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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Agreement to mould skilled Omani automotive personnel signed

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MUSCAT, May 1 - An agreement to mould skilled local automotive manpower was entered into by the Occupational Standards and Testing Centre(OSTC), Ministry of Manpower, the National Training Fund (NTF) and the National College of Automotive Technology (NCAT) at the latter’s premises on Sunday. Called the ‘Collaboration Programme for Developing National Professional Standards for the Automotive Sector,’ the agreement was signed by Dr Mohammed Mustafa al Najjar, Director, the Occupational Standards and Testing Centre, Ministry of Manpower, Sharifa Tahir Adidi, CEO, the National Training Fund, and Haji Faqir Mohammed al Balushi, Dean, National College of Automotive Technology.


Accordingly, the 3-year programme, fully funded by the NTF, will develop skilled and trained local workforce to create an effective professional standards in the automotive sector. This will be in congruence with the regulations of the labour market and in light of the importance of the partnership between government units and private sector institutions of the Sultanate.


According to the agreement aimed at developing an effective set of National Occupational Standards, a steering committee comprising 16 representatives from the governmental, military and senior managerial levels in the private sectors will be responsible for the development and preparation of the national professional standards in the automotive sector, as well as regulating the work of the subcommittees in order to complete its tasks and duties.


The committee will also be identifying the short, medium and long-term skills in the automotive sector and prepare the annual plans for the development and preparation of professional standards and their applications, standards and professional tests.


The Occupational Standards and Testing Centre will be providing the general framework for the development of professional standards including all the details including the guidelines, the process and the quality criteria for the development process, in addition to providing the sector with frameworks and guidelines for the application of professional standards in curriculum building, apprenticeship programmes and professional proficiency tests for the automotive sector.


NCAT, as the Project Manager, will contribute to the development of standards besides the establishment of a separate unit for the skills of the automotive sector. All tasks and responsibilities of the Steering Committee will be transferred to the Skills Unit for the Vehicle Sector as soon as they are established, while the sub-committees will contribute to identifying the professional development areas and propose appropriate amendments and submit them to the Steering Committee for Accreditation.


KABEER YOUSUF


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