The TTAF will end on 31 December 2022. For more information, see our guidance for TEOs on the end of the TTAF (PDF, 505 KB).

The TTAF will cover fees from 1 July 2020 until 31 December 2022 and will be paid directly to tertiary education organisations (TEOs) by us. This will enable TEOs to provide education and training without fees to learners.

TTAF will make a range of training and apprenticeship programmes at sub-degree level free for learners. It is targeted towards industry skill needs where demand from employers for these skills will continue to be strong, or is expected to grow, during New Zealand’s recovery period from the impacts of COVID-19.

See the list of eligible programmes and qualifications.

Study in the following areas is covered by the TTAF:

• All apprenticeships
• Level 3-7 sub-degree programmes in targeted areas delivered by tertiary providers
• Industry training, outside of apprenticeships, in targeted areas.

The targeted areas are:

• Primary industries, including agriculture, horticulture and viticulture, fisheries and forestry;
• Construction, including building, plumbing, and civil engineering;
• Community support, including youth work, care for elderly, counselling, and community health including mental health and addiction support
• Manufacturing and mechanical engineering and technology;
• Electrical engineering; and
• Road transport (vehicle operations).

The expanded target area list from January 2021 comprises of the target areas in the above list and now also includes the following:

• Conservation, including freshwater management, biodiversity and biosecurity training needs that support the Jobs for Nature initiative;
• Information technology, including cybersecurity, technical support and web development; and
• Expanded scope within community support, to specifically include enrolled nursing and cleaning (within community health), and programmes that train teacher aides and people learning to teach New Zealand Sign Language to others (within support for people with disabilities).

Please note that ‘information technology’ refers to: The information technology target area relates to people training towards information technology roles and professional skills.  Accordingly, the programmes eligible to be funded under the TTAF do not include qualifications or programmes to build personal computing or digital literacy skills as a user of technology, or general business administration skills.