Namibia Training Authority October 2014

Keeping you abreast of developments in the Vocational Education and Training sector

In This Edition

Page 2 Nationwide CBET Model Engagements

Page 3

Page 6

Stakeholder Diary

Page 4

NTA Participates in 2014 WFCP World Congress

Page 6

The African Hospitality and Tourism Training Centre

Namibia Training Authority Rand Street, Khomasdal, Windhoek Tel: 061-2078550 Fax: 061-2078551 www.nta.com.na

NTA & ProVET CERTIFY 18

AGRICULTURE TRAINERS

The Namibia Training Authority in collaboration with its Promotion of Vocational Education and Training Project (ProVET), handed over certificates to 18 agricultural trainers who have successfully completed a Level 5 course in “Occupationally Directed Education, Training and Development Practices”, at a ceremony held at the Roof of Africa Conference Centre on the 31st October 2014.

In his remarks, NTA Chief Operations Officer, Jerry Beukes highlighted the NTA’s responsibility as a State-owned enterprise to support the realisation of the Government’s macro-economic development goals as encapsulated in Vision 2030 and the Fourth National Development Plan.

“We have embarked on a number of key training and skills development initiatives in support of the agriculture sector and we will continue to grow opportunities for our people to participate in professional education programmes for agriculture, and for farm labourers to enrol for short courses”, Beukes stressed.

Beukes also highlighted the fact that apart from the course offerings at institutions of higher learning, training in agriculture in Namibia currently only comprised of a few informal short courses and that so far, no accredited vocational training for agriculture existed at the lower levels. He said the NTA viewed the certification of the trainers as a step in the right direction towards meeting expectations to develop VET courses based on recognised unit standards for the agriculture and forestry sectors at Levels 2 to 5 on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF).

In her message, on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Deputy Director, Johanna Andowa, applauded the participants for their commitment, dedication and hard work. “I know you have spent sleepless nights in order to meet deadlines for the assignments, while you still had to make sure that work at the office did not suffer”, Andowa told the proud trainers, the majority of whom are in full-time employment.

On her part, the representative of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Annegret Al-Janabi highlighted the importance of education excellence. “From our own experience in Germany, we are aware of the importance of a good Vocational Education and Training system to ensure productivity, specifically for small and medium enterprises, which are the backbone of the German economy.”

The intensive eight-month course was offered and facilitated by the South African-based training provider, VeryCoolIdeas.

CONGRATULATIONS! NTA COO, Jerry Beukes, Country Desk

Officer of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation, Judith Schwethelm

and the NTA’s Annamarie Schaller-Nangolo at the certification ceremony.

PICTURE FOCUS: ProVET Agricultural Trainer Certification Ceremony - Page 5

Post & Telecommunications ISC – Taking the Lead

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Lorem Ipsum Dolor Spring 2016

NATIONWIDE ENGAGEMENT TO REVIEW CBET APPROACH

Over ninety representatives of industry, community organisations and private and public training providers

gathered at NTA Village on Thursday, 17th October 2014, to receive a report from TEN (Pty) Ltd on the review of Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET) in the VET system in Namibia. This meeting was one of a series conducted at major centres across the nation.

Earlier this year TEN (Pty) Ltd, a Namibian education and training consultancy company, was appointed by the NTA to review the status of CBET implementation in the VET sector; identify the factors inhibiting CBET implementation and produce a proposal for a reformed model and implementation plan for CBET that best fits the VET system in Namibia. TEN (Pty) Ltd has met with stakeholders across the country and has produced a detailed Issues and Options Paper that sets out the key factors impacting on CBET and a

series of proposals for reforming the current arrangements.

While proposing important reforms, such as decentralising the assessment system, the introduction of compulsory job attachment for trainees and the inclusion of technical, occupationally specific Mathematics, Science and English in all VET qualifications, the consultants argued that there is no compelling reason for a major shift in direction in relation to CBET, especially regarding the use of unit standards-based qualifications, the promotion of Recognition of Prior Learning and the development of qualifications pathways that provide multiple entry and exit points for learners.

