The Asia Pacific Accreditation and Certification Commission (APACC) facilitated two international benchmarking activities for Don Bosco - One TVET Philippines, Inc., in coordination with APACC-accredited institutions in Malaysia. The visits, which were held from April 22 to 25, 2024, were joined by 13 participants from Don Bosco Training Centers across the Philippines.
The delegation visited Politeknik Ungku Omar (PUO) and Politeknik Sultan Azlan Shah (PSAS) respectively, to learn about Malaysia’s experiences, strategies as well as best practices in TVET management. As one of the benefits of being an active APACC accredited institution, the benchmarking activity also aimed to foster potential collaboration between Don Bosco and the institutions and build a supportive community within the APACC-accredited institutions in Malaysia and the Philippines.
Group photo of Don Bosco participants during their benchmarking in Politeknik Ungku Omar (top photo) and Politeknik Sultan Azlan Shah (bottom photo)
The benchmarking activity commenced on April 23 in PUO. PUO briefed the delegation about their institution and gave an overview of the TVET system in Malaysia. Afterwards, PUO shared their progress report in attaining the Platinum-level accreditation, including a brief presentation of their best practices in operations, teaching and learning, and student support services. This was followed by a tour around PUO to see the facilities within their campus. PUO Director, Dr. Shamsuri bin Abdullah personally welcomed the delegation and extended his appreciation to visitors, led by Fr. Jose Dindo S. Vitug, SDB, Don Bosco - One TVET Philippines, Inc. Executive Director, for choosing PUO as a benchmarked institution in preparation for its training centers towards potential APACC accreditation in the future.
Don Bosco delegation welcomed by the staff and management of PUO Malaysia, led by Director, Dr. Shamsuri bin Abdullah
The following day the Don Bosco delegation attended the 17th FIRA (Federation of International Robot-Soccer Association) Malaysia Cup 2024 Robotics Competition organized by the Department of Polytechnic and Community College Education (DPCCE) in collaboration with PSAS, which was held at the PSAS campus. The delegation was met by PSAS Director, Dr. Mohd Zulkefli Ibrahim where he briefed the visitors about PSAS’ direction as one of the leading premier TVET polytechnics in Malaysia.
Don Bosco - One TVET Philippines, Inc. began its APACC journey in 2022, when one of its training centers, the Don Bosco Technical Institute of Makati, applied for APACC accreditation and got Silver level accreditation. Meanwhile, PUO (Platinum level) and PSAS (Gold level) Malaysia are both active APACC accredited institutions.
