New Zealand Certificate in Sport Coaching (Level 3) (Sports Training and Development)

This qualification can lead to employment (paid or volunteer) as an entry level coach, primary or secondary school sports coach, or in a commercial park environment as a club coach or assistant coach. Graduates may also progress to higher level study.

Applicants should demonstrate a likelihood of success in the New Zealand Certificate in Sport Coaching (Level 3) (sports training and development) programme of study. Likelihood of success may be demonstrated through a variety of means, including: relevant work experience (e.g. CV), letter of intent, achievement of Level 2 NCEA standards in human biology, or an interview.

All applicants are required to have access to a sports team or small group of participants (3+ people) to be able to compare individual needs/characteristics and design a training session to work for all participants. Applicants will also need to work with two individual athletes/participants, coaching them through a four-week training programme - one in physical training and one in sports psychology.

All applicants are strongly recommended to complete First Aid training if they do not already hold First Aid certification.

Applicants who work solely with those 18 years old and older are not required to submit a police safety check; however, will be required to sign a declaration to this effect as part of the application process. A false declaration (e.g. declaring that only those 18 years and older will be coached, and then having under 18s in the coaching group) will result in immediate withdrawal from study. Confirmation statement on application to read: I confirm that all persons I am undertaking teaching with for this NZ Certificate are 18 years of age or older (no exceptions) or I confirm that children under the age of 18 may be including in my teaching undertakings for this NZ Certificate and therefore a police safety check, as required by the (Vulnerable) Children's Act 2014, is included with my application.

School Leavers

Applicants should be a minimum of 17 years of age, and have attained NCEA Level 2.

Mature Applicants

Applicants over the age of 20 years at time of enrolment will be considered where they can demonstrate the ability to succeed in a programme. Examples of demonstration of ability to succeed are the provision of evidence of successful completion of a programme of study at Level 2 or above in a related discipline and/or employment in the related sector for one or more years. They may be admitted subject to programme regulations approved by the Head of Faculty in consultation with the Programme Manager as appropriate.  Personal commitment and a belief in one’s own ability to succeed are important personal traits and will always be taken into consideration during the selection process.

English Language Requirements

Applicants, whose first language is not English, or who come from a country where the language of instruction in schools is not English, are required to provide evidence of having achieved one of the following:

NCEA Level 3 with University Entrance, or

an International Baccalaureate Diploma or Cambridge A- level qualification for which the teaching and assessment was conducted in English, or

Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA), or Trinity College London Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CertTESOL), or

Successful completion of all primary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand primary school years 1 to 8) and at least three years of secondary education (being the equivalent of three years from New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in either New Zealand,,Australia,Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States one of the countries listed in Rule 18.5 where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction, or

Successful completion of at least five years of secondary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in either New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction, or

Successful completion of a Bachelor's Degree, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Bachelor Honours degree, Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, Masters' Degree or Doctoral Degree, the language of instruction of which must be in English and which must be from a tertiary education provider from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom or the United States, or

Successful completion of one of the following internationally recognised proficiency tests listed below to the level required of the programme of study and with all scores achieved in a single test during the two years preceding the proposed date of enrolment:

IELTS test - General or Academic score of 5 with no band score lower than 5 
TOEFL Paper based test (pBT) - Score of 500 (with an essay score of 4 TWE) 
TOEFL Internet based test (iBT) - Score of 35 (with a writing score of 14) 
Cambridge English Examination - B2 First or B2 First for schools with a score of 154. No less than 154 in each skill. 
OET - Minimum of Grade C or 200 in all sub-tests 
NZCEL - a) Expiring Level b) Current: a) Level 3 (General) or (Workplace) b) Level 3 (General) 
Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE (Academic) score of 36 with no band score lower than 36 
Language Cert - B1 Achiever IESOL (LRWS) with PASS and no less than PASS in each skill 
Trinity ISE - ISE I with no less than distinction in any band

* New versions of some NZCEL qualifications, and in some cases new qualifications, were published on 13 June 2017. These are intended to replace pre-existing versions and qualifications, which have been given expiring status until discontinued on 31 December 2019. (a) denotes expiring (b) denotes current.