The reformed CBET model, which was discussed at the workshops, incorporates all of the features of a modern competency-based training system; is clearly aligned with the National Qualifications Framework and takes into account the reforms that have recently been announced to Basic Education. Once implemented, the reformed CBET model should ensure that more Namibians have access to high quality, industry-supported Vocational Education and Training.

Copies of the Issues and Options Paper, which includes a draft version of the reformed CBET model, and the presentation provided by TEN (Pty) Ltd are available on the following websites: www.nta.com.na and www.ten-namibia.org

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Greetings! The effectiveness of the NTA’s global partnerships once again came under the spotlight during our organisation’s recent participation at the 2014 Congress of the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics in Beijing, China. International conferences, such as the WFCP, provide our delegates with an opportunity to interact with peers in the international VET arena and enjoy exposure to successful international VET institutional best practice and leadership. By considering the experiences of other countries, we can also gain immense insight into gaps and inefficiencies that exist in our own organisational approaches, processes, policies, methodologies and technologies. The NTA needs to consider the role of solid global connections in enhancing the high performance of our organisation and in the eventual success of our graduates, who will live and work in a 21st century global economy. Doing so, can help us to support and add further value to current and future efforts to establish an efficient organisation and a viable and sustainable VET regime for our country. Yours in Vocational Education and Training, Ester Anna Nghipondoka

1. What do you value most in life? Wel, a couple of things! Good health and a sound mind, my relationship with God, creating and maintaining good relationships with others and working hard to achieve goals, whether personal or as part of a team.

2. Who is Ian Gicheru? A simple and hardworking man who likes helping out where he can. I appreciate a healthy balance - Not only do I work hard, I also play hard. I consider myself easy to work with and flexible enough to adapt to any environment. But hey, don’t take my word for it, experience it yourself.

3. What do you do after a long day of hard work? It depends on the mood and the situation. I can sit and relax enjoying a few beverages with friends and dream, or I can enjoy a great movie at home. I also play drums or the bass guitar. Yes, I can play instruments.

4. You are one of the NTA’s longest-serving employees. Where do you want to see the NTA after five years? I believe the NTA has made significant strides over recent years However, we still have a long way to go in establishing a fully operational organisation supported by highly motivated and skilled individuals, passionate about skills development. I want to see an organisation driven by technology in the successful application of its core functions. An organisation which is a friend of industry and a champion of trainees. An organisation which above all things considers the growth and development of its own employees as a top priority. An organisation which is ranked as one of the best employers in Namibia.

5. Share with us that innermost desire and dream? Now that’s a bit too close for comfort. I’m keeping those to myself!

This month, The Stakeholder paid a

visit to Ian Gicheru, who

heads the NTA’s Quality Assurance Division to find out what makes

this energetic and soft-spoken

gentleman tick.

FROM THE

ACTING CEO’S DESK

CBET ENGAGEMENT: TEN Pty Ltd Consultant and Australian VET Expert, Rob

Stowell facilitating a session at NTA Village Hall in the capital.

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Lorem Ipsum Dolor Spring 2016 NEW KID ON THE BLOCK: AFRICAN HOSPITALITY & TOURISM CENTRE

SH: Tell us more about the African Hospitality and Tourism Training Centre.

The centre is a subsidiary of the African Hospitality and Tourism Closed Corporation. It provides National Vocational Education Training Certificate training programmes on Levels 2 to 4 on the National Qualifications Framework. We are located in the Council of Churches (CCN) Building in Abraham Mashego Street, Maroela, Katutura.

We are aspiring to become a leader in the field of Vocational Education and Training in the Hospitality and Tourism sector, through the provision and delivery of excellent and high quality training services, through our dedicated staff.

SH: Why the decision to establish the African Hospitality and Tourism Training Centre?

Hospitality and Tourism training has always been my passion and it has been the core of my career. I have worked for well-known players in the sector for more than ten years and it has helped me to set and maintain operational and service standards in all aspects of training in this sector, including food and beverages, housekeeping, front office management, sales and marketing.

