Councilandhighlightedtheimportanceofhavingaccredited institutions and programmes. He pointed out that Barbados has always accepted the necessity of having qualifications for educational and employment advancement, “as long as qualificationscontinuetobeimportant,theneedforeffective and proper accreditation of the institutions which issue those qualifications, will be both pressing and incontestable.” The acting Prime Minister stressed that“quality assurance, then, is a live and continuing issue in the delivery of education in Barbados and the Caribbean.”
CANQATE Conference 2009 Hailed A Success! The recently held 6th Annual Caribbean Area Network for Tertiary Education (CANQATE) Conference at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre is being hailed as a success. Over 125 delegates attended the 3-day Conference with participants drawn from Saudi Arabia, Libya, Ghana, South America, Canada and neighbouring Caribbean islands. At the prestigious Opening Ceremony, the acting Prime Minister of Barbados, The Honourable Freundel Stuart, Q.C., M.P. was the Keynote Speaker. The Conference cumulated with a Gala Dinner at the Plantation Theatre. In his Feature Address, the acting Prime Minister Honourable Freundel Stuart, Q.C., M.P. delivered a riveting speech that gripped the attention of his audience, with many of them commenting on the content and delivery as the focus of their conversations during the Cocktail Reception which followed. The Acting Prime Minister endorsed the purpose and services of the Barbados Accreditation
The Honourable Patrick M. T. Todd, M.P., Acting Minister of Education and Human Resource Development, indicated that his government expanded“the level of quality of education and training” in Barbados. Minister Todd also noted that one of the strategic goals of the Council for 2007-2011 was to “establish relationships with institutions and providers in the interest of developing and sustaining a Quality Culture in post-secondary education and training.” He added that the Council has continued to host developmental workshopsinkeyareasofneedandduringtheyearalsoestablished the Barbados CANQATE Core Group which is designed to enhance and assist“providers with the implementation of best practices in quality assurance and enhancement in tertiary education.” Continued on page 4
What’s Inside Chairperson’s Word Photo Galleries Gala Dinner photo gallery From the Desk of the Executive Director Prime Minister’s Feature Address List of registered institutions Accreditation Corner Profiles of Educational Providers BAC News Around the Caribbean
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Chairperson’s Word In our last edition, the Barbados Accreditation Council promised to continue its discourse on promoting a culture of quality in tertiary education. In the recently held CANQATE conference in Barbados, as Chairperson of the BAC, I had the pleasure of pursuing this concept further in my Welcoming Remarks. Here are some of my comments under the theme “Balancing Quality and Quantity in Tertiary Education”: I am particularly pleased to be Chairperson of the Barbados Accreditation Councilatthistimeinitshistoryandtobeabletoshareanaspectofourvisionfornational development.ThethemeoftheConference“BalancingQualityandQuantity:theGlobal Challenge for Tertiary Education” is timely as institutions worldwide are grappling withtheneedtoincreaselearneraccesswhilemaintainingorindeedenhancingquality.
BARBADOS ACCREDI TATI ON COUN CI L NE W SL E T TER
Ms. Yvonne Walkes, Chairperson
If a quick poll were to be taken in the audience of the meaning of the two major terms used in the theme, i.e. ‘quality’ and ‘quantity’, one may find an almost universal understanding of ‘quantity’. Although some professionals, in tertiary education, are stating that both concepts should go hand in hand, it is unlikely that the same would apply to the term ‘quality’.
