- News and articles
- Events
- Find usIDP AustraliaIDP BahrainIDP BangladeshIDP CambodiaIDP CanadaIDP ChinaIDP EgyptIDP GhanaIDP Hong KongIDP IndiaIDP IndonesiaIDP IranIDP JordanIDP KenyaIDP KoreaIDP KuwaitIDP LebanonIDP MalaysiaIDP MauritiusIDP Middle EastIDP NepalIDP NigeriaIDP OmanIDP PakistanIDP PhilippinesIDP Saudi ArabiaIDP SingaporeIDP Sri LankaIDP Taiwan, ChinaIDP ThailandIDP TurkeyIDP UAEIDP VietnamIDP Corporate
- Social
- English
Study Vocational Courses in NZ for a Hands-On, Practical Qualification
A NZ vocational education gives you two big advantages; a quality education that’s respected world-wide, and a foot in the door for PR. Vocational courses offer two main benefits to international students.
One, is that they are cheaper than a university education, with an average of $10,000 to $20,000 less in course fees a year.
The second is that the coursework is a lot more practical and hands-on, driven by what employers need in their industry.
New Zealand has 16 government technical colleges spread throughout the country which are called ITR’s- Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics. There are around 100 other privately owned training establishments which offer accredited courses. They offer a broad range of qualifications from cookery to nursing, tourism to engineering. These vocational institutes involve more industry-based work and projects than students at a traditional university.
NZ is the number one ranked English-speaking country in preparing their students for the future, ranked by the Economist Intelligence Unit. A qualification from NZ gives you a degree that gets you the job, and career, you want. This is because many of the courses are tied to job placements, so the skills you learn are relevant and practical, plus you get to network and meet people in your field. Scholarships are offered in NZ too, which can help ease the financial burden. These often are for more in-demand careers or people from certain countries.
The 16 government polytechnics (ITPs) in New Zealand include:
Explore more Vocational courses in NZ
Industry | Top Courses | Cost | Duration | IELTS |
Sciences | $25,000 per annum | Three years | IELTS of 6.0 with no individual stream below 5.5 | |
$25,000 | This level 5 course takes 37 weeks to complete | IELTS score of 5.5 with no band score lower than 5 | ||
NZ Certificate in Agriculture (Level 4) with strand in Dairy Farming, Breeding Livestock Farming and Non-Breeding Livestock Farming at WITT | Fees are not listed | This course takes 43 weeks to complete | IELTS score of 5.5 with no band score lower than 5 or equivalent | |
Business, Management, and administrative studies | NZ$25,000 per annum | One year | IELTS of 5.5 with no individual stream below 5.0 | |
NZ$25,377 per year | This level 7 course takes three years full time | IELTS of 6.0 with no individual band lower than 5.5 | ||
Contact MIT for fee information | This level 7 course takes 3 three years full time | IELTS score of 6.0 with no individual band lower than 5.5 | ||
Computer Science and IT | NZ$25,000 per annum | One year | IELTS of 5.5 with no individual stream below 5.0 | |
NZ$25,000 per annum | This level 7 course takes 3 years full time | Minimum IELTS score of 6 with no band score lower than 5.5 | ||
NZ$25,000 per year | This level 7 course takes one year of full time study. | IELTS score of 6.0 with no band score lower than 5.5 | ||
Construction | NZ$25,000 per year | This level 7 course takes 3 years to complete | IELTS score of 6 with no band score lower than 5.5 | |
NZ$16,278 in total | This level 6 course takes two years to complete full time | IELTS of 6.0 with no individual band score lower than 5.5 | ||
New Zealand Diploma in Construction - Quantity Surveying at North Tec | NZ$25,000 per year | This level 6 degree can be completed part time or full time | IELTS score of 6 with no band score lower than 5.5 | |
Creative arts and design | NZ$25000 | This level 6 course takes one year full-time | IELTS of 5.5 with no individual stream below 5.0 | |
New Zealand Certificate in Arts and Design at Whitireia and WelTec | NZ$12,500 | This level 4 course takes 17 weeks full time | IELTS score of 5.5 with no band score lower than 5 | |
NZ$25,000 per year | This level 7 course takes 3 years full time | IELTS score of 6, with no band score lower than 5.5 | ||
Education and Training | Te Paetahi Akoranga Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) at Wintec | NZ$25,000 per year | This level 7 course takes three years to complete full time | 7.0 or higher for each component of IELTS |
Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching (Primary) at NZ Graduate School of Education | NZ$32,600 | This level 8 qualification can take around one year, depending on how you structure your learning | An IELTS score of 7.0 across all bands | |
Engineering | Bachelor of Engineering Technology (Electrical) at ARA Canterbury | NZ$28,000 per year | This level 7 course takes three years full-time | Overall IELTS 6.0 with no individual band below 5.5 |
NZ$25,377 | This level 3 course takes one year full time | IELTS band score of at least 5 in each band | ||
New Zealand Diploma in Engineering (Civil, Mechanical, Electrical) at Wintec | NZ$30,000 per year | This level 6 course takes two years full time | 6.0, with no individual band score lower than 5.5 across | |
Health and medicine | NZ$28,000 per year | This level 7 course takes three years full-time | Overall IELTS 6.5 with no individual band below 6.5 | |
New Zealand Diploma in Enrolled Nursing at Weltec and Whitireia | NZ$37,500 | This level 5 course takes 18 months | IELTS 6.5 in each band | |
NZ$112,000 in total | This level 7 course takes three years full time | IELTS of 7.0, with scores in the following areas: Comprehension 6.5 Writing 6.5 Speaking 7.0 Listening 7.0 | ||
Travel, Tourism and Hospitality | Bachelor of International Tourism and Hospitality Management ARA Christchurch | NZ$25,000 per year | This level 7 course takes three years full-time | Overall IELTS 6.0 with no individual band belore 5.5 |
NZ$23,890 | This level 6 course takes 32 weeks full-time | IELTS score of 5.5 with no band score lower than 5 | ||
NZ$27,500 | This level 8-9 course takes 6 months full-time | IELTS score of 6.5 with no band lower than 6 |
Future and Career in NZ
There are many roles in NZ which are in demand. The lists change as needs do, but the Green List and Skills shortage lists are great ways to land yourself a job and PR after two years. If PR is your goal, you’ll need to choose a career which you have an aptitude for, that you enjoy, and that is listed on the NZ skills shortage list.
Once you’ve completed your degree, you can apply for the post study work visa, which gives you three years to find a relevant role, and work in it.
From there, NZ has three main visas:
Straight to Residence Visa
Work to Residence Visa
Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa
Apply for the visa type that’s relevant to your skills type.
Need Help? IDP is Here For You
We’ve been helping international students find the perfect education for their future since 1969. Whether it’s finding the perfect vocational course, a visa application, or institution, we can help- simply give us a call to get started.