An NZQA approved English language proficiency test, where the student has achieved an outcome that is equivalent or better than those scores listed for internationally recognised English language proficiency tests above in relation to the level of intended programme of study, or

Completion of all primary education and at least three years secondary education at schools with English as the language of instruction, or

Completion of five years of secondary education at schools with English as the language of instruction.

Applicants from countries with an annual student visa approval rate below 80 per cent, whose first language is not English, or who come from a country where the language of instruction in schools is not English must provide evidence that they:

Have gained NCEA Level 3 and met New Zealand University Entrance requirements, or

Have successfully completed a Bachelor’s Degree. Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Bachelor Honours degree, Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, Masters Degree or Doctoral Degree, the language of instruction of which must be in English and which must be from a tertiary education provider from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom or the United States, or

Have achieved a Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults, CELTA, or

Have achieved the required score and with all scores achieved in a single test in one of the internationally recognised English Proficiency tests (specified above) within the preceding two years.

Full-time study
Full-time study is completing 40 credits per intake. Students studying full time will complete the New Zealand Certificate in Sports Coaching (Level 3) (Sports Training and Development) within one intake (12 weeks). Full-time acceptance into the programme is at the Programme Manager’s discretion. 

Part-time study
The number of credits selected per intake will depend on work, family, and other commitments. The recommended maximum number of credits per intake, compared to working hours, are:
Working 37+ hours per week = enrol in a maximum of 30 credits per intakeWorking 20 – 37 hours per week = enrol in a maximum of 45 credits per intakeWorking fewer than 20 hours per week = enrol in a maximum of 60 credits per intake (full time study). 

Additional information
As a guideline, one credit equates to approximately 10 hours study within an intake period.

All papers selected within a particular intake must be completed within that intake unless a transfer is requested.

Online enrolments are on a year by year basis and students are welcome to apply for multiple intakes in one enrolment.

Further enrolment is the responsibility of individual students. There is no automatic enrolment rollover.

All SIT2LRN courses require you to have a computer and Internet access. Students are required to use their SIT webmail only for all SIT2LRN communications. All course materials and information, including assessments and due dates, are located on the online Blackboard system. Once you have been accepted into a programme you will receive an Important Information Booklet that includes information that you can use to familiarise yourself with our online Blackboard learning environment. From the intake start date you will have access to the online course materials to work through.

Facilitator Assistance: During the enrolled intake period, students have email access to Facilitators, who endeavour to respond to emails within 48 hours (week days only).  All students are required, within the first two weeks of an intake, to send an email to their Facilitator confirming their start on the programme of study.  Students who have not emailed their facilitator or embarked upon their course of study by the end of the 2^nd week of an intake, will be Faculty Withdrawn from the programme.  Such withdrawals may impact on future access to SIT Zero Fees Scheme and Student Direct Material Costs are still liable for payment.

Progress reports are sent out 6-8 weeks after the end of each intake.

We recommend students new to SIT2LRN read through the Frequently Asked Questions section of our website for further study and enrolment information.

Please use the following checklist to ensure that all relevant information and documentation has been included. Remember, your application will be assessed based on the information that you provide us with.  Processing of your application will be delayed if we need to come back to you for missing information.

• I have read all sections of the Programme Information on this page
• I have read the SIT2LRN Frequently Asked Questions section
• I have met all admission criteria for the programme (found under Application Criteria)
• I have met all the criteria for individual papers (found under Course Content)
• I have selected the paper(s) I wish to study
• I have selected intake(s) (I have selected alternate intakes rather than overlapping intakes)
• I know my intended payment method
• If my organisation/company is paying for my studies, I have a completed and approved purchase order to attach to my online application.  I am aware that should my organisation or company not pay my fees, these will become my responsibility
• I have completed and attached a cross credit form (if applying for a cross credit)
• New students – I have provided an active NSN in the name I am enrolling in or I have verified ID and will attach it to my online application
• New students – I will attach academic documentation (NZQA record of achievement/academic transcripts/certificates). These do not need to be verified. (If you do not have any academic documentation to support your application, please attach a comprehensive CV outlining your education and work experience)
• I understand that this is a Level 3 programme therefore I will be required, by the Tertiary Education Commission, to complete at least one literacy and one numeracy assessment as part of my studies
• I have computer access,  an Internet connection and access to software to create electronic documents e.g. Microsoft Word or Open Office

What is the Zero Fees Scheme?

