The Youth Guarantee Fund provides fees-free tertiary education for learners aged 16–24 years who have no or low prior qualification achievement. Learners may study towards:

• NCEA Level 1 and 2 aligned to the Vocational Pathways
• another qualification at Level 1 or 2 on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF), which is intended to enable learners to progress to higher-level education or employment, or
• a qualification at Level 3 on the NZQF, particularly if the student:
  • has no or low (Level 1) prior achievement before enrolling in Youth Guarantee, or
  • has achieved Level 1 or 2 qualification(s) through Youth Guarantee and is progressing to a Level 3 Youth Guarantee qualification during their two equivalent full-time student (EFTS) Youth Guarantee entitlement.

From 1 January 2023 the following changes will be applied to the Youth Guarantee fund:

• Lowering the credit value from 100 to 80 credits per Equivalent Full-Time Student (EFTS) at Levels 1 and 2 to better reflect learning profiles and ensure better alignment with expectations in schools. (There is no change to the EFTS credit value for Level 3 learners.)
• Extending the YG upper age limit to include learners up to 24 years of age (at the time they commence the YG programme).
• Enabling part-time enrolment to support flexible arrangements and learner needs.
• Increasing the pastoral care subsidy from $537 to $2,000 per EFTS to ensure adequacy of funding.
• Renaming the pastoral care subsidy as ‘wellbeing and pathways support subsidy’ to signal a broader purpose of this funding.
• Making the wellbeing and pathways support subsidy non-recoverable to ensure funding security for providers.
• Increasing the transport assistance subsidy from $860 to $1,000 per EFTS to better enable providers to support their learners’ transport needs.

If you currently receive TEC funding from the below funds you can apply for additional Youth Guarantee funding in 2023:

• Youth Guarantee (YG)
• Delivery on the New Zealand and Qualification and Credentials Framework at Levels 1 and 2 (DQ 1-2)
• Non-degree Delivery at Levels 3-7 on the New Zealand and Qualification and Credentials Framework and all Industry Training (DQ3-7)

If you would like to apply, then please complete the request form below, use the naming convention [EDUMIS] – YG Funding Request – 2023, and return it to us on Workspace 2 and via email at customerservice@tec.govt.nz by Friday, 3 February 2023. Please specify in the application form if you are applying to transfer current approved DQ1-2 funding to the YG fund.

2023 Youth Guarantee – Request to transfer EFTS or apply for additional funding (XLSX, 133 KB)

Applicants for additional YG funding will be notified of the outcome of our decision in late February 2023.

Youth Guarantee interaction with Fees Free

Courses funded under Youth Guarantee that started on or after 1 July 2020 do not use a learner's entitlement to Fees Free, and do not impact a learner's future eligibility for Fees Free. For information on the interaction of Fees Free and Youth Guarantee before 1 July 2020, see Fees Free interactions with other Funds.