In strengthening the global competitiveness of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) graduates, there is a high regard for TVET institutions to achieve “organizational excellence” using accreditation that will benefit students and faculty members. With this, the Colombo Plan Staff College (CPSC), in collaboration with the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC), Pakistan, conducted the In-Country Program on Accreditation and Certification in Achieving Quality Assured TVET, held from February 26 to March 1, 2024 at the NAVTTC Head Office in Islamabad, Pakistan. A total of 35 TVET professionals composed of college principals, directors, teachers, lecturers and administrators have participated in the five-day program.
The program was particularly designed for participants to gain theoretical and practical experiences in preparing TVET institutions for accreditation of quality management systems in the future. Participants were expected to understand the concept of Quality Assurance System, learn the accreditation process as well as its importance to TVET programs and institutions.
Program implementation was under the supervision of CPSC Director General Prof. G.L.D. Wickramasinghe and NAVTTC Executive Director Mr. Muhammad Aamir Jan. Meanwhile, CPSC Senior Faculty Specialist Engr. Dr. Mian Khuram Ahsan and NAVTTC Director Dr. Henna Karamat served as the Program Coordinator and Local Program Coordinator, respectively. Prof. Wickramasinghe and Engr. Dr. Ahsan were also engaged as Resource Persons, together with Dr. Fida Bazai, NAVTTC Director General (Accreditation and Certification); Mr. Abdul Hafiz Abbasi, NAVTTC Director General (SS&C / NSIS); Mr. Atif Mahmood, Technical Advisor of The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale (GIZ); Mr. Naeem Yaqoob, NAVTTC Deputy Director (P&BD); Mr. Ahmed Salman Mirza, NAVTTC Director (Monitoring/Research); Prof. Romulita C. Alto, Ed.D., Former CPSC Governing-Board Engaged Faculty Consultant; Pn. Noor Aidi binti Nadzri, Former Director of Politeknik Ibrahim Sultan; and Dr. Hazrat Hussain, Principal of Government Technical Teachers Training College.
The program was inaugurated by Prof. Wickramasinghe together with Dr. Karamat and Mr. Abdul Hafeez Abbasi who welcomed the participants and conveyed their gratitude towards the participants, to CPSC and NAVTTC for the efforts made in organizing the overall program. The opening ceremony was followed by the special lecture of Prof. Wickramasinghe about the Benchmarking Quality Assurance of TVET Institutions.
The five-day training program consisted of class sessions, workshops, and presentations of theme papers. Likewise, the topics discussed in these theme papers primarily focused on the following: Overview of TVET Quality Assurance System by NAVTTC; Institutional Accreditation as Quality Assurance for TVET Institution Operations & Work Procedures; Role of the Skills National Assessment and Certification System as a Quality Assurance System; Program Accreditation as Quality Assurance for Standard Programs; and APACC for Accreditation and Certification of TVET Institutions in Asia Pacific Region.
Workshops were also facilitated by Prof. Wickramasinghe; Engr. Dr. Ahsan; former CPSC faculty members Dr. Hussain, Prof. Alto, and Pn. Noor Aidi binti Nadzri, as they discussed the major issues and challenges in the Quality Assurance System and the APACC accreditation criteria. Moreover, the training program concluded with the closing remarks of Prof. Wickramasinghe and Dr. Fida Bazai which was followed by the awarding of certificates for the participants.
Group photo of the participants
