Certificate in IT Essentials

The Level 4 NZ Certificate in IT Essentials is a 60-credit programme, consisting of four x 15 credit courses. This is a six-month programme (18 weeks excluding a 2 week study break), intended to educate students on the basics of ICT.

• Apply essential knowledge and concepts of computer hardware, operating systems, applications, and networks to provide support for hardware and software resources
• Apply knowledge and concepts of business analysis, database, and user experience to provide a foundation for supporting organisational information systems requirements; and they can contribute to a user interface design using web design concepts and knowledge
• Apply software development knowledge to provide a foundation for developing applications, and apply project management and planning tools to meet the requirements of specified IT briefs
• Communicate clearly and professionally to maintain relationships and achieve objectives in a range of contexts within the IT industry; including applying appropriate professional, ethical, and legal principles and practices to comply with legal principles and practices to comply with legal and organisational requirements. This helps provide a foundation for an IT career

NZ Government key information link for students, that provides more information to support your decision making for this programme

Domestic Student Entry Requirements:

• Completed application form
• Minimum Age: Students must turn 17 within their first year of study at Whitecliffe

International Student Entry Requirements:

• Completed application form
• Passport copy
• Minimum age: International students must be at least 18 years of age during their first semester of study.
• IELTS Academic overall score of 5.5 with no band less than 5.0 or equivalent English profiency as follows:
  • TOEFL paper-based minimum score of 530 (with an essay score of 4.5 TWE) Test (pBT) where the test was carried out prior to 01 October 2017; or
  • TOEFL internet-based test minimum score of 46, with a writing score no lower than 4.5 TWE; or
  • Cambridge English qualifications with B2 First or B2 First for Schools with a score of 162, no less than 154 in each skill

BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) Requirements:

Recently we have found ourselves working remotely due to Covid-19, we recommend that you have your own device to support your studies. The following specifications are intended to help you make the best choice of laptop, desktop, or tablet for the job.

Recommended IT Specifications:

Minimum Hardware requirements 

• Mac - Intel processor with 64-bit support; 2 GHz or faster processor with SSE 4.2 or later, or;
• MacBook Air with M1 Chip, or;
• Intel or AMD processor with 64-bit support; 2GHz or faster processor with SSE4.3 or later
• 8GB RAM (Recommended 16GB)
• 250GB SSD or higher hard drive with 10GB free space minimum
• Wireless capability 802.11n dual-band
• Up-to-date antivirus software

Minimum Operating System     

• Windows 10 (64-bit) version 1809 or later; LTSC versions are not supported (a must for IT students), or;
  
• Apple macOS Mojave (version 10.14) or later 

• Internet and data plan.    

Not Supported:    

• Chromebooks    
• Windows X or Windows S OS    
• Tablets (except Windows Surface Pro or iPad Pro)