal and External Post-Registration Monitoring documents section.

PSET Quality Audit Policy	The overarching policy for all Quality Audit activities
Quality Audit Guidelines - Registered Providers	The guidelines for all internal Quality Audit activities
Template for Internal Post-Registration Monitoring Report	The template that the provider must use to report post-registration monitoring activities
Guide for Completing the Internal Post-Registration Monitoring Report	The guide to assist the provider with writing its report.

Internal Monitoring is the process through which a provider identifies its own strengths, risks, areas for improvement and progress in providing quality education and training. The process is built on the key audit principle that the provider is responsible for its own quality.

Annually, no later than 31 March, the provider must summarise its internal monitoring findings in the Annual Internal Monitoring Report. Submission of this report is a requirement stated in the VQA Act No.1 of 2014.

External Annual Monitoring is for VQA to verify the ongoing quality of the provider's education and training services on the basis of the Registered Provider's Annual Internal Monitoring Report.

Providers must read the documents listed below in detail before they engage in Internal Monitoring.

Relevant documents are found in the Internal and External Annual Monitoring documents section.

PSET Quality Audit Policy	The overarching policy for all Quality Audit activities
Quality Audit Guidelines - Registered Providers	The guidelines for all internal Quality Audit activities
Template for Annual Internal Monitoring Report	The template that the provider must use to report on its internal monitoring activities
Guide for Completing the Annual Internal Monitoring Report	The guide to assist the provider with writing its report.

During a Self-Review the Registered Provider must evaluate its outcomes and processes across all its operations, over its entire period of current registration. The Self-Review is conducted in preparation for the External Review. This process is built on the key audit principle that the provider is responsible for its own quality.

The Self-Review is normally conducted between 18 and 12 months before the expiry of the provider's registration. It is a large-size project that should not be underestimated and must be carefully planned and executed. The Self-Review must be completed and its findings reported to the VQA before the VQA will conduct the External Review.

During the External Review, the VQA will identify the quality of the provider's outcomes and processes, based on the Self-Review Report and an independent investigation which includes an extensive site visit. As a result of an External Review, a provider will be assigned a Quality Assurance Status (Refer to the Quality Audit Policy for further details).

Providers must read the documents listed below in detail before they begin their Self-Review.

Relevant documents are found in the Self-Review and External Review documents section.

PSET Quality Audit Policy	The overarching policy for all Quality Audit activities
Quality Audit Guidelines - Registered Providers	The guidelines for all internal Quality Audit activities
Template for Self-Review Report	The template that the provider must use to report on its Self-Review activities
Guide for Completing the Self-Review Report	The guide to assist the provider with writing its report.

To view the Annual reports, click Annual Reports.

The VQA doesn't have any recent publications.

What is a Training Package?

A Training Package describes a range of nationally approved units of competency, as well as guidelines how these units can be packaged into a vocational course at a particular level, which is endorsed by industry and meets the Vanuatu Qualifications Framework (VQF) and Vanuatu Quality Assurance Framework (VQAF) requirements for courses and qualifications. They also include support and guidance for delivery of the designed course.

VQA has endorsed Training Packages for a wide range of industries.

Each Training Package:

• provides an approved, consistent and reliable set of units of competency for training, recognizing and assessing people's skills, and may also have optional support materials;
• encourages the development and delivery of flexible training which suits individual and industry requirements;
• Encourages learning and assessment in a work-related environment which leads to verifiable workplace outcomes; and,
• enables nationally recognised qualifications to be awarded through direct assessment of workplace competencies

Training Package Endorsed Components

Training Packages consist of two types of components: compulsory components that are endorsed by the VQA, and optional support materials that are not endorsed.

The nationally endorsed components include the Units of Competency, the Assessment Guidelines and the Vanuatu Qualifications Framework (VQF). These form the basis of training and assessment in the Training Package and as such, they must be used.

Training Package Support Materials or Non-endorsed components

The endorsed components of Training Packages are complemented and supported by optional materials that provide for choice in the design of training and assessment to meet the needs of industry and learners.

Training Package support materials or non-endorsed components can relate to single or multiple units of competency, an industry sector, a qualification or the whole Training Package. They tend to fall into one or more of the categories illustrated below.

Training Package support materials are produced by a range of stakeholders such as Registered Providers, individual trainers and assessors, private and commercial developers and Government agencies.

Where such materials have been quality assured through a process of 'noting' by the VQA, they display an official VQA logo.

To view the training packages, and download a document with all the information, you need to be logged in as a provider. If you are a provider, and have a login, then click on the "Login" button at the top right of this page to login with your username and password.

If you do not have a login yet, then please contact VQA and we can create one for you.

If you are logged in already, click on either the title or the image of the training package to see more details and download the training package document.

 

There are nine (9) Industry SKills Councils that are established by the VQA:

1. Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Livestock, and Food Processing Skills Council
2. Business and Innovation Skills Council
3. Community services and Health Skills Council
4. Construction and Property Services Skills Council
5. Energy Skills Council
6. Government Skills Council
7. Manufacturing Skills Council
8. Services Skills Council
9. Transport and Logistics Skills Council

The Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Livestock and Food Processing Skills Council members are representatives of:

• Food, beverage and pharmaceutics processing
• Meat
• Livestock
• Agriculture
• Horticulture
• Bio-security
• Floriculture
• Fisheries and Aquaculture
• Seafood
• Forest and Forest product 
  

The Business and Innovations Skills Council members are representatives of:

• Business Services Sector
• Financial services sector
• Printing and Graphic Arts
• Art and Craft
• Training and Education
• Information and Communication Technology
• Media and Journalism

The Community services and Health Skills Council members are representatives of:

• Health
• Nursing
• Care (Child and elderly)
• Pharmacy
• Volunteering
• Youth
• Community Service

The Construction and Property Services Skills Council members are representatives of:

• Surveying and spatial information services
• Security
• Waste management
• Pest management
• Property development, Sales and management
• Building design/Architecture
• Cleaning
• Fire Protection
• Inspection and testing
• Plumbing
• Building construction
• Carpentry

The Energy Skills Council members are representatives of:

• Electricity generation
• Electricity supply
• Electrical Engineering
• Sustainable Energy
• Electro - technology
• Gaz supply
• Petroleum

The Government Skills Council members are representatives of:

• National Government
• Local Government
• Defense, fire, police, emergency services and management, and marine services
• Correctional services, custodial community and rehabilitation services
• Water - catchment, distillation and treatment

The Manufacturing Skills Council members are representatives of:

• Joinery, Furniture and Cabinet making
• Laboratory operation
• Mechanical Engineering
• Textile, clothing and footwear
• Boat Building
• Plastic and Rotomoulding

The Services Skills Council members are representatives of:

• Sports
• Events
• Hospitality
• Tourism
• Beauty
• Retail and wholesale
• Community recreation
• Fitness
• Outdoor recreation

The Transport and Logistics Skills Council members are representatives of:

• Logistic and warehouse
• Maritime
• Aviation
• Road transport
• Ports and harbour
• Automotive Engineering
• Civil construction

The appointment of each member is for a period of two years, and a member can be re-appointed.

