New Zealand Certificate in Study and Career Preparation (Level 3) with a focus on Beauty

• Open entry.
• As part of our application process, you will be required to attend an informal chat with one of our careers team in Student Success. This is to ensure that you are enrolling into the best pathway for you and to inform you of the range of support services available to you through Otago Polytechnic.
• If English is not your first language, you must provide:
  • New Zealand University Entrance OR
  • Overall Academic IELTS 5.0 with no individual band score lower than 5.0 (achieved in one test completed in the last two years), OR
  • Acceptable alternative evidence of the required IELTS (see here for NZQA proficiency table and here for list of recognised proficiency tests).

If you need to improve your English Language skills, we offer a wide range of English programmes.

Please note: This programme will only run if there are sufficient numbers.  

You will take part in an assessment process to measure your current skill level. This will involve having an informal chat with a course advisor so we can make sure that you are placed at the right level. 

To be eligible for Youth Guarantee funding, you must:

• Be a domestic student between 16-19 years old
• OR be 15 years of age at the time when you commence the programme AND have an early leaving exemption from your school
• Not already hold a Level 3 qualification in any subject
• Have been thinking about leaving school and getting a job OR prefer to be working towards a career rather than staying at school OR have left school and are not sure how to enter higher education or employment
• Want to learn practical skills
• Be more motivated in a non-school setting and be prepared to enrol in a full-time programme.

Fees and allowances

The Youth Guarantee Scheme will cover tuition fees, material and equipment costs of your programme of study. 18-19 year olds enrolled in fees-free Youth Guarantee qualifications will now be able to access the course-related costs part of the student loan and student allowances if they meet the eligibility criteria. Those under 18 years old will not be able to access any part of the student loans. Funding for travel is available, conditions apply. Please visit the Studylink website for full details. We strongly recommend that you read this carefully prior to applying for this programme.  

The process

• There is not a separate Youth Guarantee application form. Please apply for this programme by using our standard Otago Polytechnic application form. To apply online, or to download a paper version, click the apply button at the top right hand corner of this page.
• If you meet the criteria for Youth Guarantee funding you will be offered the funding if it is available. We will ask you to let us know within two weeks if you do not wish to take up the funding.  
• If there is no Youth Guarantee funding available, we will send you a letter advising you of this. Along with this letter, you will receive an invoice, terms and conditions, a Studylink brochure and an equipment list advising what you will need to purchase before starting your programme. 

This is a full-time programme and you should expect to spend around 40 hours per week in study. This will consist of in class, face-to-face teaching, completing assignments and undertaking self-directed study from home. There will be a total of 90 teacher-directed learning hours and 60 student-managed learning hours. 

Student loans and allowances are for domestic students only. For information about student loans and allowances please visit the Studylink website. It is important to apply for your student loan/allowance at the same time as you apply for this programme, due to the length of time Studylink take to process. Loan/allowance applications can be cancelled at any time if you decide to withdraw from your programme application or if it is unsuccessful.  

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