As many of you may be aware,‘quality’as a concept, was founded in the early 20th century and has its roots not in education but in the industrial and management sectors. Over the years, many authors have tried to define and agree on this unique and much used term including, W. Edwards Deming, Joseph Juran, Philip B. Crosby, Kauru Ishikawa and Genichi Taguchi. Some authors suggest that quality has a variety of meanings and connotations and means different things to different people (Green and Harvey, 1993; Harvey and Green, 1993; and Mishra, 2007). This would be particularly true for tertiary education and training with its many and varied stakeholders such as students, employers, teaching and non-teaching staff, government and funding agencies, accreditors, and so on. ‘Quality’for the BAC, is a value judgment determined by the needs of the individuals who define it. Mishra (2007), likens quality to beauty which lies in the eye of the beholder. The inability to provide a precise definition of quality may be the strength of the concept, as a precise definition could inevitably lead to a prescriptive application of its principles, which could result in uniformity. However, the true philosophy of quality suggests innovation and the use of diverse systems in response to varying needs. There are generally five paradigms of quality: quality as exceptionally high standards; quality as zero defects; quality as fitness for purpose; quality as value for money (through efficiency and effectiveness); and quality as transformative, i.e. the transformation in the learner. Usually, quality implies a measure of inputs, processes, outputs, and learning outcomes. Inthefinalanalysis,whenoneconsiderstheconcept‘quality’therearemanyquestionsthatonemay needtoansweroratleastto consider. Someofthesequestionsmayinclude1)Howrelevantarethetraditional definitions of quality given the new modalities of tertiary education? 2) Are traditional measures of quality congruentwithCaribbeanrealities?3)Whiletheinstitutionsandprovidersinthesesmalldevelopingcountries arebattlingtofindanswerstothenewprioritiesofrelevance,costs,equityandinternationalstandards,what istheroleofindividualsincreatingculturesofquality?Ibelievetheconferenceisdesignedtofindsolutionsto someifnotalloftheseissues.Conferences,suchasthisonecanprovidetheparticipantswithanidealopportunity to discuss a wide range of interesting topics related to quality, quality assurance and quality enhancement.
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O P E N IN G CE RE M O NY & RE C E PTI ON
P RE CO N FE RE N CE WORKSHOP
PLENARY SE SSION S
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Gala Dinner Photo Gallery
Continued from Front Page (cont’d) Ms.Yvonne Walkes, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Council, shared her “vision for the development of a quality culture in tertiary education and training.” Ms. Walkes explored various meanings of quality, and concluded that the meaningwassculptedbyindividualneeds.Sheaddedthat“the lack of a precise definition for ‘quality’ may be its strength, as a precise definition could inevitably lead to a standardized and prescriptive application of its principles.” The Pre-Conference Workshop entitled “Building an Effective Self-Study” attracted over 80 participants. The workshop was facilitated by Prof. Donald Hanna of the University of Wisconsin – Extension, USA and it provided delegates with the techniques and tools for preparing the selfstudy,whichisacriticalandnecessarycomponent,whenseeking accreditation by the Council. During the two-day Conference, over 18 presentations weredeliveredunderthebroadConferenceTheme:“Balancing Quality and Quantity: The Global Challenge in Tertiary Education.” The CANQATE Annual General Meeting concluded with the election of the new Board of Management, for the period 2009 - 2011: •
Ms. Valda Alleyne – President (Executive Director, Barbados Accreditation Council) • Mr. Michael Bradshaw – Vice President (Acting Executive Director, Accreditation Council of Trinidad and Tobago) • Dr. Dawn Barrett-Adams – Secretary (Accreditation Officer, University Council of Jamaica) • Mr. Mervyn Extavour – Treasurer (Coordinator, UWI Franchise, Cipriani College of Labour & Co-operative Studies, Trinidad and Tobago & President, National Association of Technical Tertiary and Professional Educators of Trinidad and Tobago • Ms. Esther Brathwaite, Floor Member (Permanent Secretary, Special Initiatives, Office of the Prime Minister, St. Lucia) • Mrs. Lorna Parkins, Floor Member (Executive Director, Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine & other Health Professions), Jamaica • Dr. Rhonda Chipman-Johnson, Floor Member (Executive Vice-President, Academic Affairs, The College of the Bahamas) As Past President, Dr. Ethley London, O.D, (Executive Director of the University Council of Jamaica) will serve in an Ex Officio capacity.