Section 15 of the Vanuatu Qualifications Authority Act No. 1 of 2014 states that "the Authority may establish an Industry Skills Council to advise the Authority in relation to particular industries".

The members are key industry contacts for the VQA as they:

1. Provide independent industry advice on the training and skill needs of industry that will facilitate workforce development.
2. Assist VQA in
   • Identifying training priorities
   • Formulating policies
   • Implementing reforms
   • Designing industry-related strategies
   • Being a partner for industry skill initiatives

In addition, the Vanuatu Government Post-School Education and Training (PSET) policy puts emphasis on a quality assured training system that is demand driven, accessible and provides skills training leading towards recognised qualifications. To make this a success, input from the industry is vital.

VQA has established nine (9) different Industry Skills Councils (ISC's). To read more about them, go to Industry Skills Councils and their Members.

If you want to study a course, you will find that there are many providers who offer many different courses. So how do you choose what is right for you?

First of all, you must make sure that you only enrol with a provider that is registered with VQA. This means that the provider must meet minimum standards and that it is regularly checked by VQA to make sure that it is doing a good job.

Secondly, you must make sure that you enrol in an accredited course. Such a course has been developed with and for the industry or the community and meets their needs.

Thirdly, you must make sure that the provider has approval to deliver the accredited course. This ensures that the provider has all the resources and the skilled teachers to deliver the course, and that the qualification you will receive at the end has the VQA seal on it and is nationally and regionally recognised.

So, how do you know which course and which level is right for you? To make a decision the following questions may help:

1. In what kind of industry would you like to work? What kind of job would you like?
2. Which qualifications do you already have? Which education have you done? Which skills do you currently have?
   Each course has entry requirements that you must meet before you can enrol. These questions help you decide if you meet the entry requirements of the course you are thinking of.
3. Which registered providers offer courses that you are interested in and that are at the level you are looking for? Are these providers at a location that you can go to?
4. Is the course accredited? Does the provider have approval to deliver?
5. How much does the course cost, and can you afford it? Could you get a scholarship perhaps?

If you are not sure what a "level" of a qualification is, or how qualifications work in Vanuatu in general, and you have not yet read the article "Understanding the Vanuatu Qualifications Framework" on this website, then this would be a good time to do that.

Deciding on a qualification that is right for you is not easy. But it is important for your future, so it is worth taking some time to answer these questions.

If you want your staff to upskill, make sure that they enrol in a VQA accredited course with a registered Post-School Education and Training (PSET) provider who has approval to deliver the course.
Similarly, if you employ new staff, make sure that they have achieved their qualifications by studying one or more accredited courses with a registered PSET providers. This guarantees that the qualifications of your staff members have been developed with and for industry, are quality assured, and meet national and regional standards.

All Accredited Courses and Registered Providers are listed on this website.

The Vanuatu Qualifications Framework (VQF) is a nationally approved structure for all post-school qualifications in Vanuatu, including TVET and higher education. It is important for employers and other industry representatives to understand this framework, so you can employ the right people for your business.

In the VQF, a Qualification defines what skills a person will have once s/he has successfully completed a particular course. To get the skills, a person will need to enrol in an Accredited Course at a Registered PSET Provider that offers the course. 

Each VQF qualification has a level. The level defines the complexity of the skills a graduate will have once s/he has completed a qualification at a certain level. The higher the level, the more complex the skills will be. 

For example, the graduate of a level 1 qualification of Certificate I in Building and Construction (General Construction) will be able to participate in building and construction projects. S/he will be able to perform basic tasks, like laying bricks for a wall. S/he will take instructions from a supervisor on what the wall should look like and how it should be structured.

However, a graduate of a level 4 qualification of Certificate IV in Building and Construction (Supervisor), will be able to be the supervisor on the construction site, who determines what work should be done, who should do it, and make sure that it is all done well and according to the plan.

To find out more about the levels of the VQF, continue reading here: The Levels of the VQF.

To download to full document with all the information on the VQF, download the Vanuatu Qualifications Framework document.

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VQA is working closely with industry to ensure that units of competency and courses meet industry needs and contribute to the Vanuatu 2030 - the People's Plan.

VQA is always interested in employers or other business or community representatives to be involved in its work. The following list shows where VQA seeks industry participation in its activities.

If you are interested to be a part of the work of VQA in one of the roles below, please use our Contact Us form.

• Course Development Steering Committee
  For the development of each new course and the review of existing courses a committee is established to advise the provider on the skills that learners need to acquire in the course. The committee consists of people with expertise in the relevant industry area as well as educational experts.
  
  
• Quality Assurance Committee
  This committee makes decisions on applications for provider registration, course accreditation and approval to deliver. The committee consists of experts in education and in the relevant industry areas. Members will be trained by VQA before they can be part of this committee.
  
  
• External Moderation Panel
  The external moderation panel assists in the quality assurance of assessments, to help ensure that providers assess learners in alignment with industry standards. The panel consists of trainers and industry representatives. Members will be trained by VQA before they can be part of an external moderation panel.
  
  
• Audit Team Advisors
  In its auditing activities, VQA seeks support from relevant industry representatives to advise how well a provider is meeting industry standards in its education and training activities.
  
  
• Industry Skills Council
  Refer to Industry Skills Councils for more information.
  
  
• Request development of a course
  If your industry has identified a need for a course that does not yet exist or has not yet been accredited in Vanuatu, please contact VQA. VQA can liaise with a registered provider to put the development of a new course in motion.

In the Vanuatu Qualifications Framework (VQF), a Qualification describes what skills you will have once you successfully complete study for this qualification. To get the skills, you will need to enrol in an Accredited Course at a Registered PSET (= Post School Education and Training) Provider that offers the course. If you successfully complete all the different Components (= parts) of the course, then you will gain the qualification.

Each VQF qualification has a level. The level defines the complexity of the skills you will gain when you complete a qualification at a certain level. The higher the level, the more complex the skills will be. 