Amongst others, I hold a Bachelors Degree in Hospitality Management from the Polytechnic of Namibia, which I have supplemented with a range of other qualifications, including a Higher National Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism Management, a National Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism Management and a Diploma in Further Education from Bulawayo Polytechnic in Zimbabwe. I am currently pursuing my Honour’s Degree in Adult Education at the University of Namibia.

My passion has driven me to establish the centre as I always wanted to share me experience and expertise with other young Namibians passionate about careers in the hospitality sector.

The African Hospitality and Tourism Training Centre is a 100% Namibian-owned business.

SH: As a new centre, where do you see yourself ten years down the line? What is your mission?

I want to see the African Hospitality and Tourism Training Centre as a leading Namibian training provider of national vocational Hospitality and Tourism training programmes. Our centre strives to offer the

best possible quality of services, being highly responsive and proactive to the needs of the industry and our general clientele, and by developing and sustaining efficient operating standards. We want to excel in the provision of world class training services in an environment that is rewarding for our employees, and in so doing, make a positive contribution to the communities we operate in.

Our strategic endeavour is based on the values of reliability, patriotism, integrity, professionalism, service, quality and social responsibility.

SH: Do you have any other course offerings? Any plans for the future to broaden your scope?

Other than the National Vocational Certificate in Hospitality and Tourism on NQF Levels 2 to 4, we offer various short courses, ranging from Effective Food Handling, Etiquette and Grooming to Customer Service.

We are also making good progress towards offering short courses in other areas. Future programmes may include Air Hostess, Tour Guide and Office Administration, to mention a few.

SH: How did you experience the registration process and what is your advice to other applicants who also want to register as training institutions with the NTA?

Initially, I found the process to be very challenging. However, I realised that the NTA has an obligation to ensure that key quality assurance requirements are met and that I as an applicant had to work with them to ensure that I met those requirements.

Hard work comes before achievement and I had to pull out all stops to ensure that I lived up to expectations. Of course, the professionalism and commitment of the NTA’s Quality Assurance Division was top class and made my application a positive experience. The Quality Assurance Auditor, Francis Mutonga, was very helpful in this regard.

SH: What would you say make your centre different from others in the Hospitality and Tourism sector? What is your competitive edge?

The Hospitality and Tourism sector is a big and fast growing sector. However, the sector has been hampered by poor funding and a lack of expertise, which in turn has resulted in a serious lack of quality training opportunities.

We are a 100% Namibian-owned institute. Not only do we deliver training in our own lecture rooms, but we are also flexible to deliver training onsite anywhere in Namibia. We pride ourselves in our uniqueness and we offer courses that fit individual style, budget and schedule.

The Namibia Training Authority is making strong inroads in growing the list of training institutions, now registered

as per the gazetted requirements set out in the Regulations for the Registration of Vocational Education and Training

Providers.

One such entity is the African Hospitality and Tourism Centre, whose application was recently formally approved by the Standards, Assessment and Certification Council.

The Stakeholder caught up with the owner, Eude Heita Kambuta, to tell us more about this establishment.

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pictures! info@nta.com.na www.nta.com.na

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Lorem Ipsum Dolor Spring 2016 The Post and Telecommunications ISC- Taking the Lead

5. SH: What is the purpose of the Post and Telecommunication ISC?

The ISC assists the Board of the NTA through providing guidance and advice on current and future skills needs in our industry sector and in overseeing the development of a Sector Skills Plan (SSP). We also recommend priorities for skills development to the NTA Board and offer advice on the quantity and quality of training provision within our sector, based on labour market intelligence and other relevant data.

Other key responsibilities include raising awareness amongst employers of the value of registered and accredited training and overseeing the development and continuous updating of unit standards, qualifications and materials for training programmes in our industry sector, for approval by the Standards, Assessment and Certification Council (SACC).

6. SH: In your opinion, is the ISC living up to expectations?

The Post and Telecommunications Industry Skills Committee (ISC) is

making strong inroads in establishing itself as a key partner in

the generation of industry intelligence to support demand-led training opportunities in this sector.

