DATE:
November 21-25, 2022
PARTNER ORGANIZATION:
National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research (NITTTR), Chennai, India
PARTICIPANTS' PROFILE:
Principals, Administrators, Faculty of Engineering and Polytechnic Colleges and other Officials of TVET Institutions in India

Background

Quality development is today widely regarded as a key to success of systems of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Asia Pacific Region (member countries states): it is crucial for building trust among TVET stakeholders, to improve the image of TVET, and to convince business and industry to take an active role in TVET systems and recruit TVET graduates. In the context of Asia-Pacific integration, Quality Assurance (QA) in TVET has, in recent years, become an important element in efforts to advance regional Labour mobility and to build a more integrated regional Labouré market. For example, The ASEAN Work Plan on Education (2016 - 2020) identified the need to strengthen regional harmonization for the advancement of quality TVET by establishing regional quality assurance and recognition for TVET and/or “non-degree institutions'' as one of the priority areas for the improvement of TVET systems in Southeast Asia. Likewise, the ASEAN 5-Year Work Plan on Education (2021 - 2025) asks for, among others, improved TVET quality through quality assurance, towards enhancement of access to quality initial and continuing TVET that is responsive to changing Labour market demands. This trend and scenario is similar in the Asia-Pacific Region.

Quality Assurance is a key component of successful internalization, mechanism for building institutional reputation in a competitive local and global arena and necessary foundation for consumer protection (National Universities Commission, 2009). Quality assurance in TVET is the systematic management and assessment procedures adopted by an educational institution or system to monitor performance and to ensure achievement of quality outputs or improved quality (Majumdar et al., 2010). Quality assurance (QA) includes internal and external mechanisms put in place by institutions and accreditation agencies respectively, to ensure standard in all the functions of the institutions.

TVET has played a key role in education as well as national development which has attracted different names such as Technical Education (TE), Vocational Training (VT), Vocational Education and Training (VTE), Technical and Vocational Education and Training, Occupational Education (OE), Apprenticeship Training (AT), and Career and Technical Education (CTE).TVET is a specialized education designed to empower learners through the development of their technical skills, human abilities, cognitive understanding, attitudes and work habits. In order to address the growing expectations of industry, continuous enrichment of the quality of TVET is a key priority in the region. The Goal 4 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) emphasizes on Quality Education. Quality enhancement is one of the main objectives of the TVET system.

CPSC is an inter-governmental organization for the development of TVET in the Asia and the Pacific Region. The Asia Pacific Accreditation and Certification Commission (APACC) is a regional accreditation and certification body established through the CPSC Seoul Declaration 2004, with CPSC as the lead organization. It aims to accredit and certify the TVET institutions for human resources development through the standardization and harmonization of education and training systems which will facilitate the mobility of the workforce across national borders in Asia and the Pacific region. APACC Accreditation is designed to help TVET institutions boost their ongoing performance efforts for the benefit of their students. APACC insists on a relentless pursuit of excellence via a quality education system for itself and the institutions it accredits. This ethic of excellence ensures that institutions will find rich benefits from accreditation and that parents can confidently make informed decisions about their children’s education, knowing their child’s school is accredited. Accreditation matters because our students deserve the highest level of educational excellence possible.

India gives high regard to the quality of their education systems. This is very evident in their laws specific on educational standards and quality. To acquire such high standards and exceptional quality of education to the TVET sector, it is necessary that all stakeholders are aware of quality assurance measures and mechanisms used by various accreditors, both local and international. With right information come empowered and more involved TVET institutions, ready to meet and even exceed the expectations of the TVET accreditors. This would also guarantee, along with the compliance of the institutions, higher quality TVET graduates. This would help support the implementation of TVET Quality Assurance in order to achieve the overall goal of providing quality TVET where prosperity, competitiveness, and economic development of India expectedly lie ahead.

This program mainly aims to assist the Government of India with its initiatives by providing knowledge on the organized structure for maintaining Accreditation as Quality Assurance Mechanism based on quality systems standard on TVET Institutions that promotes the exchange and recognition of standards and criteria across Asia and the Pacific Region.


