Standards, Assessment &Certification Council (SACC) and Industry Skills Committees (ISCS)

As mandated by the Vocational Education and Training (VET) Act, the Namibia Training Authority (NTA) Board establishes Councils and Committees to oversee its work in relation to Standards, Qualifications, Assessment and Certification arrangements as well as Industry Skills.

Therefore the Standards, Qualifications, Assessment and Certification Council (SACC) and five (5) Industry Skills Committees (ISCs) have thus been established. A further six (6) ISCs are in the pipeline to be established.

The role of the SACC is essentially to oversee, on behalf of the NTA Board, the NTA work on developing the range and quality of VET provision to a high and consistent standard.

The role of the ISCs is to oversee, on behalf of the NTA Board, the NTA work of engaging with industry in order to ensure that VET arrangements meet the needs of industry in terms of their coverage, content and quality. The ISCs ensures that the VET system is developed in a way which meets the needs of the labour market and the skills needs of industry.

As standing committees of the NTA Board, both the SACC and the ISCs consider issues at a strategic level. Their members are not technical VET experts but rather senior figures from within organisations and industries relevant to their sphere of activity.

THE COUNCIL AND INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT DEPARTMENT (CEID)

The Council and Industry Engagement Department (CIED) supports the SACC and the ISCs in their work. The Department:

• Manages the logistical arrangements for all meetings of the SACC and the ISCs, including ensuring that relevant NTA proposals are submitted to them for consideration, ensuring that decisions are properly documented and ensuring that appropriate action is taken to implement decisions.
• Acts as the main channel of communication with the SACC and ISCs to ensure that these are effectively co-ordinated.
• Assists the SACC and ISCs in drawing up an annual work plan.
• Supports SACC and ISC members in identifying their development needs to help them deal more effectively with the issues for which they are responsible and facilitate the delivery of appropriate development activity.
• Promotes wider NTA engagement with industry through developing a partnership approach with relevant industry bodies and organising relevant events and workshops for industry.

THE STANDARDS, ASSESSMENT &CERTIFICATION COUNCIL (SACC)

The SACC is comprised of eight (8) members. The current members are:

Members of the SACC are senior individuals with experience of the issues covered by the SACC. They are nominated by various stakeholders but it should be noted that all SACC members are appointed as individuals and not as representatives of the bodies which nominated them.

 Some of the key issues dealt with by SACC are: 

• Approval of the issuing of Certificates attesting to achievement in national vocational courses;
• Policies, processes and procedures for the registration and accreditation of Training Providers;
• Policies, processes and procedures for the development of unit standards and qualifications;
• Professional Development of Trainers;
• Criteria and processes for the registration and accreditation of assessors and moderators;
• Plans for improving the quality and effectiveness of assessment arrangements;
• Plans for developing the recognition of prior learning.

INDUSTRY SKILLS COMMITTEES

The NTA Board will establish eleven (11) Industry Skills Councils. So far five (5) ISCs are fully operational. These cover industries in the following sectors:

1. Mining & Quarrying, Construction, Electricity, Gas and Water Supply, and Rural Sanitation. (Click here for details – hyperlink to separate page for this ISC)
2. Tourism & Hospitality. (Click here for details – hyperlink to separate page for this ISC)
3. Financial & Business Services (Click here for details – hyperlink to separate page for this ISC)
4. Agriculture, Farming & Forestry (Click here for details – hyperlink to separate page for this ISC)
5. Fishing and Maritime. (Click here for details – hyperlink to separate page for this ISC)

NTA is in the process of establishing a further six (6) ISCs which will complete the coverage of industry sectors. These will cover the following industry sectors:

• Manufacturing, Automotive Sales and Arts & Crafts
• Post and Telecommunications
• Wholesale and Retail Trades
• Transport, Warehousing and Logistics
• Public Administration and Defence
• Health Care & Social Services

Members of the ISCs are senior individuals working within the industry sector covered by each ISC. They are nominated by industry associations or by individual companies but it should be noted that all ISC members are appointed as individuals and not as representatives of the bodies which nominated them.