PROOF OF CONCEPT

Aotearoa Skills Knowledge Graph

An interactive prototype showing how NZQA standards could be transformed into a machine-readable knowledge graph — with structured APIs, skill relationships, and career pathway intelligence.

What's in this PoC

73
Real Standards
4
Domains
5
Career Pathways
4
API Endpoints

How to use each tab

🔍
Explore Standards
Search and filter all 73 standards. Click a card to see full details, relationships, and progression paths. Filter by domain or NZQCF level.
🕸️
Knowledge Graph
Interactive force-directed graph showing how standards connect. Drag nodes to explore. Colour = domain, links = prerequisites and progressions.
🛤️
Pathway Engine
Five career specialisations built from real standard progressions. Select a pathway to see the ordered sequence of credentials and estimated timeframes.
⚡
API Explorer
Simulated REST API showing what structured endpoints would look like. Test search, relationships, RSD, and pathway queries. Responses are real JSON.
📋
RSD Preview
Rich Skill Descriptors in CTDL-compatible JSON-LD. Select any standard to see its machine-readable representation with cross-framework level mappings.

Key definitions

Knowledge Graph
A structured network of entities and relationships. Instead of standards sitting in isolated PDFs or web pages, a knowledge graph connects them — showing prerequisites, progressions, and cross-domain links as queryable data.
Rich Skill Descriptors (RSDs)
Machine-readable definitions of individual skills or competencies. RSDs follow the CTDL standard and include metadata like alignment to frameworks, assessment methods, and occupation links — making skills portable across systems.
CTDL (Credential Transparency Description Language)
An open international standard with 66 metadata types for describing credentials, skills, and competencies. Used by Credential Engine and adopted across the US, EU, and increasingly in Australia.
NZQCF (NZ Qualifications & Credentials Framework)
New Zealand's 10-level framework for organising qualifications from certificates (Level 1) to doctoral degrees (Level 10). This PoC covers standards at Levels 2-5.
Unit Standards vs Skill Standards
Unit standards are the legacy format — specific, prescriptive assessment criteria. Skill standards are the new format being introduced as ISBs replace WDCs (from Jan 2026) — more flexible, outcomes-based, and better suited to micro-credentials.
Micro-credentials
Short, focused qualifications of up to 40 credits at any NZQCF level. Designed for upskilling and reskilling. Currently managed through NZQA's web portal with no structured data layer — a key gap this project addresses.
ISBs (Industry Skills Bodies)
Replaced Workforce Development Councils (WDCs) in January 2026. ISBs like Hanga-Aro-Rau (Manufacturing, Engineering, Logistics) set skill standards and advise on vocational training for their industries.
Built by hotloop.ai — Keeping experts on top of AI

ASKG

PROOF OF CONCEPT Aotearoa Skills Knowledge Graph — Engineering & Manufacturing Vertical Slice
Level 2 (Foundation)
Level 3 (Intermediate)
Level 4 (Advanced)
Level 5 (Specialist)
Level 1 (Entry)
Solid = Current   Dashed = Expired

Pathway Engine

Select a specialisation to see the recommended credential pathway from entry to advanced.

API Explorer

Try the ASKG API endpoints. This simulates what a production API would expose.

GET /api/v1/standards/search

Search standards by keyword, level, domain, or status
// Response will appear here

GET /api/v1/standards/{id}

Retrieve a standard with all metadata and relationships
// Response will appear here

GET /api/v1/pathways/{specialisation}

Get recommended pathway for a career specialisation
// Response will appear here

GET /api/v1/standards/{id}/rsd

Get Rich Skill Descriptor (CTDL-compatible) for a standard
// Response will appear here

Rich Skill Descriptor Preview

This shows how NZQA standards would look wrapped in CTDL-compatible Rich Skill Descriptors — making them internationally interoperable.