For example, with a level 1 qualification of Certificate I in Building and Construction (General Construction), you will be able to participate in building and construction projects. You will be able to perform basic tasks, like laying bricks for a wall. You will take instructions from your supervisor on what the wall should look like and how it should be structured.

But, when you have successfully completed the level 4 qualification of Certificate IV in Building and Construction (Supervisor), one of your employment options will be to be the supervisor on the construction site, who determines what work should be done, who should do it, and make sure that it is all done well and according to the plan. You will be the one responsible for the successful completion of the project.

To find out more about the levels of the VQF, continue reading here: The Levels of the VQF.

To download to full document with all the information on the VQF, download the Vanuatu Qualifications Framework document.

VQA regulates post-school education and training providers and courses so that learners graduate with recognised qualifications.

Once the student completes the programme, VQA issues the qualification on request of the provider, if the provider is registered and had approval to run the course. If the learner didn't receive his or her qualification, or lost them, they may apply for a re-print or copy of the qualification from VQA.

Assessment is the process of collecting and evaluating evidence to establish the level of a learner's performance.

In PSET, assessment is used to measure a learner's performance against the learning outcomes that have been approved as part of an accredited course. Upon completion of their assessments for a component, a learner receives a grade that shows how well they have met the learning outcomes.

Two types of assessment are used. Competency-based assessment is used in courses that consist of units of competency. Achievement-based assessment is used in all other courses, mainly those at level 5 and above.

Details of and requirements for designing and conducting quality assessment can be found in the PSET Assessment Policy.

To help ensure the consistency of outcomes and the credibility of VQF qualifications, VQA has a quality assurance process for assessment in place. This process is called Assessment Moderation (Moderation in short).

There are two types of moderation:

• Internal moderation is a process that is carried out internally by the registered PSET provider. Details of the process to follow can be found on the Internal Moderation page. 
  
  Providers must apply to have their learners' grades approved by VQA. Approval will only be given if the provider has followed the prescribed processes and can demonstrate evidence of a rigorous process of internal moderation. Further details are found on the Approval of Learner Grades page.
  
  
• External moderation is a process that is carried out by one or more people independent of the registered PSET provider. For courses leading to national qualifications, this process is the responsibility of VQA. For courses leading to provider qualifications, it is the responsibility of the provider.

Details of the above can be found in the Assessment Moderation for PSET Policy and the PSET Assessment and Moderation Guidelines for Providers.

The Vanuatu Qualifications Authority (VQA) is the national regulator of the post-school education and training (PSET) sector. The VQA regulates PSET courses and providers to ensure nationally approved quality standards are met.

The VQA is governed by a Board with a structure that is intended to reflect the Government's vision for a demand driven PSET system. Membership comprises representatives from key government agencies and representatives of the productive sector - both public and private. A network of Provincial Training Boards provides advice to the VQA Board and supports the development of VQA policy and planning.

The VQA is one of the key agents in the implementation of the national PSET Policy 2016-2020. The VQA is working in close collaboration with the Tertiary Education Directorate of the Ministry of Education and Training and with PSET providers to achieve the PSET Policy vision of: A sustainable, well-coordinated and inclusive PSET system that maximises access to relevant and quality assured qualifications that lead to improved economic, social and cultural development opportunities for all.

The specific role of the VQA within the PSET system is to:

• Set and maintain the standards for provider registration and course accreditation;
• Assure the quality of providers and accredited courses;
• Engage industry in the development of courses and units of competency;
• Develop and maintain of the Vanuatu Qualifications Framework (VQF);
• Facilitate international recognition of qualifications;
• Monitor and evaluate PSET performance; and,
• Conduct research to support the above.

Further details can be found in the PSET Policy 2016-2020 and the VQA Act No.1 of 2014.

Under the direction of the VQA Board, the Chief Executive Officer provides leadership to the VQA Executive and has overall responsibility for three divisions:

1. Corporate Services, Research, Planning and Monitoring,
2. Quality Assurance and Compliance, and
3. Standards and Qualifications.

For more information on the work of each division, read The VQA Organisational Structure. We also have some information on Our Vision, Mission and Principles and The VQA Team.

Welcome to the VQA Website!

Our website is one of our main means of communication with you as PSET Provider. You should find a lot of information here with regards to your interaction with VQA. If you already are a registered provider, then you are already familiar with many of the VQA processes. But there will be frequent occasions where you need some more information, a detailed procedure description, or a form or other document. And you can find that all here on our website.

But if you are not registered yet, then you will find all the information on how to become a registered PSET Provider on the website as well to get you started.

The "For Provider" menu item is your main point of entry. Here you will find, in a logical way, all the information and documentation on:

• Registration
• Course Accreditation
• Approval to Delivery
• Assessment and Moderation
• Quality Audit

Just move your mouse over the "For Providers" text, and the menu will drop down. When you click on any of the menu items, you will be taken to the corresponding page.

When you are on one of these pages, most of the time we will show you a menu on the side as well, with "Quick Links". You can use these to quickly jump to other information you are looking for. If the item has a little "+" behind it, there are more links hidden underneath. Click the menu item to reveal them.

Most of the documentation you need for each of these items will be linked directly from the descriptions of these processes, but if you are looking for some specific documentation, you can find these under the Provider Resources menu item:

Here you find a link to all the Policies and Procedures that relate to PSET Providers. VQA has also created a Handbook for the development of courses, that you can use in case you would like to develop a new course.

The "Training Packages" menu item gives you access to an overview of all the existing units of competence that VQA has developed. However, to get access to this, we need to know that you are indeed a provider and you need to login first. If you do not have a login yet, please use the Contact Us Form to request one.

If you do have a login: you can login using the "Login" button at the top right of the page:

This will bring up a login form. Note: The login form will be displayed at the top of the page. If you have already scrolled down the page and you click "login" then, you may not see the login form. Please scroll back up to the top of the page to show the form.

The "Course Components" section has all the detailed information on all the course components, per accredited course. You also need to be logged in as a provider to be able to view and download these. And even then, you will only have access to those packages that VQA has specifically given you access to. If you need access to a course package, please use the Contact Us Form to request this. Note that in general there will be a fee to pay for downloading these course component packages.

If you are looking for some information and have a hard time finding it (which we hope we have been able to avoid, but just in case), please use the "Search" button at the top right of the page. This will search through all the articles that are on the website (unfortunately we cannot search inside uploaded documents).

Finally, we love to hear from you. Please let us know if you have any issues with the website, or would like to see information on something here that you cannot find. Just get in touch using the Contact Us Form. We hope you find what you are looking for!

-- The website maintenance team

Welcome to the VQA Website!

