The purpose of this qualification is to provide Aotearoa New Zealand with people who have attained a broad understanding of the core concepts and practical skills in Information Technology (IT), with a technical support focus. It will equip people for employment in roles such as computer technician, service desk or technical support, or prepare them for further study. Graduates will have an awareness of the IT environment, appreciate the needs of users and be able to provide IT technical support. They will also be able to operate within the applicable professional standards and practice as part of a team, or independently with a broad level of supervision. Businesses, organisations and communities will benefit by having IT Professionals with technical support skills that will be internationally relevant.

Graduates will be able to: Technical skills: Select, install and configure IT hardware and systems software to meet organisational requirements. Apply a broad operational knowledge of networking and associated services and technologies to meet typical organisational requirements. Configure and administer systems and applications to meet typical organisational IT support requirements. Apply a broad operational knowledge of database administration to meet typical organisational data storage and retrieval requirements. Troubleshoot and resolve a range of common system problems using appropriate tools and procedures. Identify common issues related to IT security and apply a range of solutions. Demonstrate an operational knowledge and understanding of IT service management to meet typical organisational customer service requirements. Core IT skills: Apply the fundamentals of information systems concepts and practice to support and enhance organisational processes and systems. Apply the fundamentals of interaction design concepts and practice to enhance interface design. Apply the principles of software development to create simple working applications. Apply professional, legal, and ethical principles and practices in a socially responsible manner as an emerging IT professional. Apply communication, personal and interpersonal skills to enhance effectiveness in an IT role. Use problem-solving and decision-making techniques to provide innovative and timely Information Technology outcomes. Graduates of this diploma will have the skills and knowledge to work in roles such as computer technician, help desk and technical support officer and entry level network administrator, network engineer and applications support analyst roles.