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From the Desk of The Executive Director Another year has ended! It has been another exciting and productive year for the Barbados Accreditation Council as we commenced the calendar year with the registration and re-registration of institutions/providers and culminated with the hosting of the 6th annual Conference of the Caribbean Area Network for Quality Assurance in Tertiary Education (CANQATE), under the auspices of the Government of Barbados. For the 2009 CANQATE Conference, we were happy to welcome over one hundred delegates to our shores to share and discuss their experiences on the issue of balancing quality and quantity in tertiary education. Some of the strategiesidentifiedforthewayforwardfortheregionincludeincreasingresearch; providing enhanced opportunities for professional development of staff within tertiaryeducationalinstitutionsandqualityassuranceagencies;sharingofscarce resources e.g. peer reviewers, providing greater opportunities for the training of evaluators and discouraging fraudulent practices within the region. Social and othernetworkopportunitieswerealsoprovidedfordelegatestomingleandenjoy the hospitality of Barbados. The public is also taking heed to the Council’s message to ascertain the recognitionofprospectiveinstitutionsandprogrammesofstudybeforeinvesting theirtimeandmoney. Assuchtherehasbeenasteadyincreaseofapplicationsfor the recognition of institutions and programmes of study offered regionally and extra-regionally.Thereisalsogrowingdemandfortherecognitionofqualificationsasnationalsandnonnationals seek to find out the comparability of qualifications attained from local and foreign institutions for educational and employment purposes. There is growing concern about the offering of distance education programmes through educational brokers and the Council has continued to advise persons that they should verify that the institutionsand/orprogrammesofstudyarerecognized/accreditedbycompetentauthoritiesparticularly intheirhomecountries.Otherwise,theinstitutionsand/orprogrammesofstudywillnotberecognizedby theCouncil.Thisrecognitionalsoextendstoinstitutionsandprogrammesofstudyofferedthroughfaceto face delivery mode. During the year, the Council commissioned a research study which gathered feedback on the perceptions of providers with respect to its registration process and quality indicators. Apart from the sharing of findings such as at the CANQATE Conference, the information will be used to improve the registrationprocessandpolicieswherenecessaryandassisttheproviderswithpreparingfortheaccreditation process. As Barbados, like the rest of the world enters a new year with some economic uncertainty, local institutions are encouraged to pursue institutional or programme accreditation through the Council as prospective students, employers and investors in education will be seeking to ensure that the tertiary education provision meets their respective needs.
BARBADOS ACCREDI TATI ON COUN CI L NE W SL E T TER
Ms. Valda Alleyne
Aswebeginanewdecade,theBarbadosAccreditationCouncilstandsreadytoprovideassistance and support aimed at assuring quality tertiary educational provision in our country. On behalf of the Board of Directors and Staff of the Council, I wish to extend best wishes for the Christmas Season and a healthy and prosperous New Year.
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PRIME MINISTER’S FEATURE ADDRESS by The Hon. Freundel Stuart, Q.C., M.P., Acting Prime Minister
Due to the numerous requests for copies of the Feature Address delivered by the Acting Prime Minister, the Honourable Freundel Stuart, at the Opening Ceremony of the 6th Annual Caribbean Area Network for Quality Assurance in Tertiary Education (CANQATE) Conference, 2009; the Council has decided to publish the speech to satisfy its high demand. We now share Part 1 of the speech with our readers.
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rofoundpleasuremingledwithhumilityistheunderstandable response of anyone accorded the privilege of addressing so distinguished an assembly. I begin, therefore, by thanking you for thinking me deserving of this honour and assure you that your very kind gesture will occupy a special place in my treasured memories.
areamongthecountrieswhichspentmorethan1.5%oftheirGross Domestic Product on tertiary education, while Barbados spent approximately 1.5%. Globally the demand for tertiary education has resulted in unprecedented expansion in that sector since the 1970’s. Those pursuingeducationatthislevelhavegrowndramaticallyfrom28.6 million in 1970 to 152.5 million in 2007. This translates into an average annual increase of 4.6% with the average number of students doubling every fifteen years.
BARBADOS ACCREDI TATI ON COUN CI L NE W SL E T TER
ItisagreattributetoBarbadosandtoallofyouthatyouhavedecided to convene this conference here. You have positioned yourselves to savour the effortless warmth of our highly prized hospitality. I hope that while here you will not let slip any opportunity to avail yourselves of the many cultural delights we always have on offer.
Themassiveexpansionintertiaryeducation;theinternationalization of the education product as tertiary institutions intensify their effortstoattractforeignstudents;andotherinitiativessuchascross border education have been stimulating major reforms in the way education is planned for and delivered at this level.
“Balancing Quality and Quantity: The Global Challenge in Tertiary Education”, the theme chosen for this conference is, at once, relevant and timely. It comes at a time when countries, bothdevelopedanddeveloping, are facingincreasing demand for tertiary education while at the same time wrestling with the worst economic and financial crisis in the last one hundred years. Acute shortage of resources, frequent natural disasters and the growing inequality between the rich and the poor, compound this already exacting challenge.