The Vanuatu Qualifications Authority is the institution whose task it is to grow and safeguard the quality of Post School Education and Training (PSET) in Vanuatu. If you are looking to study a PSET course in Vanuatu and you would like to receive quality education, then this website has very important information for you. With this website we want to give learners a large amount of important information for when they are planning to undertake study in a PSET course. We explain on this website why it is very important for your future to select an Accredited Course from a Registered Provider and how you can do this.

A lot of the information you can find in the "For Learners" main menu item. But you can also find information under News & Publications and About Us that you may find interesting.

But the "For Learners" menu item is your main point of entry. Here you will find, in a logical way, all the information and documentation on:

• Choosing accredited courses at a registered provider
• The Vanuatu Qualification Framework
• All the currently accredited courses and which providers have approval to deliver them
• All the currently registered providers and for which courses they have approval to deliver
• And for when you have already completed you study, how to get a printed document as evidence of your results.

Just move your mouse over the "For Learners" menu text, and the menu will drop down. Click on any of the items and you will be taken to that page.

When you are on one of these pages, most of the time we will show you a menu on the side as well, with "Quick Links". You can use these to quickly jump to other information you are looking for. If the item has a litte "+" behind it, there are more links hidden underneath. Click the menu item to reveal them.

If you are looking for some information and have a hard time finding it (which we hope we have been able to avoid, but just in case), please use the "Search" button at the top right of the page. This will search through all the articles that are on the website. Unfortunately we cannot search inside uploaded documents.

Finally, we love to hear from you. Please let us know if you have any issues with the website, or would like to see information on something here that you cannot find. Just get in touch using the Contact Us Form. We hope you find what you are looking for!

-- The website maintenance team

To view all our newsletter in English, go to Newsletters - English. 

For our last three in English:

• September 2018
• July 2018
• March 2018

For our last three in French:

• September 2018
• July 2018
• March 2018

The VQA is governed by the VQA Board.

Under the direction of the VQA Board, the Chief Executive Officer provides leadership to the VQA Executive and has overall responsibility for four divisions:

1. Office of the Chief Executive Officer,
2. Corporate Services, Research, Planning and Monitoring Division,
3. Quality Assurance and Compliance Division, and
4. Standards and Qualifications Division.

The Corporate Services, Research Planning and Monitoring Division is currently led by the CEO. He has strategic oversight over a broad range of functions, and is also responsible for finance, administration and information and communications technology. The latter serves the VQA operations with a particular emphasis on data and records management. A strong and continuing monitoring and evaluation focus informs policy and planning decisions. The VQA's communication strategies are supported by a discrete information and marketing function.

The Quality Assurance and Compliance Division is responsible for the administration of the Vanuatu Quality Assurance Framework (VQAF) and regulates and facilitates provider registration, course accreditation, approval to deliver, and quality audit for all PSET providers operating in Vanuatu. 

The Standards and Qualifications Division works in close collaboration with industry and productive sector organisations and individuals. Industry representatives and Industry Skills Councils are involved in the development and maintenance of courses and of nationally recognized industry endorsed units of competency.
This division also has responsibility to maintain the Vanuatu Qualifications Framework (VQF), which covers all post-school qualifications. The VQF complements the VQA quality assurance processes by enabling consistent alignment of nationally recognized units of competency and courses to relevant qualification levels.

The VQA Board is responsible for the strategic direction and general oversight of the PSET system and is directly accountable to the Minister of Education and Training for PSET system performance.

The relevance to national economic and human resource development objectives will be a primary consideration of the VQA Board which is comprised predominantly of senior representatives from private and public sector agencies engaged in economic and productive sector activity including:

1. the Director General of the Ministry of Education and Training; and
2. the Director General of the Department of Youth Development, Training and Sport; and
3. the Director of the Department of Strategic Policy, Planning and Aid Coordination; and
4. the Director General of the Department of Finance and Economic Management; and
5. the Director General of the Department of Trade, Tourism, Commerce and Industry; and
6. the Director General of the Department of Agriculture, Quarantine, Livestock, Forestry and Fisheries; and
7. the Director of the Department of Woman's Affairs; and
8. a representative from the Prime Minister's Office nominated by the Prime Minister; and
9. Commissioner of Labour; and
10. Chairperson of the Vanuatu HOtels and Resorts Association; and
11. President of the National Council of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Vanuatu; and
12. a representative of the education and training providers nominated by the responsible Minister.

Provincial Government Training Boards have been established as the decentralised arm of the VQA to support the implementation of the national PSET Policy at the provincial level and to contribute to continuing policy development under the VQA by:

1. Convening multi-sectoral conferences, meetings and other opportunities to discuss PSET issues and concerns;
2. Participate in meetings and discussions with the VQA; and
3. Provide sectoral advice to local TVET centres to ensure training delivery is in line with Provincial Government economic development priorities.

Under existing guidelines, PGTB membership is comprised of:

• Provincial Agriculture Officer
• Provincial Tourism Officer
• Provincial Fisheries Officer
• Provincial Cooperatives and ni-Vanuatu Small Business Officer
• Provincial Planner representing the Provincial Government
• Provincial Youth Development Sports and Training Officer
• Provincial Education Officer
• One representative from a public training provider nominated by the Vanuatu Association of TVET Institutes (VATVETI)
• TVET Centre Manager as Executive Officer
• One representative from a non-government registered training provider nominated by Vanuatu Association of TVET Institutes (VATVETI)
• Two representatives from the formal business sector in the province nominated by VCCI
• One NGO representative nominated by VANGO
• One representative from Provincial Women's Council
• One representative from Provincial Youth Council

The PGTB Chair is elected for a fixed term by the PGTB Membership.

The Validation committee is an internal committee comprised of VQA staff from the Quality Assurance and Compliance Division and the Standards and Qualifications Division. Its role is to undertake preliminary evaluation of all applications for registration, course accreditation and approval to deliver to ensure that the application forms are properly completed and that the evidence provided is valid, sufficient, reliable, current and authentic.

On a case-by-case basis, the VQA may engage an external advisor to participate in the Validation Committee to ensure sufficient expertise across the Committee members to make a judgement on the validity, sufficiency, reliability, currency and authenticity of the application documents.

The Chief Executive Officer

Our Dedicated Team

Quality Assurance and Compliance Division

The Quality Assurance Committee is a Committee of the VQA Board which evaluates applications for registration, course accreditation and approval to deliver against the relevant VQAF standards and criteria and develops a recommendation for the outcome to the VQA Board or the CEO of the VQA, depending on the type of application.