Objectives

At the end of the course, participants should be able to:

  • Appreciate the need and importance of quality assurance;
  • Identify best practices in TVET Quality Assurance Systems member countries;
  • Comprehend the need and importance of National/Regional/International accreditation;
  • Gain insights on APACC accreditation as a continuous improvement approach to organizational excellence in TVET; and
  • Develop an action plan to prepare for accreditation

Main Contents

The main contents of the in-country program are as follows:

Theme Papers

  • Theme Paper 1: Organizational Excellence in Today’s competitive environment through Accreditation
  • Theme Paper 2: Concept of Quality Assurance and Quality Standard in TVET
  • Theme Paper 3: National Accreditation and Certification systems and practices in India ( NBA / NAAC)
  • Theme Paper 4: Quality Assurance Auditing through APACC
  • Theme Paper 5: Issues and Challenges in Accreditation Process
  • Theme Paper 6: Innovative Approaches for stimulating Accreditation system in Technical Education in India

Group Work Activities (GWA)

  • GWA 1: SWOT Analysis
  • GWA 2: Presentation: Case Study
  • GWA 3: Preparing Quality Assurance through Accreditation Implementation Plan
  • GWA 4: Action Plan

International Seminar on “Quality Assurance through Accreditation”

Expected Outcomes

The presentation and workshop activities are directed towards the formulation of a quality assurance via accreditation to meet vision, mission statement, and strategic goals and objectives for the benefit of TVET Institutes for member countries, especially India. At the end of the training session, the participants should be able to craft the institutional quality assurance accreditation development plan which will be used as a basis for their future direction.


Instructional Strategies

The training program involves different learning methods to achieve the objectives set forth, the following strategies will be employed in a consultative nature:

  • Theme Paper (TP) Presentation
  • Group Work Activities (GWA)
  • Case Studies
  • Web-Based Teaching and Learning System (OnCOURSE)
  • Action Planning (AP)

Program Management

Program Supervisor Prof. G. L. D. Wickramasinghe ([email protected]) is the first Sri Lankan and the 12th Director General of the Colombo Plan Staff College (CPSC) and the President of the Asia Pacific Accreditation and Certification Commission (APACC) since September 2021. Prior to joining CPSC, he served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Vocational Technology in Sri Lanka from 2016 to 2019.

Prof. Wickramasinghe holds a PhD from The University of Manchester in the United Kingdom. He also holds a B.Sc. Engineering Honours degree from the University of Moratuwa in Sri Lanka; an MBA from the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM) in Sri Lanka; and a PG Diploma in Learning and Teaching from the University of London in the United Kingdom. Prof. Wickramasinghe is also a Chartered Engineer and a Member of the Engineering Council of Sri Lanka.

Prof. Wickramasinghe came to the Colombo Plan Staff College with a 26-year illustrious academic career in higher education as well as the TVET sector. He is a Professor in Textile Engineering at the University of Moratuwa. He also served as the Head of the Department of Textile Engineering of the Faculty of Engineering, and the Chairman of the Centre for Open and Distance Learning at the University of Moratuwa. Prof. Wickramasinghe also held several distinguished positions in the industry in Sri Lanka. He served as a member of the Board of Directors of Orit Apparels Lanka Ltd., and the Sri Lanka Institute of Textile and Apparel. He was the Chairman of the Board of Alethea International School, and the Director of Technical and Quality Assurance of Brandix Textiles Ltd. He also served in various state and private sectors as the chairman and member of technical and advisory committees.

Prof. Wickramasinghe’s track record in research is amply demonstrated by publishing over 60 international research publications, of which over 30 are international indexed journal publications. He was further honored with 18 national and international awards for research. He is a winner of the Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence in 2018 awarded by the Emerald Publishing Limited in the United Kingdom, the President’s Award for Scientific Publication for the year 2017 awarded by the Presidential Secretariat of Sri Lanka, and the National Research Council Merit Award for Scientific Publication for the years of 2011 and 2016 awarded by National Research Council of Sri Lanka. The World Education Congress honored him with “Sri Lanka Education Leadership Awards” in the year 2018 for his Outstanding Contribution to higher education in Sri Lanka.

