The Association of APACC Accreditees (AAA) for the fourth time, convened in Manila, Philippines on December 5, 2023 to discuss areas for collaboration between accredited APACC institutions. The association, which was established in 2015 to promote cooperation and strengthen regional ties among APACC accredited institutions. Since its inception, the association has convened three times, in Manila Philippines (2015), Malaysia (2016), and Thailand (2018). This year, the meeting was hosted by the Colombo Plan Staff College (CPSC), in conjunction with the celebration of its 50th founding anniversary.
A total of 15 AAA representatives from APACC accredited institutions in Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, and India, designated National Coordinators for Accreditation (NCAs), and APACC Special Officers attended the meeting. The participating TVET institutions and agencies include: (Malaysia) Politeknik Kota Bharu (PKB), Politeknik Ungku Omar (PUO), Politeknik Sultan Azlan Shah (PSAS), Politeknik Port Dickson (PPD), Kolej Kemahiran Tinggi MARA (KKTM Sri Gading), Centre for Instructor and Advanced Skill Training (CIAST); (Mongolia) Polytechnic College of Engineering and Technology (PCET); (Philippines) Don Bosco Technical Institute of Makati (DBTIM), TESDA Women’s Center (TWC), Jacobo Z. Gonzales Memorial School of Arts and Trades (JZGMSAT), and Concepcion Vocational School (CVS).
The participants of the fourth AAA meeting
During the opening ceremony, APACC President Prof. G.L.D. Wickramasinghe warmly welcomed the participants. He expressed his appreciation to the attending institutions, NCAs, and APACC Special Officers especially to Prof. Dr. G. Kulanthaivel (NITTTR-Chennai, India), Dr. Ariunbol Jaaljav (MNCEA, Mongolia), and Pn. Noaryanti binti Mohd Noor (DPCCE, Malaysia). Further, he congratulated the four institutions who were recently awarded with Platinum level accreditation - KKTM Masjid Tanah, PPD, PUO, and TWC.
Following this, APACC Chairperson Dr. Kesavan Ulaganathen delivered a short presentation to reorient the participants about the APACC charter and the mandates of the AAA which was established on June 14, 2015. He emphasized that the AAA is a special platform given to APACC accredited institutions for networking, promoting, and sharing of best quality assurance practices in strengthening regional cooperation and ties among TVET institutions across Asia Pacific. He ended his presentation in the hopes of encouraging more TVET institutions to apply for accreditation in the future.
The AAA meeting commenced afterwards when the participating representatives started to deliver their country paper presentations covering some of the best practices that they are implementing in their institutions. Eleven presentations were delivered from TWC, CVS, DBTIM, JZGMSAT, PCET, CIAST, PPD, PKB, MARA Masjid Tanah and PUO. The members also shared information about their respective institutions and possible ways and means of collaboration with other institutions. Discussion on the suggested improvements of APACC processes and concrete way forward such as student exchange programs, and joint research, was also facilitated.
Coming off from the results of the third AAA meeting conducted in Thailand last 2018, new AAA Board Members were elected in this year’s meeting, namely:
| Chairperson and Secretariat: | TESDA Women’s Center |
| Committee Members: | Polytechnic College of Engineering and Technology |
| Don Bosco Technical Institute of Makati | |
| Kolej Kemahiran Tinggi MARA Masjid Tanah | |
| Politeknik Port Dickson | |
| Politeknik Ungku Omar | |
| Jacobo Z. Gonzales Memorial School of Arts and Trades |
Photos during the study visit at TESDA Women’s Center, Philippines
To further supplement and enhance the experience of the participating institutions during the meeting, a brief institutional visit to TWC in Taguig City, Philippines was facilitated. As the first and only Philippine TVET training center that has been awarded Platinum level accreditation, TWC remains in its stance to be the leading polytechnic for women in the Philippines. During the visit, notable facilities that were visited include the Bartending NC II workshop which was built in partnership with Ginebra San Miguel Philippines Corporation; Cafe Juana, a UNESCO-UNEVOC-recognized Business Incubation Center as an extension of the Barista NC II and Bread and Pastry Production NC II workshops; Dressmaking, Electrical Installation and Maintenance, and the Trainers Methodology classrooms and laboratories. The visit was made informative by the staff and trainers of TWC headed by its Acting Center Chief, Ms. Mylene Somera with the assistance of Ms. Kimberly Bautista, Senior TESD Specialist.
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