The Committee is normally made up of six (6) members as follows:

• One member of the VQA Board;
• Two members who have expertise in Education and Training; and
• Three members normally selected from the established Industry Skills Council or from professional bodies where appropriate. For course accreditation applications for courses at level 5 or above which have not been accredited overseas, one or two these members will be academic leaders with experience in leading and/or accrediting courses at this level and in the particular field. One of the academic leaders must be from an overseas institution of higher education.

On a case-by-case basis, the VQA may engage one or more additional external specialists to participate in the Quality Assurance Committee to ensure sufficient expertise across the Committee members to make a judgement on the application.

The Committee chairperson is elected amongst the Committee members.

A VQA Quality Assurance and Compliance Division staff member attends the Committee's meeting as secretary to the Committee and to provide advice and clarifications as required.

The work of the VQA is governed by the Vanuatu Qualifications Authority Act No. 1 of 2014. You can download this document here, either in English or French.

Other important documents for the day to day work of VQA are the PSET (Post School Education and Training) Policy and the PSET Policy Implementation Plan.

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Here is one with a 50% and two 25% columns

A Credit is a measure of how much time a learner is expected to spend to successfully complete a course that will give them the qualification.

One credit stands for 10 hours of work for the learner. That includes classroom time, or other time when a learner directly interacts with a trainer or lecturer. It also includes time the learner spends on practical work, doing an assessment, studying at home, or at a work placement.

Each qualification has a credit value, which indicates the total amount of work for this qualification. One year of full-time study normally involves 1200 hours of learning, or 120 credits. Degrees often have a higher credit number than a Diplomas or Certificates. For example, Certificates have a minimum of 40 credits (400 hours or four months full-time), but a Bachelor Degree has a minimum of 360 credits (or 3 years of study full-time).

Each course is split up in smaller components. Each component also has a credit value, which can be anything from 1 to 15 or 20 credits. To achieve the qualification, you must successfully complete each component in the course. You can complete each component one-by-one or a few at a time until you have completed the entire course and achieved the qualification.

To find out more about the VQF, read the full document: Vanuatu Qualifications Framework document.

The VQF is divided into 10 levels from basic study at level 1 all the way up to Master's and PhD degrees at levels 9 and 10. The more complex the study and the more skilled the person will be, the higher the level.

Levels 1 to 3 are equivalent to years 11 to 13 of secondary school. This means that most of the time, before someone can enrol in a course for a qualification at level 1, s/he will need to have completed year 10 at secondary school. Sometimes additional entry requirements apply.

If a person does not meet the entry requirements, s/he can discuss with the provider what the alternative options are. One alternative is to first complete a lower level qualification, for example a Certificate II in Tourism, and then continue with study at a higher level, like a Certificate III in Tourism. This is what is called a Pathway. If a person is not yet able to enrol at the level that s/he would like to, s/he can set out a Path for her or himself on how to get there, starting with a qualification at a lower level.

The levels of the VQF are:

Levels	Sectors
	School	TVET	Higher Education
10			Doctorate
9			Masters
8			Post Graduate Diploma Post Graduate Certificate Bachelor with Honour
7			Bachelor Degree Graduate Diploma Graduate Certificate
6		Advanced Diploma	Diploma
5		Diploma
4	Vanuatu Form Seven Certificate / SPFSC	Certificate IV	University Foundation
3	Vanuatu Senior Secondary Certificate	Certificate III
2		Certificate II
1	Vanuatu Junior Secondary Certificate	Certificate I

For a more detailed description of each Level, see the VQF Level Descriptors document.

Find out more about what Credits are, so you know how much work someone needs to do, by reading VQF Credit Values.

