The capacity building was convened by the National Association of Vocational and Skills Training Institutes (NAVSTI) in collaboration with the International Trade Centre (ITC) and National Accreditation and Quality Assurance Authority (NAQAA).
The training seeks to facilitate quality delivery of TVET, contribute to market driven programmes being delivered and facilitate the growth and sustainability of TVET institutions.
Abdoulie Sowe, chairman of NAVSTI, explained the rationale behind the training, which he said, is also meant to capacitate training institutions to be able to train a good mass of Gambians.
According to him, what they observed is that most of the heads of institutions are experts in their field but not in areas outside their field.
Therefore, he underscored the importance of acquiring skills in finance, leadership and management as these are relevant skills needed to run institutions.
“If you capacitate heads of the training institutions, you are capacitating these institutions and if you capacitate them that means you will have better students.” Sowe pointed out.
For his part, Dr. Gibril Jaw, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) NAQAA, described the centre managers as captains of institutions that should know what leadership is about so that they can lead their institutions very effectively. “Knowing how to manage people, individuals, processes and resources is very important in an institution,” he said.
Chan Mendy, a participant and managing director of Ida’s Ideas Fashion Design Institute, said they have learned a lot of relevant skills that will improve their capacity and knowledge about among others management. “I have learned the importance of team work and how to be a great leader which is the most important aspect. The knowledge that I have learned here is what I am going to use to be a better leader and motivate others in my institution,” Chan added.
Almameh Gibba, manager IT studies, Gambia Telecommunications and Multimedia Institute, also a participant, described the training as wonderful, saying it will pay dividend when they go back to their institutions.
The training, he added, came at a better time and that it has enhanced their skills in management and other areas of importance.
