SERC Host Moroccan Guests on Study Visit

South Eastern Regional College (SERC) has recently been awarded funding through the British Council Going Global Partnership Programme to support the implementation of a Quality Assurance Framework tailored to the needs of the Moroccan Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector.

SERC hosted 8 visitors from Morocco for a week-long study visit as part of the project which will see the College work collaboratively with Ministry of Economic Integration, Small Business, Employment & Skills, Office of Vocational Training & Employment Promotion (OFPPT) and Institutes of Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Training (IFMEREE) in Morocco.   The College will provide practical support to help them engage in quality assurance and self-evaluation processes, reflect on their own experience, and implement a pilot programme which will enhance the effective engagement of women and marginalised groups with constructive employer engagement, career guidance and the development of soft skills.

Ken Webb, Principal and Chief Executive at SERC, stated,

“We were delighted to welcome our partners from OFPPT and IFMEREE on their study visit to SERC. It is our privilege to be selected by British Council Going Global Partnerships to deliver this project.   We are keen to share our best practice approach to Quality Assurance, to help our partners frame their own approach whilst learning from their experiences.  We look forward to continuing this project and establishing a long-term sustainable collaboration with our Moroccan partners.” 

Commenting on the partnership, Jonathan Stewart, Director British Council Northern Ireland, said,

“We are delighted that a Northern Ireland College has been selected to deliver this Quality Assurance Framework project working with their Moroccan partners as part of the British Council Going Global Partnerships Programme. Our work builds connections between colleges, employers and policy makers in the UK and worldwide to develop high-quality skills systems. This collaboration enables the UK skills sector to learn from international practice as other systems learn from what we are doing here in the UK. We wish South Eastern Regional College and their Moroccan partners every success with the project which commenced with a week of excellent learning and exchange which will hopefully lead to longer term sustainable partnerships and connections.”

Our Moroccan partners have been very proactive in sharing their quality assurance approaches within the renewable energy sector with SERC and collaborating on this project. 

Anass Ait Laachir, Director Institute of Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Training (IFMEREE) in Tangier, commented,

“The study visit to SERC in Northern Ireland has been a great opportunity to continue the engagement between IFMEREE Institutions in Morocco and the UK colleges. The visit will help develop a common understanding of quality and quality assurance in renewable energy and energy efficiency training amongst participants from both countries. We will share and exchange ideas on the quality systems and develop an appreciation of the importance of instituting a comprehensive and explicit quality assurance system in renewable energy sector as an example. The visit to SERC will facilitate, through dialogue, sharing of the diverse experiences of the participants on what constitutes best practice to put in place for quality assurance mechanisms.”

Mrs Souad Ellouzi, Director of Training at the Office of Vocational Training & Work Promotion (OFPPT),went on to say,

“This visit followed on from the previous benchmark and exchange mission to Coventry in November 2022 as part of the Going Global partnership Programme in which our Managing Director took part. After a macro vision of the British vocational training ecosystem and the governance model adopted to ensure the quality of training, this partnership with SERC, as the best FE college in Northern Ireland will allow us to touch on an aspect of this model relating to the Quality management System, one of the pillars of our roadmap for the development of vocational training. We would like to thank the British Council for offering this opportunity to Moroccan and British partners to transfer and share their expertise. The OFPPT aims, through this programme, to capture good practices in the field of quality insurance and to establish, in the near future, a lasting partnership with SERC covering other sectors and potential areas creators of added value on our professional training system.”