You can also download this glossary as a PDF document: VQA Glossary

Accreditation standards	Reference points used to decide whether a proposed course meets the desired level of quality in order to be named an Accredited Course.
Accredited course	A course that has been accredited by the VQA
Accrediting agency	Agency that manages course accreditation under national legislation, e.g. national qualifications agency, official review board or other nationally approved body or agency with the remit to accredit courses or qualifications. All accrediting agencies are subject to ongoing monitoring and periodic review of their performance against standards.
Achievement-Based Assessment	The process of collecting evidence and making judgements whether learning outcomes have been achieved. A marking schedule shows the relation between the criteria being assessed and the work produced by the learner, to receive a specific mark. Individual marks for all assessment tasks are combined into a grade for the component.
Appeal	A formal request from an individual/organisation requesting a change in or confirmation of a decision if the individual/organisation believes it was denied a fair decision.
Applicant	Provider applying with the VQA for registration, course accreditation, approval to deliver, or associated approvals.
Approval to Deliver	Formal approval given to a Registered Provider to deliver an accredited course
Assessment	The process of collecting and evaluating evidence to establish the level of an individual's performance.
Assessment Task	A specific discrete activity designed to obtain evidence about a learner's achievement of the published learning outcomes of a component. Examples are: practical on the job work, essays, presentations, performance, exhibition or final examination.
Assessment standards	Criteria or a framework of criteria against which the competencies, knowledge, skills, and/or attitudes of learners are measured.
Associated Qualification	Qualification that is associated with a particular course, that is, the qualification to which the particular course leads. Each course has only one associated qualification.
Audit Team	Group of people appointed by the VQA to carry out an audit activity.
Authority	The executive branch of the Vanuatu Qualifications Authority
Award of a Qualification	The formal acknowledgement that a graduate has met the requirements of the qualification and is eligible for certification through a qualification document.
Benchmarking	The process of comparing a proposed course with similar courses in the Pacific region, and demonstrating comparability with these courses. Benchmarking is a mandatory part of the Course Accreditation process.
Block credit	Block credit may be granted on the basis of studies judged to be comparable to a specified part of a given course. Block credit, sometimes referred to as 'articulation credit', is often granted where formal agreements exist.
Board or VQA Board	The governance branch of the Vanuatu Qualifications Authority
CEO	The Chief Executive Officer of the VQA
Certification	The verification and authentication of an individual's entitlement to a qualification.
Certification Documentation	The set of official documents that confirms that a qualification has been completed and awarded. This documentation includes a qualification document and a record of achievement and may include a Vanuatu Graduation Statement.
Clustering	Clustering is the process of grouping related units of competency so that the units can be taught, learned and assessed together. Clustering can be meaningful in the context of a particular industry or learning environment. Clustering may enable learners to practise the job tasks that are reflected in the units of competency in a wider context as they would in an actual workplace, which helps with transferring the specific knowledge and skills to the actual workplace. It may also enable the teachers to draw on broader real workplace functions when developing learning activities. Clustering may also assist with making the teaching and learning process more efficient as it can reduce the amount of time spent on assessment and moderation.
Combined Qualification	Two or more qualifications that are awarded when a graduate has completed the requirements for two or more different qualifications at consecutive VQF levels. A separate qualification document is issued for each qualification completed.
Competency	The quality of being competent: possession of required skills, knowledge, qualification or capacity in work/study.
Competency-Based Assessment	The process of collecting evidence and making judgements on whether competency has been achieved. The purpose of the assessment is to confirm that an individual can perform to the standards expected in the workplace as expressed in the relevant competency standards.
Completion of a Qualification	Sign that a learner has met the requirements of a qualification, prior to award of the qualification.
Component of a course	The smallest part of a course that can be separately assessed and for which credits can be awarded. The total of components makes up the course. Components are often also referred to as units, modules, papers, subjects.
Component Code	Unique code identifying a component or a unit of competency.
Component Descriptor	A brief description of a component including the learning outcomes, content and assessment which is used as the basis for the development of the teaching, learning and assessment activities in the component.
Continuous Improvement	The ongoing effort of a Registered PSET Provider to improve its outcomes, practices, compliance, and internal monitoring and self-review processes.
Course	Structured sequence of education and training designed to meet the requirements of a qualification
Course Accreditation	The process of assessment and official approval of a qualification plus the course that meets the requirements of this qualification, usually for a particular period of time, as being able to meet particular requirements defined by the VQA. Once courses have been accredited they are included in the Register of Accredited Courses, which is maintained by the VQA.
Course Accreditation Standards	See Accreditation Standards
Course Development Steering Committee	Committee supporting the development of a course to provide advice on education and training needs and technical expertise in the field of the course, to coordinate with other relevant stakeholders of the course, and to formally endorse the proposed course on behalf of the relevant industry sector or community.
Credit	The agreed measure of the estimate amount of learning typically required by an average learner to gain a qualification. This estimate of learning time includes time spent on lectures, time spent on practical work, time spent on self-study and research, time spent on preparing and doing assignments and time spent in assessment. In the VQF, one credit equals 10 notional hours of learning. Credit is awarded when achievement is assessed and meets specified standards. Evidence of achievements can be collected from a variety of sources.
Credit Accumulation	Credit accumulation is the process of collecting credit for learning towards a qualification.
Credit Transfer	The award of credit for a component based on evidence of prior achievement of equivalent learning outcomes through accredited or recognized formal learning.
Criterion	A specific measure against which a judgement is made.
Delivery	The combined teaching, learning and assessment activities, and context, resources, and staff in a course, in accordance with the specifications of the course as laid out in its Course Accreditation Document.
Diagnostic assessment	The process of collecting and evaluating evidence to establish the level of an individual's performance, for the purpose of finding out what the learners already know and are able to do, to inform teaching and learning.
Double Qualification	Two qualifications that are awarded when the requirements of two VQF qualifications of the same type have been completed, concurrently and in less time than the minimum time required to complete each qualification separately. A separate qualification document is issued for each of the two qualifications completed. Double qualifications may be issued by one provider or by two providers under a formal agreement. Other terms in use for double qualification arrangements include cotutelle, dual or multi-badged.
Entry Requirements	The knowledge, skills and attitudes a learner must possess in order to be admitted to a course. Entry requirements are appropriate if all learners meeting them will normally complete the course successfully, and learners not meeting them would only have a very small chance of completing the course successfully.
Exit qualification	A qualification awarded to learners who withdraw early from the course in which they initially enrolled, but who have completed the requirements that define the exit qualification. An exit qualification must have its own graduate profile and completion requirements, and meet specified community and/or industry needs. The details of exit qualifications are specified in and approved through the Course Accreditation document of the course of which they are an exit.
Formative assessment	The process of collecting and evaluating evidence to establish the level of an individual's performance, for the purpose of providing feedback to the learner and the teacher on how well the learner is progressing, to inform teaching and learning.
Functional Analysis	A technique used to identify the labour competencies inherent in a productive function. Such function may be defined at the level of an occupational sector, an enterprise, a group of enterprises or a whole sector of production or services.
Graduate	A person who has met all requirements of a VQF qualification and been awarded this VQF qualification. A person who has been awarded a statement of attainment has not met all requirements of a VQF qualification and is therefore not a graduate.
Graduate Profile	The expression of the set of knowledge, skills and the application of the knowledge and skills a person has acquired and is able to demonstrate as a result of learning upon successful completion of an entire course.
Guidelines	include quality standards, standards, instructions, specifications, procedures, requirements and criteria;
Industry Skills Council	Council whose members are the key industry contacts for the VQA. The Council provides independent industry advice on the training and skill needs of industry which will facilitate workforce development. The advice provided by the Industry Skills Council (ISC) assists the VQA to identify training priorities, formulate policy, implement reforms, design industry-related strategies and partner on industry skill initiatives.
Internal Monitoring	Quality monitoring conducted by a Registered Provider to monitor and review its own performance against the registration standards.
Issuance Number	The unique number assigned to qualification documentation to enable verification of authenticity.
Joint Qualification	A qualification awarded to a graduate who has completed a single qualification at more than one provider under a formal agreement between the providers. One qualification document is issued to the graduate.
Learner	A person who is enrolled in a course offered by a Registered Provider
Learning Outcome	The expression of the set of knowledge, skills and attitudes a person has acquired and is able to demonstrate as a result of learning.  Learning outcomes can be defined for an entire course (see Graduate Profile), for a component and for an individual classroom session or learning activity.
Level	Number indicating the depth and complexity of the outcomes of a qualification or component. The VQF consists of 10 levels, with level 1 representing the least depth and complexity and level 10 the most. All qualifications on the VQF are assigned one of the 10 levels.
