NTA extends standard development meeting to provinces

The National Training Authority (NTA), for the first time, has extended its Standard Development Meetings beyond the Municipalities to the Regions.

A meeting, held in CRR recently, was aimed to address skills issues in one of the most important sectors of the Gambian economy - Rice cultivation. The four-day meeting took place in Sapu, Central River Region, from 5 to 8 April 2011.

As a result of the sector's activity and location, the experts and stakeholders that form the 14-man panel were selected from the Department of Agriculture, National Agriculture Research Institution (NARI), the various Projects involved in Rice Cultivation, Farmer Association and the Training Centre for National Youth Service Scheme tasked to formulate standards for quality skills training in the sector.

In his opening remarks on the occasion, the chairman of the 14-man panel, Ousman Colley, informed the panel members that the workshop was held to set Standards and Qualifications in the Rice Cultivation.

This is in line with not only meeting the quality service demand of the country's need for  food self-sufficiency in rice production but also to a large extent provide quality skill services and training for the populace interested  in the sector.

He commended the National Training Authority for coming up with the laudable initiative and in particular for organising the workshop in Sapu, Central River Region – the heart of rice cultivation in The Gambia.

Mr Colley stressed that any activity that is intended to increase, better understood and used to address the skills gap in rice cultivation is indeed a step in the right direction. "Rice cultivation can be an alternative to our main cash crop groundnut, since it can be grown at least twice a year in some places with a more attractive consumer price," Mr Colley.

The task, he reiterated, was daunting but with their collective expertise and experience, standards will be formulated for delivery in training institutions. "Rice can be grown everywhere in this country," he said.

The panel by the end of the four-day meeting came up with standards that would address skills gap for both upland and lowland (swamp) rice cultivation.

Mr Colley, who said he felt honoured to be the chairman of the panel, urged the panelists to live up to expectations and to take part in the debate so as to come up with competent measures that would inform high standards and skills in the rice growing industry. 

Almamy Kinteh, the Standard Development Specialist of the NTA and the coordinator, on behalf of the Director General of the National Training Authority and staff, thanked the panelists for giving up their assignment and time, to take up the duties of the panel.

He expressed gratitude to panelists for accepting the challenges to serve the nation in the very important sector. He said their main task during the course of the workshop would be to discuss the issue of skills and come up with competency measures that are benchmarked to international standards compatible to the needs of The Gambia. "These will be developed to Standards and Qualifications for rice cultivation," he said.

Mr Kinteh informed the panelists that the NTA's modus operanda are guided by the NTA Act 2002. The Act of Parliament mandates the NTA to constitute sector panels whose role is to develop standards that are benchmarked to international standards.

During the deliberation, group and individual work members formulated outcomes from the skills gaps that would inform on how to address the opening.

These outcomes were arranged into Standards. The Standards were then divided between panel members based on their expertise in the area to write on the knowledge and Understanding and Performance criteria.

Finally, a total of 23 Standards - 16 Standards for Level 1 and 7 for Level 2 - were validated.

Lamin B. Manneh, the Assessment and Certification Specialist, who was also part of the NTA team, thanked the participants for the successful completion of the writing standards in templates and presenting them to their colleagues.

He expressed satisfaction at the way the validation was conducted and assured the members that Standards and Qualifications would, as requirement, be presented to the NTA's Board for approval.

Thereafter, curriculum development and assessors training will also follow suit to translate the standards into a teaching curriculum and prepare a pool of assessors in place before the implementation.

Mr Manneh finally thanked all those who contributed in making the workshop a success and made known of the encouragement of the NTA in organising panel meetings outside the urban areas. 

The National Training Authority (NTA), for the first time, has extended its Standard Development Meetings beyond the Municipalities to the Regions.

A meeting, held in CRR recently, was aimed to address skills issues in one of the most important sectors of the Gambian economy - Rice cultivation. The four-day meeting took place in Sapu, Central River Region, from 5 to 8 April 2011.

As a result of the sector’s activity and location, the experts and stakeholders that form the 14-man panel were selected from the Department of Agriculture, National Agriculture Research Institution (NARI), the various Projects involved in Rice Cultivation, Farmer Association and the Training Centre for National Youth Service Scheme tasked to formulate standards for quality skills training in the sector.

In his opening remarks on the occasion, the chairman of the 14-man panel, Ousman Colley, informed the panel members that the workshop was held to set Standards and Qualifications in the Rice Cultivation.

This is in line with not only meeting the quality service demand of the country's need for  food self-sufficiency in rice production but also to a large extent provide quality skill services and training for the populace interested  in the sector.

He commended the National Training Authority for coming up with the laudable initiative and in particular for organising the workshop in Sapu, Central River Region – the heart of rice cultivation in The Gambia.

Mr Colley stressed that any activity that is intended to increase, better understood and used to address the skills gap in rice cultivation is indeed a step in the right direction. "Rice cultivation can be an alternative to our main cash crop groundnut, since it can be grown at least twice a year in some places with a more attractive consumer price," Mr Colley.

The task, he reiterated, was daunting but with their collective expertise and experience, standards will be formulated for delivery in training institutions. "Rice can be grown everywhere in this country," he said.

The panel by the end of the four-day meeting came up with standards that would address skills gap for both upland and lowland (swamp) rice cultivation.

Mr Colley, who said he felt honoured to be the chairman of the panel, urged the panelists to live up to expectations and to take part in the debate so as to come up with competent measures that would inform high standards and skills in the rice growing industry. 

Almamy Kinteh, the Standard Development Specialist of the NTA and the coordinator, on behalf of the Director General of the National Training Authority and staff, thanked the panelists for giving up their assignment and time, to take up the duties of the panel.

He expressed gratitude to panelists for accepting the challenges to serve the nation in the very important sector. He said their main task during the course of the workshop would be to discuss the issue of skills and come up with competency measures that are benchmarked to international standards compatible to the needs of The Gambia. "These will be developed to Standards and Qualifications for rice cultivation," he said.

Mr Kinteh informed the panelists that the NTA's modus operanda are guided by the NTA Act 2002. The Act of Parliament mandates the NTA to constitute sector panels whose role is to develop standards that are benchmarked to international standards.

During the deliberation, group and individual work members formulated outcomes from the skills gaps that would inform on how to address the opening.

These outcomes were arranged into Standards. The Standards were then divided between panel members based on their expertise in the area to write on the knowledge and Understanding and Performance criteria.

Finally, a total of 23 Standards - 16 Standards for Level 1 and 7 for Level 2 - were validated.

Lamin B. Manneh, the Assessment and Certification Specialist, who was also part of the NTA team, thanked the participants for the successful completion of the writing standards in templates and presenting them to their colleagues.

He expressed satisfaction at the way the validation was conducted and assured the members that Standards and Qualifications would, as requirement, be presented to the NTA's Board for approval.

Thereafter, curriculum development and assessors training will also follow suit to translate the standards into a teaching curriculum and prepare a pool of assessors in place before the implementation.

Mr Manneh finally thanked all those who contributed in making the workshop a success and made known of the encouragement of the NTA in organising panel meetings outside the urban areas.