Cross border provision poses peculiar challenges for small states like Barbados and the other island nations of the Caribbean and sharpens the need to ensure not only that what is being offered meets acceptable standards but also coincides with the goals of national and regional development.
Since the 1960’s and 1970’s the world has changed dramatically, what with major advances in the development of Information and CommunicationTechnology and heightened interest in securing access to tertiary education. These changes have had obvious consequences for the economic, social and cultural systems we employ here in this region.
Now, not since the 1970’s has there been any serious or sustained debate on what the ingredients of a relevant development model should be in the Caribbean. Arithmeticians have somehow managed to take over and redirect the debate so that, for the last thirty years or so, we have been contentonlytoaskandanswerthequestions“howmuch”and“how many” never bothering to concern ourselves with the question “what sort”.This diversion has resulted in an undignified surrender of the critical imperatives of quality to the meretricious but wholly transitory blandishments of quantity.
We have now moved to the stage where tertiary education is seen, not as a privilege but as a right. Governments, in response to this reality, have sought to invest in the development of their human resources by expanding access to higher education. A cursory look at the UNESCO 2009 Global Digest of Statistics reveals that one half of the 102 countries reporting data spent 1020%oftheireducationbudgetontertiaryeducation,whileanother third of these countries spent more than 20%. Those countries which spent more than one-third of their education budgets on tertiary education were British Virgin Islands, Ethiopia, Greece, Singapore and Venezuela.
If our governments and societies are not guided by a clearly articulated and easily digestible concept of development, it is impossibletodeterminewhatkindofprimary,secondaryortertiary education will best meet our needs. More ominous still, will be the fact that any standards or, no standards at all, will get us to our undetermined or unknown destination. Small wonder, then, that the distinction, locally, and in some cases,
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Ifoneweretousenationalwealthasameasure,CubaandColombia
Continued on page 8
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“A coherent system of post-secondary or tertiary education and training which assures excellence and integrity to all its stakeholders.” “To be a high quality provider of registration, accreditation and related services in post-secondary or tertiary education and training in Barbados and beyond.”
BEWARE!!! Under of
“Offence
the
and
Caribbean
Penalties” Community
(Movement of Skilled Nationals) Act, 2004, Section 11 (3) states: A
Community
commits
an
national offence
who under
this Act is liable on summary conviction to a fine of $50,000 or
to
imprisonment
for
a
BARBADOS ACCREDI TATI ON COUN CI L NE W SL E T TER
term of 3 years or to both.
If you are an Educational Provider offering post-secondary or tertiary education and training in Barbados and have not yet registered with the Council, you are asked to note that you are required by law to register. 7
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Continued from Page 6 (cont’d) internationally, between a University and a“Degree Factory”is being blurred. The degree or certificate or diploma, easily acquired from blatantlyprofiteeringproviders,hassuddenlybecomethenewspeciesofoffensiveweaponwithwhichanyinclinedadventurercanbearmed. Iamnottobeunderstoodtobearguingagainstthedemocratisationofaccesstotertiaryeducation. Evenintheworstoftimes,this is a wholly desirable development. What our societies must guard against, however, is the unhappy prospect of allowing hollow statistical boasts to blind us to the galloping decay in the quality of our educational product. It is in that context that here in Barbados we have been hearing in recent times, reference being made to the goal of having a university or tertiary graduate in every household. I have internalised and, I think, properly processed this“slogan”(and there is never a shortage of catch phrases and slogans in Barbados) to see if I am able to grasp its real meaning. I am not surprised that I have not been able to. After all, I have never claimed to be one of the brighter bulbs in the national chandelier. Barbados, like all other islands in the English speaking Caribbean, is a post-slavery society. Both the late Dr. EricWilliams and the late Professor Gordon Lewis have made the point that the very nature of slave society made the building of a prison much more important than the building of a school. After emancipation, therefore, our societies embarked on the enterprise of trying to get a primary school graduate in every household. Unlesswearepreparedtogivetheword“graduate”amostelasticmeaning,ithastobeconcededthat,onehundredandseventyfive years after emancipation, we are still fighting with the achievement of that highly commendable objective. What we have been able to do, however, is to make available to those students that survive the primary school experience, ever expanding opportunities for their further development at the secondary level. Again, unless we want to define the word“graduate”very elastically,ithastobeconcededalsothatwedonothaveasecondaryschoolgraduateineveryhouseholdinBarbadosoranywhereelseinthe English speaking Caribbean.
