Electrical

Recognition of Current Competency (RCC)

Have you got electrical experience but don’t have the formal qualification?
Or maybe you have a different qualification or an overseas qualification and you’re looking to get recognition towards electrical registration in New Zealand.

The Electrical RCC programme could be the solution you are looking for. This programme is designed to recognise the skills and knowledge you’ve gained from previous training and/or hands-on experience in the industry, giving you a pathway to a New Zealand Qualification.

New Zealand Certificate in Electrical Engineering Theory and Practice (Trade) (Level 4)

Having this qualification is one way to become a registered electrician in New Zealand.  Te Pūkenga offers this qualification as an Apprenticeship.  

Te Pūkenga also offers this RCC process which will evaluate your prior qualification/s and workplace experience and award you the qualification or the equivalent unit standards towards this qualification.  The number of unit standards and credits awarded will depend on the qualification and/or experience that you have. 

This RCC programme is a 2-step process:

Step 1: Apply for an initial assessment of your qualifications and experience to ascertain approximately how many credits you will be able to achieve towards the qualification.

Step 2. Apply to complete the full assessment process and have the assessed credits added to your NZQA Record of Achievement.

Once you have completed the RCC process, and if you have still to achieve the full qualification, you can sign up with us to complete the balance of the training and assessment required to achieve the full qualification.  To do this you will need to be employed in an electrical workplace.

Who can apply?

People who have overseas qualifications, OR an old New Zealand qualification, OR part of a New Zealand qualification, AND meet the eligibility requirements, as set out below.

Work experience will be required for the award of any on-job units.  The amount and type of work experience will influence the number of on-job units that can be awarded.  Where workplace experience is in New Zealand, and where applicable, it must have been completed under a relevant license (TLC, LC, EAS, EASQ, EST, Installer, Electrician, Electrical Engineer).  Where workplace experience is overseas, applicants must be able to show they have been licensed.

To achieve the full qualification, you would be expected to have a minimum of 4 years of workplace experience.  This is in line with the requirements for registration with the EWRB (Electrical Workers Registration Board).

Types of Qualifications accepted

Both overseas and New Zealand full or part qualifications are acceptable.  Following are some examples:

  •  South Africa – N3-N6 National Certificates for Electrical Engineering
  • Britain – City and Guilds Electrical Qualifications
  • Australian – Certificate III
  • Electrical/Electronics diplomas
  • Engineering degrees/diplomas
  • Military electrical/electronics qualifications
  • IMC qualifications
  • Automation, mechatronics qualification
  • Millwrights qualifications

Entry Criteria

To be eligible to apply you must provide evidence of the criteria detailed below. 

  • I am based in New Zealand.
  • I can provide evidence of my qualification.
  • I can provide evidence of my work experience (where applicable).
  • I can provide evidence of my registration or licence I gained my work experience under (where applicable).
  • I can provide 2 work referees (used where you have work experience).

 

As part of Step 1, the assessor will evaluate the evidence that you provide to confirm your eligibility and determine a likely outcome.  This will be confirmed to you before the full assessment occurs, which is Step 2 of the process.

How the process works

If you wish to apply for RCC for Electrical you will need to do the following:

Check the entry criteria above to ensure you can supply relevant evidence.

Collect your portfolio of evidence and apply.

To do this, download the Applicant Evidence Guide & Checklist below. Read through this carefully and complete all sections as required. This document outlines the types of evidence that are required.

Apply to Te Pūkenga by making your online payment for Step 1 and completing the online form. You will upload your evidence as part of the application process.

In this first step, the assessor will do an initial evaluation of your application and evidence and give you an estimate of how many credits they believe we will be able to award. The assessor may contact you with questions as part of this process. There is a fee of $230 for this initial consultation. From this consultation you will know how much the full process and awarding of the unit standards and credits will cost. Allow 10 working days for this process.

You can then decide if you want to go ahead with the full assessment process, and if yes, you will need to pay the full fee. See below for an explanation of the bands and costs, which are based on numbers of credits.

When you have applied and paid for Step 2 the assessor will complete a full assessment of your portfolio of evidence to determine the final units and credits that can be awarded.

As part of the assessment process the assessor will contact you to arrange a time to have a competency discussion.  This is where they will discuss the evidence you have provided and gain insight into your experience, knowledge, and skills.

The assessor will also contact your work referee/s to confirm the standard of your work.

Following the above steps, the assessor will make a decision and notify Te Pūkenga of this.

Te Pūkenga will notify you of the final outcome of the assessment and confirm which unit standards will be awarded.

If you are not happy with the assessment outcome you can appeal.  The appeals process is here.

The full assessment process will take up to 30 working days

On successful completion of this process, Te Pūkenga will report the relevant unit standards and credits to NZQA. These will then show on your Record of Achievement and Te Pūkenga will issue you a letter of confirmation.

If you are awarded the full qualification through the RCC process, Te Pūkenga will also ensure this is reported to NZQA and will issue you a certificate. To complete the full qualification you will need to complete a Training Agreement form, which Te Pūkenga will send you.

If you have achieved part of the qualification through the RCC process and wish to then continue with training to complete the rest of the qualification, Te Pūkenga will enrol you as a trainee. To do this you need to be working in an electrical workplace. You will be allocated to a regional Account Manager who will contact you to discuss and arrange the training needed with you. You will need to complete a Training Agreement form which Te Pūkenga will send you.

Ready to apply?

When you are ready to apply, download and complete the Applicant Evidence Guide and Checklist. You will need to upload this document when you apply:

Cost


Credit Cost (incl GST)
Step 1: Initial Evaluation N/A $230
Step 2: Bands
Band 1 1-50 $1,199
Band 2 51-100 $1,999
Band 3 101-150 $2,999
Band 4 151-200 $3,999
Band 5 201-250 $4,999
Band 6 251-289 $5,999

Making Payments

Upon successfully submitting your application, you will be sent an email containing a link to pay the application fee via credit card. We accept Visa and Mastercard credit/debit. Please note, you may request an invoice for your records.

Should you prefer payment via an invoice then please email us on recognition@earnlearn-tepukenga.ac.nz