Vocational: Public and private training providers in the country can now access information online for assessing, registration and conducting various trainings related to the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system in the country.

The Department of Occupational Standards (DOS), during the 4th National Training Providers Forum, yesterday, launched the TVET Quality Assurance Management Information System (TVET-QAMIS) to connect the ministry and the various training providers in the country.

Supported by the G2C programme, the TVET-QAMIS will enable all the national training providers to directly link with the ministry and update their programmes and events.

DOS’s officiating director, Tandin Dorji, said that the online system will not only help in the smooth implementation of the rules but also ease the procedure for trainers while registering with the ministry and conducting trainings.

“The service is a very dynamic system, whereby, everything can be done online saving us from all the paperwork which used to be a hassle before,” said Tandin Dorji. “It saves time and cost for both the ministry and the training providers. At the same time, quality management and transparency in the system is maintained at all times.”

Tandin Dorji said that jobseekers looking for trainings will also benefit from the system. TVET-QAMIS maintains information on all the 72 training providers in the country with their updated activities. “Individuals looking for any training in their area can visit our website to get the information on trainings in their locality,” said Tandin Dorji.

He added that the system will also enable national assessments to be carried out for all training institutes along with monitoring and evaluating the institutes’ performance.

Labour minister Nyeema Sangay Tshenpo, during the forum, said that with the growing number of training providers every year, ensuring quality and relevance of training has become a major concern and challenge for the ministry.

“Quality education and training can be an effective tool to tackle the unemployment problem in the country,” said the minister. “As the population of job seekers continues to increase, there will be more young people looking for meaningful jobs.” The minster added: “Therefore, it is timely that the training providers become more accountable in delivering demand-driven courses and ensure quality, thereby addressing the unemployment problem and the human resource gaps in the country.

The minister said that the national training providers play a vital role in providing training and employment services, and contribute significantly to the socio-economic development of the country.

“The Training Institutes needs to achieve not only national competitiveness but also being at par with other regional and international institutions should be the main aspiration,” said the minster.

Currently, there are 72 training providers in the country registered with the ministry, of which 13 are government, four NGOs, two corporate and 53 are private providers.

The two-day forum organised by DOC will conclude today.

Younten Tshedup