Major	A group of course components that focuses on specialization in a particular subfield of study in a degree course. A major comprises at least 40% of the credits in a course and particularly includes components at the highest levels in the course. Completing a major can be recognized through a qualifier in the qualification title.
Marking Schedule	A scoring tool that explicitly represents the performance expectations for an assessment task.
Mode of delivery	The principal way in which a course is being taught. Modes of delivery include face-to-face, on-the job or work-based, distance by correspondence, online, and blended (combination of face-to-face and online)
Moderation (of Assessment)	A quality review and assurance process which supports assessment design and marking activities. It involves confirmation that summative assessment is valid, fair, transparent, current, sufficient, reliable, flexible, and feasible.
Moderator	Appropriately qualified academic staff member who is responsible for ensuring the quality setting and marking of learners' assessments.
Monitoring	A form of Quality Audit including the evaluation of a subset of a Registered Provider's processes and outcomes over a short period of time.
National Qualification	National qualifications recognise competencies, skills, knowledge and/or attitudes that meet a nationally endorsed graduate profile and include nationally endorsed units of competency. Courses can only be registered with associated national qualifications if they are entirely structured using VQA approved units of competency. Courses with associated national qualifications are developed by registered providers with support from VQA. National qualifications and the courses leading to these qualifications are owned by VQA.
Pathway of courses	A series of courses, each leading to a separate qualification, following each other to assist a flexible and staged approach to learners' capacity development and achievement of the ultimately desired qualification
Post-Assessment Moderation	Moderation of the assessment process and designated marked learner work to ensure that all marking is consistent and in line with assessment principles and the published assessment criteria.
Post-School Education and Training	Education and training activities that occur outside of formal primary and secondary education and include universities, colleges of higher learning, technical training institutes, community colleges, nursing schools, and other similar organisations
Post-nominals	The abbreviated forms of a VQF qualification type and field.
Pre-assessment Moderation	A quality control process that validates if the assessment tasks and materials meet the assessment principles before they are used for assessment.
Provider	An organisation that is offering, or intends to offer, post-school education and training in Vanuatu.
Provider Qualification	Provider qualifications recognise the knowledge and skills that meet the qualification's graduate profile statements as identified by an individual provider in collaboration with its stakeholders. Courses with associated provider qualifications consist of a coherent structure of provider-developed components which collectively lead to the graduate profile. A provider qualification is developed by a provider and is owned by the provider who first developed and gained accreditation for the qualification. The title of a provider qualification includes the name of the provider or organisation that developed and owns the qualification.
PSET	Post-School Education and Training
Record of Achievement	A record of the grades for all components leading to a VQF qualification in which a learner has been enrolled at an institution. The record of achievement is issued with the qualification at the graduation.
Qualification	Certificate, diploma or degree awarded by a provider, having affirmed that a person has achieved the stated learning outcomes or competencies at the determined standard
Qualification Code	The unique code assigned by an accrediting authority to a qualification to enable verification of authenticity.
Qualification Document	The official document that confirms that a qualification has been awarded. A qualification document can be a 'certificate', 'diploma' and/or a 'degree'.
Qualifier	Addition between brackets to the title of a qualification to indicate that the graduate specialised in a particular subfield as part of achieving the qualification.
Quality Assurance Committee	Committee of the VQA Board with responsibility for assessing provider registration and course accreditation applications
Quality Assurance Officers	VQA officers with responsibility for assuring the quality of PSET providers and their courses.
Quality	Fit for purpose. Quality is best defined in the context in which it is applied. Quality can mean any of the following: excellence, meeting standards or thresholds and benchmarks, customer satisfaction.
Quality Audit	The process of systematic examination by an internal or external quality auditor or audit team of an organisation's outcomes, processes and/or systems to evaluate whether the organisation conforms to set requirements  and operates effectively.
Quality Management System	A set of policies and procedures to direct the practices in the core business areas of an organisation.
Quality Monitoring	The evaluation of a subset of the Registered Provider's processes and outcomes over a short period of time.
Quality Review	The evaluation of all of the Registered Provider's processes and outcomes over an extended period of time.
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)	The generic term for formal assessment of a learner's current knowledge and skills to confirm and recognise the learning outcomes a learner has already obtained in non-formal, informal, experiential, workplace and/or formal learning contexts.
Record of Achievement	A record of the grades for all components leading to a VQF qualification in which a learner has been enrolled at a provider. The record of achievement is issued with the qualification at the graduation.
Registration Code	The unique code assigned by VQA to a Registered Provider to enable verification of authenticity.
Registered Provider	PSET Provider who is currently registered with the VQA
Registration standards	For a particular profession (for example Nursing): reference points used by a professional standard-setting body to decide whether a person has the competencies to become a registered professional (for example a Registered Nurse). For a PSET provider: reference points used to decide whether a PSET provider has demonstrated the quality required to be given the title Registered Provider or Accredited Course
Renewal of Course Accreditation or Re-Accreditation	When a course is accredited, an expiry date for the accreditation is set. Before the expiry date a re-accreditation of the course is required, for the course to remain on the Register of Accredited Courses. Re-accreditation involves in-depth review and revision of the course, followed by a process of application, evaluation and official approval of the course and the qualification to which the course leads against the VQA criteria for accreditation.
Renewal of Registration	With approval of its registration, a provider receives notification of the registration expiry date. Before the expiry date a renewal of registration is required, for the provider to remain registered with the VQA.
Research	Research is an intellectually controlled investigation which leads to advances in knowledge through the discovery and codification of new information or the development of further understanding about existing information, and practice.  It is a creative, cumulative and independent activity conducted by people with knowledge of the theories, methods and information of the principal field of inquiry and its cognate areas(s).  Research typically involves either investigation of an experimental or critical nature, or artistic endeavour of the type exemplified by musical composition.  The results of research must be open to scrutiny and formal evaluation by others in the field of inquiry and this may be achieved through publication in peer-reviewed books and serials, or through public presentation.
Review	A form of Quality Audit which entails an in-depth evaluation of all of a Registered Provider's processes and outcomes over an extended period of time.
Risk management	The ongoing effort of a Registered PSET Provider to manage any risks to its operations, to prevent harm to learners and other stakeholders and to ensure that its processes keep running smoothly.
Specialisation	A group of components within a course that focuses on a particular subfield of study in a sub-degree course. A specialisation comprises at least 40% of the credits in a course. A specialisation can be recognised through a qualifier in the qualification title.
Specified Credit	Specified credit is credit granted towards particular or specific components in a course.
Stakeholder	A person, group of people, or organization, including learners, with an interest or investment in a provider or a course and who is impacted by and cares about its operations and outcomes.
Standard	A reference point or norm against which other things can be evaluated. It expresses a broader principle or objective.
Standards-based assessment	Assessment of learners against pre-defined standards or learning outcomes. There are two types of standards-based assessment currently in use in Vanuatu: competency-based assessment and achievement-based assessment.
Statement of Attainment	A certification that confirms that an accredited course is partially completed.
Summative assessment	The process of collecting and evaluating evidence to establish the level of an individual's performance, for the purpose of proving this level to learners and other relevant stakeholders. Summative assessments are marked or graded and formally reported.
Training Package	A document describing a range of nationally approved units of competency, as well as guidelines how these units can be packaged into a vocational course at a particular level, which meets the VQF requirements for courses and qualifications. VQA has training packages available for a wide range of industries.
Unit of Competency	A unit of competency is an approved specification of a job task, in terms of its required knowledge, skills and attitudes, to a standard that is expected in the workplace. A unit of competency is a special case of a component.
Unspecified Credit	Credit granted for prior learning when an exact or near exact course equivalence cannot be demonstrated.
Validation	The process of gathering and analysing feedback from key stakeholders and using this feedback to improve the proposed design of a course. Validation is a mandatory part of the Course Accreditation process.
Validation Committee	Committee within the VQA with responsibility for checking the sufficiency, validity, reliability, authenticity and currency of registration and accreditation application documentation
Vanuatu Graduation Statement	Supplementary statement to certification documentation that provides information to enhance understanding of the qualification by learners, employers, industry, professional associations and internationally. A Vanuatu graduation statement is issued only on award of a qualification.
VQA or Authority	The executive branch of the Vanuatu Qualifications Authority
VQAF	Vanuatu Quality Assurance Framework, which comprises the national standards for Provider Registration, Course Accreditation, Quality Assurance of Assessment, and for the Vanuatu Qualifications Authority.
VQF	Vanuatu Qualifications Framework
VQF Qualification	A certificate, diploma or degree awarded by a Registered Provider, having affirmed that the person receiving the award has achieved the stated learning outcomes or competencies at the standards prescribed for the qualification.

