Quality Assurance for TVET in the Caribbean:

1. IVETA 2013 Quality Assurance in Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) December 3 – 4, 2013 Quality Assurance for TVET in the Caribbean: An Example of Best Practices Presenter: Halden A. Morris, Ph.D., P.E.

2. Underlining Principles

3. Outline of Presentation • Globalization and the quality focus • What is quality and quality assurance • Quality assurance approach in TVET • Quality indicators • Key principles for consideration • Establishing TVET quality standards • Quality assurance for TVET in the Caribbean • Benchmark achievements • Quality assurance of TVET in Jamaica • Looking ahead

4. Globalization & Quality Focus • Greater prominence of QA bodies due to the increase demand by stakeholders • Critical elements in the development of an education system. • Need to: • maintain professionalism. • Enhance stakeholder’s confidence • Empower personnel

5. Organizations that have expressed interest in the movement of greater quality focus are: • World Bank (WB), • United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), • International Labour Organization (ILO)

6. Globalization – Example • Australian Quality Training Framework (ATQF) • Established in 2001 as a body for providing minimum quality standards for the registration of training organizations in Australia • 2007, this body has gone beyond its prescriptive minimum-standards view of quality by introducing additional criteria called the “excellence criteria”

7. Globalization – Example • National Council on Technical Vocational Education and Training (NCTVET) Jamaica • Established in 1992 as a body for providing minimum quality standards for the registration of training organizations in Jamaica. • became a member of the Association of Commonwealth Examination and Accreditation Bodies (ACEAB) in 2000 • Now focusing on quality assurance for all TVET institutions in Jamaica

8. What is it?

10. Harvey and Green (1993) identified five different approaches to defining quality: • exceptional • consistency • Fitness for purpose • value for money • transformative

12. Quality Assurance

13. Quality Assurance

14. Quality Assurance Approach in TVET

15. Principles of TVET Quality Assurance System

16. Principles to Consider

17. Quyality Indicators

18. Learning Engagement • Active engagement of learners in effective training practices plays a critical role in developing high quality outcomes All hands on deck!

19. Employer Satisfaction Employer satisfaction’ quality indicator emphasizes the importance of the employer’s opinion in determining quality and focuses on learner

20. Competency Completion • The ‘competency completion’ quality indicator was developed to affirm the importance for quality management of understanding the outcomes being achieved by the registered training organizations

21. Establishing TVET Quality Standards

22. Process Involves • Assessment of all Stakeholders • Ministry of Education’s TVET Unit (TVU) in Jamaica • The quality assurance body (NCTVET & UCJ) • The current students • The graduates and • Organizations that employ graduates of the institutions

24. Quality Assurance TVET in the Caribbean

25. Benchmark Achievements (TVET) • The development of a 5-level Regional Qualifications Framework representing the different levels of skill, autonomy and responsibility that correspond to levels of employment in the labour market (2003) • The setting up of National TVET Apex Agencies namely the HEART Trust /NTA (Jamaica, 1991), the TVET Council (Barbados, 1998) and the National Training Agency (T&T, 1999) • The setting up of CANTA as the implementation arm of the Regional Coordinating Mechanism for TVET (RCMTVET) (2003) • The wide participation of Caribbean territories in major regional TVET workshops hosted by Trinidad & Tobago and Jamaica (2000-2008)

26. Benchmark Achievements (TVET) • The adoption of the CARICOM Process for Workforce Training, Assessment and Certification (2005) by the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) • The launch of a CANTA TVET Journal in conjunction with the ILO/CINTERFOR (2005) • The agreement by COHSOD for the Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) to be used for the movement of artisans (2007) • The setting-up of regional processes for the development of Occupational Standards and the Quality Assurance of TVET Providers (2007/08) • The regional approval of occupational standards (first in 2003 and again in 2008)

27. Benchmark Achievements (TVET) • The implementation of a project by the Organization of American States (OAS) to develop teachers and administrators within the secondary school system in the region. They were trained as Assessors of Competency Based Education and Training as part of a School-to-Work strategy • The recent setting up of TVET Agencies and Competency Based Systems in countries such as Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Belize, Grenada, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia and Guyana, most of which are in the formative stages • The award of the CVQs by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) in the Trinidad & Tobago Secondary School system to over 1,000 students (2007/08).

28. Establishment of National Councils TVET in the Caribbean

29. National Councils

30. CANTA

31. Quality Assurance TVET in Jamaica

32. NCTVET Responsibilities

33. NCTVET Principles • Embrace appropriate quality assurance systems in the delivery of TVET • Both, private and public sectors agree on strategies to fund quality assurance mechanisms for TVET • Trainees to be able to enroll easily in training programmes • Provide quality assurance for programmes delivered in the various contexts.

34. NCTVET Principles • Bench mark regional and national standards with those established internationally to facilitate ease of migration of trained persons • All stakeholders are aware of the processes involved and refrain from accepting performances that have not met the established standards.

35. QA System – Accreditation Process Pre-application Activity Organization attends an awareness/sensitization session prior to submitting a completed application form. ORGANIZATION: Post Application Activity Organization completes and submits application form with the programme(s) for evaluation (or reaffirmation) to the Registrar of NCTVET. 3. Organization completes and submits policy and procedure manual and agrees on evaluation dates. 7. The organization submits to the Quality Assurance Unit of the NCTVET a written response to the evaluation team report within three (3) weeks of receipt of the report. NCTVET 2. Quality Assurance unit conducts gap audit to determine status with respect to the standard requirements. 4. Evaluation activities are scheduled and organization is informed of all evaluation arrangements. 5. The accreditation evaluation exercise is conducted by a visiting team of professionals. The evaluation exercise usually takes between 2-5 days. 6. An evaluation team report is prepared and submitted to the organization within three (3) weeks.

36. QA System – Accreditation Process NCTVET 8. Verification of the organizational response conducted and verification report submitted to the Quality Assurance Committee of the Council for review and judgment on accreditation. 9. Quality Assurance Committee reviews verification report and makes recommendation regarding accreditation to Council for judgment on accreditation. 10. Council makes Judgment on the organization’s accreditation status. If an appeal is made and Council decides not to accept or has denied same, then the institution would be required to re-apply for accreditation. 11a.The Appeals Committee meets and makes a judgment on Appeal. ORGANIZATION: Post Application Activity 7. The organization submits to the Quality Assurance Unit of the NCTVET a written response to the evaluation team report within three (3) weeks of receipt of the report. 11. If accreditation is denied, an organization may appeal the decision by the Council through the Registrar of NCTVET. The Council re-examines the information, the outcome of which is final.

37. QA System – Accreditation Process ORGANIZATION: Post Application Activity 12. If accreditation is granted, the organization submits an annual report to the NCTVET for the period of the accreditation. 13. Quality Assurance Committee makes judgment on continuation of accreditation status. If the recommended status is revoked, the organization may file an appeal to the Council, through the Registrar of NCTVET. The outcome of which is final. 15. If continuation is granted, organization repeats the annual review for the period of Accreditation. NCTVET 14. The Quality Assurance Committee makes a judgment on the continuation of the accreditation status.

38. NCTVET Accredited Institutions in Jamaica (2006 & 2008)

39. NCTVET Accredited Institutions in Jamaica (2012)

40. Looking Ahead Put in place mechanisms to facilitate quality assurance of all TVET institutions in Jamaica and the Caribbean. Maintain international standards to assure recognition of institutions.