The National Training Authority (NTA), in its quest to ensure quality and relevant education at the training institutions, yesterday began a three-day workshop on local qualification in institution at the Baobab Resort Hotel in Bijilo.

The workshop is aimed at harmonising local qualification modules, common curriculum to be benchmarked internationally and to adopt a common content in terms of scope, and duration, to be implemented by all providers. In his welcome remarks, Almamy N. Kinteh, standard development specialist, said the workshop is mainly to bring together vocational training institutions that are registered under NTA, to shape the qualifications of the institutions. "This is to come up with a unique module for all the institutions," he said, describing NTA as an authority that is responsible for regulating and standardising the institutions and to benchmark all local institutions.

He cited the need for institutions to be involved in a unique module, noting that this will prevent one institution from having advantage over the other. For his part, Ousman GM Nyang,  the director general of the National Training Authority said the workshop brings together forty-five participants from different institutions and will erase the varied forms of curriculum contents presently used by training institutions, which is a cause for concern.  

He said this will help in benchmarking all the institutions, in order to provide a unique certificate that can be recognised both at local and international level. He  noted  that NTA will do all it can, in order to provide a relevant and quality education at the local institutions, as education is key in any national development.