Look out for Part 2 in our next issue.
Crystal Clear BEST PRACTICE BARBADOS ACCREDI TATI ON COUN CI L NE W SL E T TER
A method or an innovative process involving a range of safe and reasonable practices resulting in the improved performance of a higher education institution or programme, usually recognized as “best” by other peer organizations. A best practice does not necessarily represent an absolute, ultimate example or pattern, its application assures the improved performance of a higher education institution or programme; rather, it identifies the best approach to a specific situation, as institutions and programmes vary greatly in constituencies and scope.
BENCHMARK A standard, a reference point, or a criterion against which the quality of something can be measured, judged, and evaluated, and against which outcomes of a specified activity can be measured. The term, benchmark, means a measure of best practice performance. The existence of a benchmark is one necessary stop in the overall process of benchmarking.
Source:QualityAssuranceandAccreditation:AGlossaryofBasicTerms and Definitions. A UNESCO publication
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Accreditation CORNER What is accreditation? AccreditationisaprocessbywhichtheBarbadosAccreditation Council evaluates registered post-secondary or tertiary institutions and their programmes/courses. Post-secondary or tertiary institutions and training providers havetomeetspecificstandards/requirementsestablishedand promulgated by the Barbados Accreditation Council.
Are there different types of accreditation? Yes, there are two types of accreditation: 1. Institutional accreditation 2. Programme accreditation Short Course – at least 1 credit or not longer than three (3) months Long Course – at least 3 credits or longer than three (3) months
Does your institution or programme(s) of study have to be accredited? In Barbados accreditation is a voluntary process. It is done only on the request of the institution or training provider. Can your institution or programme(s) of study do without accreditation? Yes. However, let us explore the importance and benefits of accreditation. Why is accreditation important? Accreditation seeks to assure quality education Accreditationcreatestheimpetusforrelevancyandcurrencyof faculty, programmes, and courses to best serve students. The pursuit of accreditation enhances the ability to serve students by assuring a focus on quality performance. Accreditedstatusrequiresanongoingefforttoprovideexcellent equipment, software, and learning resources for students. Accredited status reaffirms the commitment to effective student services.
ACCREDITATION.... YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO BE WITHOUT IT!
Why should your institution seek accreditation? When an institution seeks accreditation with the Council, this signals: (i) its commitment to quality, and (ii) its accountability to students, society and the educational environment.
Will assistance be provided? Yes, the Council will facilitate the process of accreditation, from initiation to completion. The Council will aim to build alliances, as quality cannot be improvedsolelythroughtheexternaleffortsoftheCouncil,but throughapartnershipbetweentheinstitutionandtheCouncil.
Institutions that achieve accredited status will enjoy many benefits including: 1. Validation/acceptanceofdiplomas,certificatesanddegrees byotheraccreditedschools,universitiesandthebusiness sector; 2. National, Regional and International recognition of quality, accountability, and public trust; 3. Validation of quality could be used as a marketing tool to increase student numbers; 4. Acknowledgement of the quality of the educational provision offered by an institution; 5. Expansion of educational and learning opportunities for students by being part of a national network or quality educational institutions; 6. Access to support services by the Council designed to continuallyimprovethequalityofeducationandtraining. 7. Continuousimprovementprocessthatincreasesthefocus on student performance.
Where can you get more information? You may contact the Council at 436-9094. Make sure you ask for the Accreditation Handbook.
Crystal Clear ACCREDITATION DURATION Accreditation decisions are limited in time. The duration of validity of the accreditation license is established by the accrediting body, which generally holds the right to suspend or to renew the license, upon the satisfactory resolution of any identified issues. Source:QualityAssuranceandAccreditation:AGlossaryofBasicTerms and Definitions. A UNESCO publication
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BARBADOS ACCREDI TATI ON COUN CI L NE W SL E T TER
So, now you know the importance, benefits and types of accreditation, do you still think that you can do without accreditation? Maybe, but can you afford to be without it? Accreditation will give your institution and/or programme(s) of study: • Global access to students • International recognition • The opportunity to grow • The opportunity to receive a “Quality Mark” from the Council • FreepromotionontheCouncil’swebsite,publicationsand other promotional mechanisms. AND by empowering the public through the Council’s sensitisation programmes, as awareness of accreditation increases, prospective students will opt to attend and pursue only accredited institutions and programmes of study!
