Vocational Training Council seeks wider international recognition
The Vocational Training Council (VTC) is seeking wider international accreditation.
Professor Lee Ngok, the executive director of VTC told Campus Post that most technician courses were accredited by the City and Guilds of London Institute, but he hoped the council could collaborate with more institutions worldwide to gain further internationally-recognised standards.
The Department of Marine and Mechanical Engineering at the VTC's Haking Wong Technical Institute (HWTI) recently received the International Standard Organisation's 9002 Certification for its maritime programmes.
The assessment was conducted by the Bureau Veritas Quality International, one of the leading quality system assessors worldwide for the ISO 9002 certification.
Ho Shiu-fai, head of HWTI's Department of Marine and Mechanical Engineering, said the certificate confirmed the department had a quality standard system in place and also gave the council accreditation in an internationally-recognised standard.
'We don't bear the leading role . . . we just fulfil the needs of society, providing high quality and well-trained people in the maritime industry,' he said.
Mr Ho also suggested that the SAR Government allocate more resources on training and the installation of hi-tech equipment. He warned that the development of maritime studies would be stunted if fewer people chose the industry as a career.
Maritime training institutions are now required to establish a quality standard system to ensure education and training objectives are clearly defined and achieved.
Each quality standard system is to be continuously monitored and evaluated periodically by an independent body and the ISO's 9000 series of standards sets out how to establish, document and maintain an effective quality system to meet customer needs.
Amendments to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) require that the Haking Wong Technical Institute reviews its own quality standard system.
Each quality standard system is to be continuously monitored and evaluated periodically by an independent body.
The evaluation report has to be communicated to the International Maritime Organisation for full compliance with its convention.
