Industry urged to help develop BTEP

CHANDAPIWA BAPUTAKI
Staff Writer | Friday February 12, 2010 00:00

Speaking at the Quality Assurance and Assessment Unit (QAA)’s breakfast meeting held at Boipuso Hall, the head of the unit Oarabile Akoonyatse said that they need the support and involvement of industries/employers in order to produce quality programmes. “We need your advice on the appropriate attitudes, development and skills needed to develop those programmes,” she said.

QAA unit’s mandate is to manage the quality assurance and certification of the BTEP with the involvement of the employers and people in the industry. To ensure that BTEP qualifications are designed, delivered and assessed to acceptable standards, the QAA unit has identified key elements being validation of the qualifications, approval of institutions to BTEP, verification of internal assessment, moderation of integrated projects and monitoring of QAA quality assurance elements.

Akoonyatseng explained that they have difficulties in getting skilled and knowledgeable personnel for some vocations. He said when they develop a programme for a certain vocation they face difficulties in getting people from those industries to sit in the Curriculum Development Group (CDG) and the Programme Advisory Committee (PAC). Akoonyatse explained that the BTEP is not appreciated in many industries maybe because nothing much was done to market the programme. “There is also lack of commitment by some officers who are employed to be moderators but end up disappearing very quickly frustrating the whole process. When they quit like that without even informing us it means that we cannot complete the work in the time frame set,” she said.

BTEP is offered in four stages being the foundation, certificate, advanced certificate and diploma. According to the Principal Technical Education Officer, Promod Mani the foundation programme focuses on the basic skills, knowledge and understanding within the vocational area.

The recruits to industries after completing this stage will be able to perform routine and predictable tasks often performed under supervision.

The certificate graduates will be able to perform complex non-routine tasks involving collaborative teamwork. Recruits of the advanced certificate will be able to perform complex and varied activities with some degree of personal responsibility.

The recruits of the diploma will be expected to perform complex, and analytical routines with a higher degree of responsibilities.

However, Mani said that other local tertiary institutions do not recognise the programme under the pretence that it was not graded. He said it was not true that the programme was not graded as it is graded under the distinction, merit, pass and fail.

BTEP is a new modular outcome based qualification developed to cover a wide range of programme including the construction trades. The other BTEP courses include hospital operations, agro based industries, clothing, design and textiles, hairdressing and beauty therapy.