Program Supervisor Prof. Dr. Usha Natesan, PhD, D.Litt. is the Director, NITTTR Chennai was serving as Professor of Civil Engineering in Anna University, Chennai and worked as Advisor I, Approval Bureau at AICTE (2015-2020) on deputation. Dr.Usha Natesan is an active researcher who has been handling many sponsored research projects amounting to Rs.3 crores. She has more than 225 publications to her credit. She is also serving as a reviewer for SCI National and International journals. She had been the recipient of several awards such as the Tamil Nadu Young Women Scientist Award, Faculty awards for Active Researcher for 2012, National Geospatial Excellence Award 2014, UGC-BSR One Time Grant (2015), TEC Best Women Achiever Award (2016), Award for Excellence in Research (2016), Eminent Engineer Award (2016), Conferred with the Honorary ISTE Fellowship (2019), Tamil Nadu Scientist Award (TANSA) (2021). To prove the administrative capability of Dr.Usha Natesan, during her tenure as Director, Centre for Research, she is having a Limca Book of Records for producing 1010 Ph.D. awardees in the 35th Annual convocation of Anna University held in 2014 which was the highest number of Ph.D. awardees ever achieved by any other Technical University in India. Twenty Two scholars have already been awarded Ph.D. degree under her mentorship. She has extensively travelled to many countries and delivered invited talks. She is serving as member in a number of Committees dealing with National Policy Making Process, National Initiatives and Esteemed Policy Making Committees of various Ministries.

Program Coordinator and Resource Person Dr. Kesavan Ulaganathen ([email protected]) is a Governing-Board Engage Faculty Consultant in the Colombo Plan Staff College (CPSC). His academic expertise is on optical communication, industrial engineering and instrumentation, satellite communication, wireless communication, computer aided design for electronic design, semiconductor technology, digital communication, RF and Microwave technology.

He obtained his Ph.D. in Wireless Communication at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia in 2014, and his Master of Engineering degree in Electrical, Electronic and Telecommunication in 2005 in the same university. He has a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (Electronics and Telecommunication) degree from the College University Institute of Tun Hussein Onn (KUITTHO), currently known as UTHM - Malaysia where he also obtained a post-graduate Diploma in Education in 1999. He also has a Certificate and Diploma in Electrical and Telecommunication Engineering from Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Polytechnic in Pahang, Malaysia.

He has an extensive teaching experience in higher technical education working as a lecturer at Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Polytechnic (POLISAS), Kuantan, Pahang from 1999- 2003; and as lecturer plus training officer at Sultan Azlan Shah Polytechnic (PSAS), Tanjung Malim, Perak from 2005-2008. He was appointed as Senior Lecturer at Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Polytechnic (POLISAS) from 2009-2016. He was posted as Head of Department for Mathematical, Science and Computer at Polytechnic Sandakan Sabah, at East Malaysia at Borneo Island from 2017-2021.His last position was as Principal Lecturer in Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Polytechnic (POLISAS), Kuantan. Pahang. Malaysia He has been involved in Higher Education Curriculum Development programmes for electrical engineering courses, specifically in the optoelectronic field, in Polytechnics system in Malaysia. He involves in consultation works as well, one of his area is 5G network for Malaysia.

He has over 25 research publications on electronic and telecommunications which were published in prestigious journals such as the Advanced Journal of Technical and Vocational Education, International Journal of Electronics, and Radioengineering. He also reviewer for some of journals articles publish by IEEE, PIERS, HINDAWI and others for international publications and conferences.

