April 29, 2004

Thomas Bain

EMPLOYERS will soon be able to have confidence in the ability of their workers to do the job competently.  Barbados moved a step closer to this reality when phase two of the consultancy to establish National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) got underway this week with the arrival of Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) consultant, Mr. Thomas Bain.

Mr. Bain is an education consultant with 40 years of experience in the tertiary education sector, mainly in the design, development, assessment, certification and accreditation of national academic and vocational qualifications. The SQA, the national body in Scotland responsible for the development, accreditation, assessment and certification of qualifications other than degrees, has been contracted by the Barbados government, through the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Council, to assist with the establishment of NVQs here. 

During the ten-day consultancy which ends on April 22, 2004, he will meet with the ten prospective centres which are interested in participating in the NVQ pilot project, scheduled to commence in the third quarter of this year. Areas to be looked at include the establishment of quality assurance procedures and documentation and the finalisation of the plans for the introduction of the NVQ pilot. 

Mr. Bain will also meet with the newly established Quality Assurance Committee, which will be responsible for ensuring that the NVQ programme functions to required standards. This committee comprises representatives of the Ministry of Education, the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), Barbados Employers Confederation (BEC), Barbados Vocational Training Board (BVTB), the Small Business Association (SBA) and the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB). 

NVQs are work-based qualifications that are developed from occupational standards of competence. They are designed to tell employers exactly what someone who is competent in an occupation can do and hence offer a better guarantee of a job candidate's capability.

Occupational standards are the benchmarks against which occupational competence is measured and occupational certification granted.  They are defined by standards-setting bodies - referred to as Industry Lead Bodies in Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, or, as National Training Organisations in the United Kingdom - which are made up of employers, education and training providers and employee representatives. 

NVQs are also designed to offer better preparation for the world of work, respond to the changing needs in business and industry and promote a culture of life-long learning, which is at the centre of any economy's competitiveness. 

The TVET Council has so far developed NVQs in Customer Service Levels 1 - 3, Using Information Technology Levels 1 - 3, and Food and Drink Service Level 1, Bar Service Levels 1 & 2, Reception Levels 1 & 2 and Bell Service Level 1.