The Stakeholder caught up with the Chairperson, Jessica Moore (photo),

to tell us more about the ISC’s work and activities.

The Post and Telecommunications ISC is still fairly new and is going through some growing pains. However, despite the teething problems, we are slowly but surely gaining momentum. Our membership has grown, we understand our roles better and we are geared towards making an impact in our sector.

3. SH: What are the major challenges the ISC is facing?

Our biggest challenge has been to define our stakeholders, who are becoming more complicated with time. We are not an ISC for the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector, yet the very nature of our industry is very focused on ICT. They all have very similar underlying requirements in terms of vocational training in a related field, but very vast and unique differences in others.

Part of our job now is to ensure we get the right representation on this ISC for various industries, but we can only do so once we have clarified the composition of our ISC and in the process ensure that we did not exclude anybody in this very big sector and align ourselves with the appropriate fora.

4. SH: How can stakeholders in the Post and Telecommunications sector get involved with the work of the ISC?

Stakeholders can get involved in a number of ways. Firstly, the ISC tasked the NTA to develop a Sector Skills Plan for our industry sector to guide the work of the ISC. It is important to highlight that the SSPs are informed by data that provided by the industry. Therefore, it is important that employers provide the NTA with information that is needed to develop the Sector Skills Plan.

Secondly, once the priorities are identified and approved by the NTA Board, the NTA has to develop standards (Unit Standards, Curricula, and Assessment Tools) and qualifications. The ISC will establish the Technical Working Groups to develop the required standards. To ensure that the unit standards address the needs of the industry, it is important that employers nominate and release employees with the technical knowledge to develop the standards.

Thirdly, in line with the responsibility of advising the NTA Board on the quantity and quality of training provision within the sector based of labour market intelligence and other relevant data, industry will be required to release subject matter experts to audit training institutions.

1. SH: Tell us about your ISC’s Sector Skills Plan? Sector skills planning is a relatively new process for Namibia. It is an inclusive and stakeholder-driven process which adopts a developmental approach towards building institutional and people capacities. In essence, Sector Skills Plans are “roadmaps” developed by stakeholders, including employer bodies, labour unions, training providers and government departments and support agencies in a specific economic sector, aimed at analysing the labour market, developing a skilled workforce, creating career pathways, promoting employment opportunities, facilitating industry clusters and improving the competitiveness of enterprises. The NTA needs authoritative, consistent and comparable labour market data to inform its VET policy choices. The SSPs reduce funding inefficiencies, outline priority areas, streamline projects and braid disparate funding streams. We are confident that the SSP for our sector will indeed meet expectations. A first draft has been developed and should be ready for validation in November 2014.

2. SH: Are you happy with the participation of roleplayers in the Post and Telecommunications sector in the ISC’s activities? Active participation of roleplayers is indeed a big challenge. For example, the NTA is currently developing a Sector Skills Plan to guide the work of the ISC for the next five years. Invitations were extended to key employers to attend workshops aimed at providing inputs to the development of the SSP. Attendance was very poor. Similarly, an invitation to industry roleplayers in our sector to participate in workshops to discuss the disbursement of in-company training grants under the VET Levy was also not well attended. Roleplayers in all industry sectors need to appreciate what the NTA is doing in addressing the skills gap and to partner the NTA in its endeavour. The lack of industry participation affects the quality of data on which the ISCs and the NTA rely in the development of demand-driven training interventions.

Jessica Moore is the Manager: Employee Development at local cellular service provider, MTC.

Send her your comments at jmoore@mtc.com.na

0811002167

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Lorem Ipsum Dolor Spring 2016 PICTURE FOCUS ProVET Agricultural Trainer Certification Ceremony

SEND US YOUR PICTURES AND HAVE THEM

PUBLISHED IN OUR E-NEWSLETTER!

info@nta.com.na

LEAD HOST: ProVET Team Leader,

Marijke Overeem facilitated the proceedings.

KEY PARTNER: Agriculture Ministry

Deputy Director, Johanna Andowa also offered a

word of congratulations!

