Seeking Accreditation for Agriculture ITO Unit Standards Please note:  All accreditation applications incur a fee as outlined in the Fee Schedule. If your organisation wants to assess agriculture related unit standards this information is for you! If you're looking for an online reference library of books, DVDs and websites recommended as resources for agriculture and horticulture education in New Zealand then visit www.ruralsource.ac.nz For all National Qualifications Framework (NQF) qualifications the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) requires organisations to be accredited and to engage in external moderation.  Accreditation is required for any unit standard that students are to be assessed and results reported to the NZQA by the organisation. The list of domains for which all organisations are automatically accredited is the Base Scope of Accreditation for Schools (BSAS). There are Agricultural and Horticultural Science unit standards in the BSAS but no Agriculture ITO unit standards meaning that any organisation wanting to assess unit standards that Agriculture ITO are the standard setting body (SSB) for needs to apply to NZQA for accreditation. This information is intended to help organisations understand the steps in the accreditation process and what they need to do to get accreditation for Agriculture ITO unit standards. It also includes a section on moderation processes to help you understand the ongoing commitment required once accreditation is granted. There are five main steps to gaining accreditation in steps 1 to 3 you will work with the Agriculture ITO while in steps 4 and 5 you'll work with NZQA.  The information provided on this site relates primarily to the Agriculture ITO step 1. Main steps in the accreditation process: While this information is provided to help you understand the NQF accreditation process and Agriculture ITO's specific industry requirements we are here to help.  If you need additional support or would simply like to talk to somebody about accreditation complete as much as you can of the application form and email, post or fax it to Agriculture ITO Quality Assurance Manager (the details are on the form) and we'll be in touch. If you are familiar with NQF accreditation requirements simply use this information and the check list as a guide, assemble your application and forward your application and completed checklist by post to Agriculture ITO Quality Assurance Manager again the details are on the application form. All organisations have an NZQA liaison person who would also be worth talking to at an early stage about any accreditation application your organisation may be considering. If you don't have contact details follow the following link on the NZQA web site - Contact Schools Liaison. To proceed follow this link to Step 1 Supply a completed application form, QMS and supporting information to Agriculture ITO For information on what you need to do after you have been accredited follow this link to Moderation - your ongoing commitment