Local Coordinator and Resource Person Prof. Dr. G. Kulanthaivel is a Professor of Electronics and Communication Engineering & Head, Centre for International Affairs, National Institute of Technical Teachers Training & Research, Ministry of Education, Government of India, Chennai, India received his Ph.D. degree in Information and Communication Engineering from Anna University, Chennai. He completed his Master’s degree in Microwave and Optical Engineering from Madurai Kamaraj University and Bachelor’s Degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from University of Madras. He has experience of more than 28 years out of which around 26 years in training of technical teachers in India and abroad. He has worked in Colombo Plan Staff College (CPSC), Manila, Philippines as Faculty Consultant &338; Chairman of the Information and Communication Technology Division for nearly four years on Government of India deputation. He also acted as Acting Director General of CPSC for more than one year. He is an Accreditor for Asia-Pacific Accreditation and Certification Commission (APACC), Philippines.

He has published/presented more than 100 papers in the National/International Journals/Conferences/Seminars. He has visited around 20 countries and conducted different Quality Improvement Programs. He is a member of many International/National Professional bodies including Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering {IEEE(USA)} and International Vocational Education and Training Association {IVETA – USA}. He is Fellow of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers - (FIETE), Fellow of the Institution of Engineers (India) - (FIE) and presently Chairman of IEEE Technology and Engineering Management Society (IEEE-TEMS Madras Chapter).

Local Resource Person Prof. Dr. T.G. Sambanthan was a Professor & Head of the Computer Science & Engineering Department of NITTTR, Chennai. He holds an M.E with distinction from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and a Ph.D from IIT Madras as a CSIR Sr. Research Fellow in Civil Engineering. He has obtained a blend of Industrial, Research and Teaching/Training experiences of several years from India and abroad mostly in software developments & SE. He also had a two years stint with the state council for Science & Technology coordinating Industry-Institute-Interaction cell. As an in-house software professional, he had developed over 1,50,000 lines of coding on UNIX platform in India and abroad. In 1998, he was sponsored under World Bank to the Huddersfield University, UK, on “Curriculum Development”. He has worked in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for 7 years as a s/w engineer. He has published 35 peer reviewed journal papers and presented 84 papers in National & International Conferences & Seminars in India and in abroad and also authored two editions of a book on computer graphics. He has been rendering lectures on ‘Instructional System Design for OBE through CDIO’ based on his training and research experiences. He has won several awards and distinctions from various organizations, including the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Award from the University of Madras. He has produced 16 Ph.Ds under the Madras University and currently guiding 2 Ph.Ds, mostly in OBE areas of Engineering Education, apart from associating himself in Doctoral committees and adjudications of dozen Universities for many candidates in the past 10 years.

Local Resource Person Prof. G. Augustine Maniraj Pandian is a Professor and Dean of Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) of SRM Institute of Science and Technology for 24 years (formerly known as SRM University), Kanchipuram District, India.

Prof. Pandian, authored and co-authored several publications on structural engineering published in both local and international journals, some of the publications were “Study of Behaviour of Steel and Steel-Concrete Composite Multi-Storey Moment Resistant Frames Using Pushover Analysis”; “Experimental Investigation on The Effects of Using Soil as a Replacement of San in Concrete”; “Effect of Dynamic Loads on Tall RCC Chimneys of Diffrerent Heights with Elliptical and Cirucular Cross Sections”.

Prof. Pandian worked in Ministry of Defence as Group A IDSE Cadre Officer in 16 years and have executed prestigious defense projects. He also worked with Dr. APJ Kalam in establishing civil infrastructure for his missile projects, Hyderabad.

Prof. Pandian was honored as Fellow of Institution of Engineers (FIE) and recipient of Best Eacher Award – Department of Civil Engineering, 2005-2006, an Outstanding Performance Report for 10 consecutive years as a Group A Gazetted officer in MES, Ministry of Defence. Appointed as Selection in Engineering Services Examinations and appointment as Group A officer in the Ministry of Defence, Government of India, and a Gold Medalist, University I Rank, Mandurai Kamaraj University, 1982.

Prof. G. Augustine Maniraj Pandian obtained his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Gold Medalist at the Madurai Kamaraj University, Alagappa Chettiar College Engineering and Technology, Karaikudi, Tamilnadu, India, in 1982. He also holds a Master’s degree in Technology specializing in Structural Engineering, from IIT-Delhi in 1989.