A Credit is a measure of how much time a learner is expected to spend to successfully complete a course that will give them the qualification.

One credit stands for 10 hours of work for the learner. That includes classroom time, or other time when a learner directly interacts with a trainer or lecturer. It also includes time the learner spends on practical work, doing an assessment, studying at home, or at a work placement. 

Each qualification has a credit value, which indicates the total amount of work for this qualification. One year of full-time study normally involves 1200 hours of learning, or 120 credits. Degrees often have a higher credit number than Diplomas or Certificates. For example, Certificates have a minimum of 40 credits (400 hours or four months full-time), but a Bachelor Degree has a minimum of 360 credits (or 3 years of study full-time). 

Each course is split up in smaller components. Each component also has a credit value, which can be anything from 1 to 15 or 20 credits . To achieve the qualification, a learner must successfully complete each component in the course. The learner can complete each component one-by-one or a few at a time until s/he have completed the entire course and achieved the qualification.

To find out more about the VQF, read the full document: Vanuatu Qualifications Framework document.

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The team at VQA.

Internal moderation is a process of checking the quality of assessment of a particular component to ensure that the assessment principles are met. Internal moderation is carried out internally by the registered PSET provider.

Providers will only have their learners' grades approved by VQA if they follow the prescribed processes and can demonstrate evidence of a rigorous process of internal moderation.

Internal moderation consists of two steps.

Step 1: Internal pre-moderation

This is the moderation of assessment tasks, processes and materials before they are being used. Internal moderation must have been completed before the first assessment for a component is given to the learner.

• The process for conducting internal pre-moderation is found in PSET Assessment and Moderation Guidelines for Providers
• For competency-based assessment the following form must be used: Internal Pre-Moderation Form-Units of Competency
• For achievement-based assessment the following form must be used: Internal Pre-Moderation Form-Achievement Based

Step 2: Internal post-moderation

This is the moderation of a learner's completed work which has already been assessed and marked, which verifies the consistency of the assessment decision. It also includes moderation of the assessment process, to ensure that assessment has been conducted in accordance with the assessment principles. 

• The process for conducting internal post-moderation is found in PSET Assessment and Moderation Guidelines for Providers
• For competency-based assessment the following form must be used: Internal Post-Moderation Form-Units of Competency
• For achievement-based assessment the following form must be used: Internal Post-Moderation Form-Achievement Based

All learner grades for each component must have been approved by the VQA before the provider can release them to the learners.

A provider must apply for approval of learner grades using the process described in PSET Assessment and Moderation Guidelines for Providers.

The application requires completion of the Internal Moderation Report. The template can be found here.

Learner grades are approved on the basis of evidence of rigorous internal moderation of assessments as presented in the Internal Moderation Report and on the completed internal pre- and post-moderation forms. 

If rigorous internal moderation of assessments has not been demonstrated, no learner grades will be approved, until the provider has addressed the issues identified by the VQA. 

VQA will not issue qualification documents for a learner until all grades in the course for this learner have been approved.

Here you find documents regarding:

• Assessment Policy and Guidelines
• Assessment Moderation Policy and Guidelines
• Internal Pre-Moderation - Units of Competency
• Internal Post-Moderation - Units of Competency
• Internal Pre-Moderation - Achievement Based
• Internal Post-Moderation - Achievement Based
• Internal Moderation Report Template

A provider wanting to apply for course accreditation must first apply and gain approval for its Intention to Accredit. 

The purpose of this process is to identify the need for the proposed course and associated qualification in Vanuatu and to ensure that the Applicant is well-prepared for the development process of the course.

The procedure to follow is found in the following document: Course Accreditation Procedures

The Application form is found in: Intention to Accredit Application Documents

A provider who wants to apply for accreditation of an overseas course is referred to Accreditation Overseas Courses

The Vanuatu Qualifications Authority (VQA) is required under the subsection 66 (1) of Part 10 of the VQA Act no.1 of 2014 to generate a report relating to the operations of the Authority for the preceding year.

Below are the links on which you can click to download the PDF files of the Annual reports of 2015 and 2016.

For Annual reports of 2015, click here.

For Annual reports of 2016, click here.

Post-School Education and Training (PSET) means all providers or organisations that offer education and training that occurs outside of the Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary Education system using a structured mode of delivery.

Post-School Education and Training includes:

1. Higher Education Level at University;
2. Technical and Vocational Education and Training;
3. Theological Colleges and Religious Institutions;
4. Apprenticeship;
5. Non-Formal Learning;
6. On-the-job Training;
7. Pre and In Service Professional Training 

Documents for PSETMIS workshop

1. Accessing PSET MIS

2. PSET MIS Provider and Delivery Site Administrator Guide

3. PSET MIS Glossary

4. Accessing the PSET MIS.

5. Application for User Access: Provider Administrator

6. Application for User Access: Assessor

About the VQA Open Day

The VQA Open Day 2022 is planned for Wednesday 31st August 2022 at the Seafront Stage, Feiawa Park.

Ordinary VQA Board Meetings are held quarterly, while extraordinary sessions are called whenever the need arises.All decisions are adopted during these meetings.
These decisions are listed on this section which includes:

• 2022 Current Decisions
• Non - Current VQA Decision
• Latest Decision News
• Review a VQA Decision
• Compliance Notice