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Profiles of Educational Providers in Barbados
In 2009 Caribbean Development Research Services (CADRES) conducted research on the behalf of the Barbados Accreditation Council. The research findings were entitled “Perceptions of Tertiary Educational Providers on the Barbados Accreditation Council’s Registration Process”, which were presented as one of thePlenarySessionsattherecentlyheld6th AnnualCaribbeanArea Network for Quality Assurance in Tertiary Education (CANQATE) Conference in Barbados. In this BAClight edition, we will share withourreaderssomeofthefindingsontheprofilesofeducational providers in Barbados. Types of Educational Providers According to the survey data, approximately two-thirds (65.9%) of the educational providers represented in the sample were private, while just under a quarter (24.7%) were public. The remaining 8.4% were classified as trans-national providers. This implies thattheBarbadianpostsecondary/tertiaryeducationallandscapeis comprised primarily of private providers.Typically, transnational refers to those educational providers with a presence in another country. This may be through collaborative arrangement with a provider in the receiving country, establishing a physical presence in another country (e.g. a branch campus), or offering courses through distance education with or without a presence in the receiving country.
BARBADOS ACCREDI TATI ON COUN CI L NE W SL E T TER
Chart 1: Types of Educational Providers
Chart 2: Size of Provider
Number of Years in Operation On average, the educational providers in the sample had been in operation for approximately 21.4 years. Half the providers in the sample were in operation for more than 10 years, while half had been in operation for less than 10 years. The oldest provider in the sample had been in operation for 264 years. For the purpose of analysis, respondents were classified into three primary groups based on the number of years in operation. These groups were as follows: (i) Young: 0-5 years in operation (ii) Maturing: 6 – 20 years in operation (iii) Mature: More than 20 years in operation More than a quarter (27.7%) of the sample providers was classified as ‘mature’. The remaining providers were evenly distributed between ‘young’ and ‘maturing’ categories, with approximately 36.1% of sample providers being classified as ‘young’ and the same proportion being classified as mature. The following Chart 5 illustrates the distribution of providers based on the categories outlined above for number of years in operation.
Size of Provider Of the providers surveyed, the majority, represented by nearly two-thirds (65.9%) of the sample were small providers (i.e. less than 100 students). Approximately one-fifth (20.0%) of the providers were medium-sized (i.e. between 100 and 500 students)andapproximatelytwo-fifteenths(14.1%)ofthesample were large (i.e. over 500 students). The data suggests that the Barbadianpostsecondary/tertiaryeducationallandscapehasalarge composition of small educational providers. The growth in the number of private educational providers may be a consequence oftheincreasingdemandforaccesstopostsecondaryeducational opportunities and the inability of the established public providers suchastheBarbadosCommunityCollege,SamuelJackmanPrescod Polytechnic, and the University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill and Open campuses to meet this demand. Chart 2 illustrates the distribution of providers in the sample based on size.
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Chart 5: Number of Years in Operation
Look out for further highlights of the research findings in future BAClight editions.
EDUCATION CREDENTIAL EVALUATORS (ECE), USA VISITS BAC BAC continued to build relations with international recognition agencies with a visitfromthepersonneloftheEducationCredentialEvaluators(ECE).Themeetingwasheld to discuss the research project on the different educational systems in the Caribbean. This project, being undertaken by the ECE, will assist with the evaluation of the comparability of qualifications gained in the Caribbean with the educational system in the United States of America. The meeting took place the day after the conclusion of the CANQATE Conference 2009, and the ECE personnel were presented with a gift as a token from the appreciation by the BAC. From left: Kathleen Conrad (Evaluator), Shelley Feagles (Senior Evaluator) and Lindsey Soerens (Evaluator) of ECE, and Sharon Alleyne (Accreditation Officer) and Katrina Ifill (Information Officer) of the BAC
At the first CANQATE Core Group workshop over, 15 representatives from various local training providers defined‘quality’as“meeting the needs of all learners by offering an experiencethatisvalueformoney.Itinvolvescontinuousselfimprovementofallstakeholders,provisions andserviceswhileconformingtoandrisingaboveallestablishedandrecognizedstandards,thereby stimulating demand.“. The aims of the workshop, which was held at the National Union of PublicWorkers (NUPW) auditorium on September 16, 2009, were to strengthen the networking among post-secondary and tertiary institutions in Barbados and to sensitize them to quality issues andbuildaqualityculture. Activitiesincludeddevelopingqualityindicatorsandmilestones to be reviewed at a follow-up workshop soon. Participants also assessed their institutions (in groups) in light of the quality indicators developed and set achievable/realistic goals for quality within their individual institutions. InterestedpersonscanemailtheSecretary,Ms.BibiSelmanatcanqatecoregroupbb@ gmail.com for membership and other information regarding the CANQATE Core Group. Participants interacting as Prof. Vivienne Roberts, Chairperson of CANQATE Core Group and Deputy Principal of the University of the West Indies Open Campus, facilitates the workshop
POWERPOINT TRAINING The BAC ManagementTeam received training in Microsoft PowerPoint 2007. The training was facilitated by Mr. Bentley Beckles of Advantage Caribbean Inc, which is a registered educational provider. Ms Valda Alleyne, Executive Director of BAC, presents Mr Bentley Beckles with a token of appreciation.