The Zero Fees Scheme means we do not charge tuition fees. However, there is a Student Direct Material Cost that you need to pay. The administration fee is for processing your application and the Student Direct Material Cost gives you secure access to Blackboard® our online learning environment and to student support services throughout your study with us.

Who qualifies for the Zero Fees Scheme?

• A New Zealand citizen completing the full qualification or 
• An Australian citizen/New Zealand Resident or Permanent Resident who will be residing in New Zealand for the duration of your enrolment

Instructions to help you with your application:

1. Read the Programme Information on this page and the SIT2LRN Frequently Asked Questions and find out if you meet the application criteria for both the programme and the unit/s you wish to study.
2. Check your eligibility for Zero Fees. If you are not eligible to study under this scheme, please call 
   0800 748 257 for further options.
3. Complete your online enrolment checking that:

If you are a new student …

• Provide an active NSN number in the name you are enrolling in (contact NZQA on 0800 697 296 to get your NSN number if you do not know it)
• If you do not have an active NSN, then attach a copy of your verified ID in the name you are enrolling in
• If you are a Resident or Permanent resident of NZ, please provide a copy of proof of residency
• Attach all academic documentation to support your application including copies of any certificates of courses you have undertaken / NZQA record of achievement / transcripts / CV

Attach supporting documents as required and outlined on the previous page.

1. Please check that you have included all the required information and supporting documents.  Your application will be assessed based on the information that you provide.  Missing information will delay the processing of your application
2. Please scan and email all additional documentation to sit2lrn@sit.ac.nz

What happens next?

• You will receive an automatic email confirmation when we receive your online application. Processing may take up to three weeks. However, we will get in touch with you sooner if we require further documentation
• Once your application has been accepted you will be sent a conditional offer of acceptance with an invoice and instructions on how to make payment
• Once we have received your payment (or if you have opted to pay by Credit Card, Student Loan or Purchase Order) you will be sent an Enrolment Confirmation Letter and Important Information Booklet. Closer to the start of the intake you will receive a Time To Get Started Letter which will give you all the necessary information, tools and guidance to start your study with us

To satisfactorily complete the New Zealand Certificate in Sport Coaching (Level 3) (Sports Training and Development) programme of study leading to the New Zealand Certificate in Sport Coaching (Level 3), and be awarded this qualification the student must successfully achieve:

• A minimum of 40 credits in accordance with the programme schedule for the New Zealand Certificate in Sport Coaching (Level 3) (Sports Training and Development) programme of study
• The student will normally be expected to complete the New Zealand Certificate in Sport Coaching (Level 3) (Sports Training and Development) programme of study full-time over three months or part-time over two years

Please Note: Students failing to engage in study as per programme requirements may forfeit Zero Fees entitlement.

SIT offers a wide range of Sport and Exercise programmes at our Invercargill and Christchurch campuses, at certificate, diploma, bachelor (degree) and graduate diploma levels.

Graduates of this Level 3 Certificate may wish to continue into further study at Level 3, 4 or 5, such as:

• New Zealand Certificate in Exercise (Level 4)
• New Zealand Diploma in Sport, Recreation and Exercise (Multi-sector) (Level 5)
• Bachelor of Sport and Exercise (Year 1 = Level 5) 

Assessments for this programme generally include short answer assessments. Some units involve developing and monitoring training programmes. Others involve an observation from coaches. There are no exams for this programme. 

For more information on required and recommended textbooks for this course please refer to the textbook list here.

Please note that textbooks need to be ordered at least 3-4 weeks prior to the commencement of your study