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Trial of new assessment process set to streamline pathway to Civil Trades

02 Mar 2026


The route to Civil Trades certification is about to become more user-friendly, thanks to a decision by Connexis to trial a new assessment process for people with considerable past experience in civil infrastructure construction.

The trial aims to test a revised version of Connexis’ Advanced Portfolio of Assessment (APA) process for Level 4 Infrastructure Works apprenticeships – the prerequisite qualifications needed before civil contractors can pursue Civil Trades certification.

APA is an alternative assessment approach that can be used, in place of traditional training and assessment processes, to recognise prior experience for the purposes of qualification.

Connexis National Team Field Manager Fiona Malloch says the APA review is motivated by feedback from industry that the current APA process had become too complex and lengthy.

“It was hard for the learner to navigate, their employer to navigate, and for our account managers who had to support people along the way.

“Our refined approach adds a clear flow to the process; we've made the documentation a lot more user-friendly and we’re removing some duplication.”

Fiona says the result will be an APA process that is more user-friendly for all involved, particularly the tradespeople with five or more years of experience who stand to benefit by having their existing knowledge and skill recognised with formal qualifications.

She says the process will remain thorough, with New Zealand Qualifications Authority and Tertiary Education Commission requirements continuing to be met.

“Normally a Level 4 apprenticeship is about two to two-and-a-half years, while an APA on average takes about nine months. It's not a fast track, but it's a more efficient way of retrospectively proving that learners have actually been doing this for a while at this standard.”

The journey to the refined APA process has involved workshopping with industry representatives from the Civil Strategic Reference Group to identify what an improved process would look like.

“Industry identified that the other process needed improvement, so we’ve listened and responded to industry needs,” she says.

Connexis is soon to begin the trial with learners from a select group of companies in either road construction, road maintenance or road earthworks.

“We'll get feedback from learners, employers, assessors and our Customer Service Account Managers, and we’ll refine things from there.”

If the initial trial is successful, Connexis will roll out the refined APA process across its other Level 4 apprenticeships in Civil, Water, and Electrical.

Fiona expects the revised APA process to open the door to more Civil Trades certifications in future.  

“I’m really excited about the potential. A well-functioning APA process will reduce a key barrier for experienced individuals who want to obtain the Level 4 qualifications they need before applying for Civil Trades certification.”

Civil Trades Workforce Development Manager Rebecca Fox says the revised APA process being trialled is “hugely positive”.

“This will smooth the road for many experienced individuals in the civil infrastructure construction industry who have the requisite skills but who have held off on gaining formal recognition for it. 

“As more people gain Level 4 qualifications, I have no doubt that many of them will be inspired to go on to gain the gold standard Civil Trades certification they deserve.”

Banner image provided courtesy of Connexis.

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