FAREWELL
BARBADOS ACCREDI TATI ON COUN CI L NE W SL E T TER
CANQATE CORE GROUP WORKSHOP
Ms Pamela Dottin, former Accreditation Officer, is no longer with the BAC. The staff of the BAC held a short farewell gathering, where she was presented with a gift that would compliment her future endeavours. Ms Dottin has moved on to another career opportunity in the area of quality assurance and quality enhancement.
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Around the Caribbean QUALITY ASSURANCE AND THE AWARD OF THE CARIBBEAN VOCATIONAL QUALIFICATION (CVQ) Article contributed by the National Training Agency (NTA), Trinidad and Tobago
BARBADOS ACCREDI TATI ON COUN CI L NE W SL E T TER
TheCaribbeanVocationalQualification(CVQ)isanaward thatrepresentstheachievementofasetofcompetenciesthatdefine theessentialworkpracticesofanoccupationalareaconsistentwith thelevelsarticulatedwithintheregionalqualificationsframework. It is designed to develop the regional workforce into one that is competent, innovative, enterprising and entrepreneurial. It provides an avenue whereby workplace development can occur through Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) reform. Using a Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET) approach, the CVQ acts as a catalyst to develop and change the traditional modes of teaching and learning.
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It also develops best work practices in candidates equipping them to contribute efficiently to the workplace. Quality Assurance is an imperative for any qualification system. Assurance of quality in education, and more specifically in TVET, is a process of establishing stakeholder confidence that training provisions (input, process and outcomes) fulfill expectations or measureuptothresholdminimumrequirementsoftheregionally approvedOccupationalStandards.AsdeterminedbytheCaribbean Association of National Training Agencies (CANTA), the Quality Assuranceprinciplesareappliedtoalltheprocessesinvolvedinthe implementation of the CVQ.
Quality Assurance as applied in the CVQ model is process-oriented, proactiveandisconcernedwithhowaproductorserviceisproduced. Focus is placed on the inputs (e.g. learners, selection and admission procedures, curricula and competency standards), processes (e.g. those related to staffing, equipment, finances, facilities, training materials, training delivery, assessment procedures, links with industry and organisational structure) and outputs (e.g. graduation rates, employability, job placement, skills, knowledge, attitude and workplace performance). To ensure that quality in the training system is maintained, the National Training Agencies within the Caribbean are placing emphasis on the use of: • • • • •
Training Standards Training Objectives Competencies/outcomes to be achieved Efficient use of resources and Cost effectiveness within the training system
Quality Assurance within the TVET system therefore enables and facilitates: • • • • •
Within the CVQ framework, Quality Assurance refers toawelldocumentedandadministeredsystemofassessment,and internal and external verification processes which are essential in establishing and maintaining credibility in the TVET system.
The improvement of the skills of the workforce A strengthening of the link between education and work Direct input from business on training matters Relevance and direct customer-focus in training A platform for the provision of certification for workers For additional information, please contact the National Training Agency (NTA) – Trinidad & Tobago, Tel: (868)672-9409 • Email: ntatt@tstt.net.tt Website: www.ntatt.org (Source: CANQATE News, July 2009)
“Cherish your visions; cherish your ideals; cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts, for out of them will grow all delightful conditions, all heavenly environment.” James Allen 12