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: GIZ Representative,

Annegret Al-Janabi.

PROUD AND CERTIFIED TRAINERS: The 18 newly certified trainers posing for a group picture with the course facilitators from VeryCoolIdeas.

VET ELOQUENCE NTA COO, Jerry Beukes

delivered an inspiring speech calling on the trainers to

remain true to their passion for agriculture.

TOAST TO SUCCESS: Assessment Manager, Mariane Hara-Gaes congratulated

the group on their achievement.

A PROUD MOMENT: Newly certified Agricultural Trainer, Basil van Rooyen

receives his certificate from COO, Jerry Beukes and German Country Desk

Officer, Judith Schwethelm.

PROUD TRAINERS: The team from VeryCoolIdeas flew all the way from

Johannesburg to share in the moment.

ZEBRA AGRICULTURE: Two proud female trainers from the Agriculture Ministry celebrate

their achievement.

NTA PRIDE: Assessment Officer, Fiona Anderson was

one of the proud candidates who

completed the course.

A PROUD MOMENT: Agribank Mentor, Bayer Olivier was another proud

recipient. Here he is with COO, Jerry Beukes and German Country Desk

Officer, Judith Schwethelm.

• 12 November 2014 Wholesale and Retail & Hospitality and Tourism Sector Skills Plan Consultation Meetings

• 13 November 2014 Post and Telecommunications Sector Skills Plan Consultation Meeting

NTA Participates at Annual World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics (WFCP) Conference

A delegation, under the leadership of the Chief Operations Officer, Jerry Beukes, attended the 2014 WFCP World Congress in Beijing, China from 24-26 October 2014. The conference took place under the theme, “Global Partnerships – Building A Better Future”, and had as a broader objective the opening of doors for international VET partnerships, exchange and collaboration between participating institutions and brought together over 800 delegates to discuss current topics, trends and developments in the VET sector. Other objectives included the generation of exposure for participating institutions to international training standards, expertise and best practice; discovering the competency-based training curriculum; learning more about student assessment and quality assurance; and drawing inspiration from innovations in technologies, facilities, equipment and services. Approached for comment, Beukes highlighted the importance of international conferences, saying it provided delegates with an opportunity to tap into international experiences in improving the quality of our own service offerings. “We are not alone in the transformation of our system. We found that the majority of countries are going through similar transformation processes to address concerns relating to quality, capacity and the capabilities of VET trainers”, he stressed. Beukes also underlined quality as another key consideration in support of improved international partnerships for the NTA.

All VET Levy registered employers! A friendly reminder that your investment in the VET Levy for October 2014 is due on or before the 20th of November 2014! Pay before the deadline to avoid penalties and interest!

NOVEMBER 2014

For further information, contact us at Toll-free Number: 0800 2078 550, levy@nta.com.na

“Quality comes first. The participating countries at the conference seemed to agree that prior to embarking on major up-scaling initiatives, such as our own VET Expansion Plan, issues pertaining to the quality of course offerings and service delivery need to be addressed first”, he said. He also stressed the increasingly important role autonomous industry intelligence bodies play in the success of other VET systems and in ensuring quality demand-led

training service delivery. “Perhaps the NTA needs to revisit the mandates of its ISCs and invest in the capacity building of members”, Beukes added. The WFCP is an international network of institutions and national and sub-regional associations. Members share leading-edge education strategies and best practices to increase workforce employability, influence collectively the development of policy and generate access to information and experience. It also serves as a platform to connect institutions with key stakeholders in the skills landscape including employers, industry and donors.

VET IN CHINA:, Policy and Planning Manager, Ernst Mbangula, PR and Stakeholder

Engagement Manager, Mornay Louw and Quality Assurance Manager, Ian Gicheru made

up the rest of the NTA delegation.

• 14 November 2014 Health Care and Social Services Sector Skills Plan Consultation Meeting

• 18 November 2014 Tender Closing Date – Lease of NTA Kitchen Facilities

• 24 November 2014 Valombola VTC Aptitude Testing Week